The time has come for us to once again inappropriately judge the salaries of other people. Earlier today, The MLS Players Association released the salary information of every player in the league based on their current contracts. Here’s the full list for Atlanta United:
2018 Atlanta United Salaries
| First Name | Last Name | Club | Position | Base Salary | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikey | Ambrose | Atlanta United | D | $68,906.25 | $68,906.25 |
| Miguel | Almiron | Atlanta United | M | $1,912,500.00 | $2,297,000.00 |
| George | Bello | Atlanta United | D | $67,500.00 | $71,500.00 |
| Ezequiel | Barco | Atlanta United | M | $1,425,000.00 | $1,425,000.00 |
| Andrew | Carleton | Atlanta United | F | $75,000.00 | $87,400.00 |
| Franco | Escobar | Atlanta United | D | $250,008.00 | $250,008.00 |
| Jon | Gallagher | Atlanta United | F | $67,500.00 | $68,750.00 |
| Brad | Guzan | Atlanta United | GK | $640,008.00 | $700,008.00 |
| Julian | Gressel | Atlanta United | M | $92,500.00 | $111,250.00 |
| Chris | Goslin | Atlanta United | M | $80,000.00 | $84,000.00 |
| Greg | Garza | Atlanta United | D | $175,008.00 | $175,008.00 |
| Mitch | Hildebrandt | Atlanta United | GK | $67,500.00 | $67,500.00 |
| Jose Rafael | Hernandez | Atlanta United | D | $120,000.00 | $120,000.00 |
| Kevin | Kratz | Atlanta United | M | $165,000.00 | $179,250.00 |
| Alec | Kann | Atlanta United | GK | $94,008.00 | $94,008.00 |
| Jeff | Larentowicz | Atlanta United | M | $210,000.00 | $210,000.00 |
| Lagos | Kunga | Atlanta United | M-F | $54,500.04 | $58,500.04 |
| Chris | McCann | Atlanta United | M | $560,000.00 | $588,000.00 |
| Josef | Martinez | Atlanta United | F | $1,270,008.00 | $1,387,318.00 |
| Darlington | Nagbe | Atlanta United | F-M | $605,000.00 | $620,000.00 |
| Leandro | Pirez | Atlanta United | D | $650,004.00 | $685,004.00 |
| Michael | Parkhurst | Atlanta United | D | $340,008.00 | $340,008.00 |
| Patrick | Okonkwo | Atlanta United | F | $54,504.00 | $65,504.00 |
| Miles | Robinson | Atlanta United | D | $135,000.00 | $205,000.00 |
| Oliver | Shannon | Atlanta United | M | $54,500.04 | $54,500.04 |
| Andrew | Wheeler-Omiunu | Atlanta United | M | $55,654.20 | $55,654.20 |
| Hector | Villalba | Atlanta United | F | $663,000.00 | $770,750.00 |
| Brandon | Vazquez | Atlanta United | F | $125,004.00 | $145,004.00 |
| Sal | Zizzo | Atlanta United | D | $129,999.96 | $129,999.96 |
| Romario | Williams | Atlanta United | F | $71,500.00 | $71,500.00 |
| Gordon | Wild | Atlanta United | F | $90,000.00 | $120,000.00 |
There are many takeaways from this new set of information. Overall, Atlanta’s payroll ranks ninth in MLS with $11,306,330 spent in guaranteed player compensation, up nearly $2 million from last year. The league leader is still Toronto FC, who spent a staggering $26,167,498 in GPC. This is the fifth year in a row that the Canadian club leads MLS in this category.
Miguel Almiron is still Atlanta’s highest paid player at just under $2.3 million in guaranteed compensation. Ezequiel Barco, who the club reportedly paid a $15 million transfer fee for over the offseason, comes in at $1.425 million. Josef Martinez, Tito Villalba, and Brad Guzan round out the Top 5 biggest earners in that order.
There are some fun facts that come out of this as well. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez is being paid $685,004 in 2018 after only bringing in $285,008 last year. This is by far the most drastic change when comparing the players on a year-by-year basis, and was likely a purposefully structered deal that kept the Five Stripes under budget last season. Now, Pirez is getting what’s rightfully owed to him.
After re-negotiating his contract in the offseason, Jeff Larentowicz is set to make $35,000 more in 2018. Julian Gressel, who is the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year and who has scored a goal and assisted another three in seven appearances this season, will be paid almost $10,000 less than Gordon Wild, who was the second round SuperDraft pick last January and who is currently on loan to the Charleston Battery.
The toughest pill for Atlanta to swallow however might be the contract of Jacob Peterson. Although he hasn’t been apart of the club since they released him in January, Atlanta still has to honor their agreement with Peterson and pay him $180,818 this year.
To sum it all up though, Atlanta’s front office has once again done a terrific job of building their roster in a very efficient manner. Not every decision is perfect, but they’re clearly trying to get the most out of just about every dollar. The club is giving us a good, young, and exciting product through relatively inexpensive means.
