How much money can Austin FC spend on player transfers and free agents in 2021?

It’s a question Landon and Jeremiah originally researched and answered for a listener in the December 1 episode of the Capital City Soccer Show.

Other Verde fans may have the same question, so we put Austin’s 2021 player salary budget in a graphic.

The financials come from the latest player compensation table in the newly ratified collective bargaining agreement (CBA) laid out by MLS. The new CBA basically keeps the total salary budget at 2020 levels, with MLS clubs losing about $500K in budget money from the prior June 2020 CBA.

Keep in mind, the maximum salary hit to the budget for each of the club’s two designated players, Dominguez and Pochettino, is about $612K. We know from the 2021 MLSPA Salary Guide these DPs are paid $1.7 million (Dominguez) and $642K (Pochettino), so Austin FC ownership must cough up the amount above $612K out of pocket, plus any transfer fees.

Finally, the Verde may receive a bit of extra allocation money due to so many teams being unavailable in the Expansion Draft, according to a MLS press release.