The Vancouver Whitecaps aren’t among Major League Soccer’s big spenders again in 2023. But they’re also not at the bottom when it comes to their payroll.
The 2023 MLSPA salary guide was released today, giving everyone an updated look at how much money every player in the league makes.
The Whitecaps ranked 23rd out of 29 MLS teams, with a payroll over $12.7 million. That’s more than Vancouver spent last year, but less than half of Toronto FC’s current payroll. TFC leads the league with over $25.7 million in guaranteed compensation toward their players.
It hasn’t done Toronto much good this season, as they rank dead-last in the Eastern Conference with a 2-4-6 record after 12 matches. Vancouver, by contrast, is currently in a playoff spot in the Western Conference, with a 3-3-5 record in 11 matches.
A big chunk of Toronto’s payroll is spent on two players, Lorenzo Insigne ($7.5 million) and Federico Bernardeschi ($6.3 million), who both rank in the top five of MLS salaries. Xherdan Shaqiri of the Chicago Fire is the MLS’s highest-paid player, making $8.2 million. Javier Hernández Balcázar of the LA Galaxy ($7.4 million) and Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi ($6.0 million) round out the top five.
Team | Guaranteed compensation |
Toronto FC | $25,741,930 |
LA Galaxy | $23,463,025 |
Atlanta United | $21,257,396 |
DC United | $20,016,591 |
Austin FC | $19,922,021 |
Chicago Fire | $19,800,919 |
Seattle Sounders FC | $18,947,463 |
New England Revolution | $18,909,273 |
Inter Miami | $18,055,548 |
LAFC | $17,483,012 |
Houston Dynamo | $17,252,231 |
Columbus Crew | $16,060,111 |
Sporting Kansas City | $15,454,335 |
New York City FC | $15,448,629 |
FC Cincinnati | $15,087,380 |
Portland Timbers | $14,449,409 |
FC Dallas | $14,399,519 |
Nashville SC | $14,207,528 |
Charlotte FC | $13,473,928 |
Colorado Rapids | $13,106,961 |
San Jose Earthquakes | $13,022,374 |
Philadelphia Union | $12,804,172 |
Vancouver Whitecaps | $12,746,625 |
Minnesota United | $12,285,685 |
Real Salt Lake | $12,138,719 |
Orlando City SC | $11,227,559 |
New York Red Bulls | $11,163,066 |
St. Louis City SC | $10,933,074 |
Montreal | $10,800,128 |
The Whitecaps’ highest-paid player, Ryan Gauld, ranks 21st in guaranteed compensation, as he makes $2.5 million.
Sergio Córdova is Vancouver’s only other player making over a million dollars.
The Whitecaps are getting incredible value from Simon Becher, their 23-year-old rising star who currently shares the team lead in goals (4). Becher makes just $70,485, which is the second-lowest on the Whitecaps.
Name | Position | Base salary | Guaranteed compensation |
Ryan Gauld | M | $2,400,000 | $2,505,000 |
Sergio Córdova | F | $981,818 | $1,050,568 |
Alessandro Schöpf | M | $900,000 | $992,500 |
Julian Gressel | M | $884,000 | $939,781 |
Andrés Cubas | D | $900,000 | $900,000 |
Mathías Laborda | D | $760,000 | $828,625 |
Pedro Vite | M | $592,000 | $645,997 |
Ranko Veselinovic | D | $495,000 | $580,500 |
Caio Alexandre | M | $500,000 | $562,500 |
Brian White | F | $511,000 | $511,000 |
Tristan Blackmon | D | $400,000 | $451,208 |
Russell Teibert | D | $400,000 | $449,375 |
Déiber Caicedo | F | $350,000 | $381,125 |
Luís Martins | D | $300,000 | $300,000 |
Yohei Takaoka | GK | $179,520 | $297,233 |
Thomas Hasal | GK | $203,000 | $222,412 |
Sebastian Berhalter | M | $150,000 | $160,250 |
Javain Brown | D | $140,000 | $153,688 |
Ryan Raposo | M | $120,000 | $137,000 |
Kamron Habibullah | F | $85,444 | $95,044 |
Ali Ahmed | D | $85,444 | $94,819 |
Matteo Campagna | D | $85,444 | $94,456 |
Karifa Yao | D | $89,716 | $94,123 |
J.C. Ngando | D | $67,360 | $85,359 |
Max Anchor | GK | $67,360 | $74,802 |
Simon Becher | F | $67,360 | $70,485 |
Isaac Boehmer | GK | $68,775 | $68,775 |