New 2022 Austin FC player salaries can be found here.
Feast your eyes on the 2021 player salaries provided by Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA).
The release of payroll data includes base salary and guaranteed compensation (signing and guaranteed bonuses are annualized), but not performance bonuses or club transfer fees, for MLS players under contract as of April 15, 2021.
When asked about these payroll numbers in a recent media interview, Head Coach Josh Wolff questioned their accuracy and was unsure what these amounts included.
For comparison purposes, the average base salary for senior roster non-DP players in MLS is $398,725 in 2021. If curiosity gets the better of you, view the entire MLSPA compensation database of all 786 players under contract with Major League Soccer.
Not included below because he was a later summer signing, Austin FC’s payroll jumped after the huge transfer of forward Sebastian Druissi, who earns $2.69 mil. as one of the club’s three designated players.
2021 Player Salary Highlights (guaranteed $)
- Top three highest paid players: Cecilio Dominguez ($1.7 mil), Alex Ring ($1.1 mil.), and Danny Hoesen ($716,667).
- Bottom three lowest paid players: Aedan Stanley ($63,500), Will Pulisic ($63,500), and Freddy Kleeman ($63,500).
- Austin FC’s second designated player (DP), Tomas Pochettino, earns $642,447.
- Key contributors Brad Stuver (goalkeeper) and Jared Stroud (midfielder) earn $160,000 and $81,375, respectively.
- Dani Pereira, Austin FC’s first pick in the SuperDraft, earns $99,793.
- Two players have since been loaned out: Freddy Kleeman (to USL’s Birmingham Legion) and Brady Scott (to USL’s Memphis 901 FC).
Austin FC Player Salary Table (by highest guaranteed $)
| First Name | Last Name | Position | Base Salary | Guaranteed Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecilio | Dominguez | M | $1,530,000 | $1,736,000 |
| Alexander | Ring | M | $1,000,000 | $1,095,000 |
| Danny | Hoesen | F | $650,000 | $716,667 |
| Matt | Besler | D | $650,000 | $650,000 |
| Tomas | Pochettino | M | $582,447 | $642,447 |
| Jhohan | Romana | D | $420,000 | $420,000 |
| Diego | Fagundez | M | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Rodney | Redes | F | $385,000 | $385,000 |
| Nick | Lima | D | $350,000 | $350,000 |
| Julio | Cascante | D | $290,000 | $317,500 |
| Andrew | Tarbell | GK | $275,000 | $283,333 |
| Ulises | Segura | M | $240,000 | $269,125 |
| Ben | Sweat | D | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Hector | Jimenez | M | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Zan | Kolmanic | D | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| Aaron | Schoenfeld | F | $210,000 | $210,000 |
| Brad | Stuver | GK | $150,000 | $160,000 |
| Brady | Scott | GK | $115,000 | $121,236 |
| Danny | Pereira | M | $81,375 | $99,793 |
| Jared | Stroud | M | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Kekuta | Manneh | F | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Jon | Gallagher | F | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Aedan | Stanley | D | $63,547 | $63,547 |
| William | Pulisic | GK | $63,547 | $63,547 |
| Freddy | Kleeman | D | $63,547 | $63,547 |
| Total | $8,488,588 | $9,015,867 |
Overall, Austin FC has the second lowest payroll among the 27 MLS clubs, with total annualized guaranteed compensation of approximately $9 million. Since transfer fees and other bonuses are not included in this payroll, it’s hard to compare it to Austin FC’s total salary budget for 2021, which we estimated to be $11.7 million.
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