For MLS nerds like myself, the annual spring player salary release from the MLSPA is must-read material. It always kicks off a week’s worth of debate about who’s over paid, who’s a steal, and who in the front office signed off on that number.
Earlier this week I broke down the initial reaction to the full release. But after sitting with it a little longer, a few more things stood out that needed a deeper look.
📉 Wait — They’re what in spending now? (Context Matters)
Last year I wrote that FC Dallas was 12th in spending. It caught me off guard then and this year is no different.
Dallas’ spending comes in around $14.5 million and is ranked 25th out of 30 clubs. That stood out like a red flag but context is everything here.
Between Lucho Acosta, Leo Chu departing mid-way through 2025, Sebastian Lletget not getting his option picked up in the offseason, Maarten Paes leaving in preseason camp for Ajax and Paxton Pomykal being released before the start of the season, Dallas shed somewhere in the neighborhood if $4-5 million in annual wages within a single year. That drop isn’t the Hunts going cheap, its the math of losing a few big salary lines and not replacing them in a like-for-like.
Whether the replacements are producing comparable value is where it gets more interesting. That answer isn’t in the salary guide this time around, it is on the field.
💰 Petar Musa is carrying an uncomfortable amount of this roster
Musa’s $2.45 million base salary represents 18.8% of the club’s entire payroll. Yeah, 18%. One player. Almost a fifth of the salary right there. Sure, the bulk of that isn’t on the salary cap due to the Designated Player tag.