Show me the green: Austin FC 2023 player salaries

If you are into the dollars and cents of Austin FC, feast your eyes on the 2023 player salaries provided by Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA).

The payroll data includes Austin FC base salary and guaranteed compensation, but not performance bonuses or club transfer fees, for MLS players under contract with ATXFC as of April 30, 2023.

The first thing we noticed: Austin FC player salaries vary widely — from $6 million (Sebastian Driussi) to $67,360 (Damian Las). And in case you’re wondering, this season beloved goalkeeper Brad Stuver got a raise for his stellar performance in 2022 between the posts — his guaranteed compensation increased from $185,000 to $430,813 in 2023.

Maybe the best contract deal for Austin FC this season is dynamic midfielder Dani Pereira on a total wage bill of $118,414.

Wages for New Players

In the offseason, there was plenty of roster turnover. The following players were added to the payroll for 2023.

  • Gyasi Zardes — $800,000
  • Aleksandar Radovanovic — $692,500
  • Leo Väisänen — $654,500
  • Adam Lundqvist — $397,000
  • Amro Tarek — $249,996
  • Will Bruin — $200,000
  • Matt Bersano — $132,500
  • Alfonso Ocampo-Chávez — $83,360
  • Sofiana Djeffal — $75,325
  • CJ Fodrey — $69,360

TOTAL INCOMING WAGES: $3,354,541

In contrast, Austin FC declined the contract, released, or loaned these players after 2022.

  • Ruben Gabrielsen — $950,000
  • Danny Hoesen — $716,667
  • Moussa Djitté — $600,000
  • Tomas Pochettino — $585,000
  • Jhohan Romaña — $460,000
  • Washington Corozo — $327,500
  • Andrew Tarbell — $308,333
  • Felipe Martins — $84,000
  • Jared Stroud — $84,000
  • Freddy Kleeman — $66,724
  • Will Pulisic — $66,724

TOTAL OUTGOING WAGES: $4,248,948

Finally, several OG Austin FC players received new contracts in 2023, including Diego Fagundez, Julio Cascante, and most notably, Sebastián Driussi.

2023 Austin FC Player Salaries (by Guaranteed $)

First Name Last Name PositionBase SalaryGuaranteed Compensation
SebastiánDriussiM$3,800,000$6,022,500
EmilianoRigoniF$1,599,996$2,047,996
AlexanderRingM$1,500,000$1,640,000
DiegoFagundezF$1,000,000$1,060,000
GyasiZardesF$800,000$800,000
MaximilianoUrrutiF$700,000$736,250
JulioCascanteD$620,000$693,750
AleksandarRadovanovicD$600,000$692,500
LeoVäisänenD$600,000$654,500
JhojanValenciaD$400,000$445,125
RodneyRedesF$440,000$440,000
BradStuverGK$408,000$430,813
EthanFinlayM$425,000$425,000
AdamLundqvistD$350,000$397,500
NickLimaD$375,000$375,000
ZanKolmanicD$325,000$325,000
JonGallagherF$300,000$300,000
AmroTarekD$249,996$249,996
WillBruinF$200,000$200,000
MattBersanoGK$125,000$132,500
DanielPereiraM$100,000$118,414
OwenWolffM$100,000$113,053
KippKellerD$100,000$112,500
HéctorJiménezD$85,444$85,444
AlfonsoOcampo-ChávezF$67,360$83,360
SofianeDjeffalM$75,325$75,325
CJFodreyF$67,360$69,360
CharlieAsensioD$68,775$68,775
DamianLasGK$67,360$67,360
Total$15,549,616$18,862,021
Source: Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA), April 30, 2023

Austin FC’s Driussi Ranks in Top 5 Highest Paid MLS Players

Remember those days when we scoffed at teams that paid exorbitant amounts for “star” players. In 2023, you can count Driussi Dior among that top 5.

1. Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire) – $8.2M

2. Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC) – $7.5M

3. Chicharito (LA Galaxy) – $7.4M

4. Federico Bernardeschi (Toronto FC) – $6.3M

5. Sebastian Driussi (Austin FC) – $6.0M

Highest Total Wages among MLS Clubs

Compared to other MLS clubs, the Verde & Black rank 5th ($19.9 million) in total MLS roster spending in 2023. Austin jumped 8 spots from 13th in 2022. (Note: Our total wage bill calculation in the above table is $18.9 because we excluded loaned players Djitte and Romana.)

Austin FC’s total guaranteed wage bill increased by about $5.1 million from 2022. A substantial portion of that increase was due to Austin FC renegotiating Driussi’s contract, increasing his paycheck by $3.7 million to keep him at the club.

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