Comparing Sporting KC Salaries for the Last Decade

With the 2020 season currently on hold due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) and Sporting KC sitting in the Supporter’s Shield spot, there is plenty of time to look at different aspects of the team. 2020 also brings a great chance to look back at things that happened over the last decade.

Something I often think about is how rapidly the talent (and spending) have increased across all of Major League Soccer (MLS). In relation to that I often think about which of the teams that came after the 2013 MLS Cup Champion Sporting Kansas City team could beat that team, if any.

Obviously the team hasn’t won a MLS Cup title since that fateful year, but they’ve added two more US Open Cup Trophies (2015, 2017) and a Western Conference regular season title (2018). Comparing salaries isn’t a fair way to look at things necessarily, but it’s one way. We’ll leave the debate for which team was the best for another day. For now, let’s look at salaries (note: all the numbers will feature guaranteed compensation and not base salary).

In 2013 the total team salary was $3,762,631. In 2019 (the most recent year and by far the worst in terms of on the field results) SKC’s salary was $12,070,675. It would have been higher if not for Yohan Croizet and the team mutually parting ways in September just before the salary release. He made $730,008.00 in 2019 before leaving. Even at the lower number, that’s an increase of more than 320 percent from 2013 to 2019.

Another note to compare is the team’s highest paid player. In 2013 that was Benny Feilhaber with a guaranteed compensation of $312,187. In 2019 that was Felipe Gutierrez (ostensibly Feilhaber’s replacement when he went to LAFC) at $1,649,999. A difference of $1,337,812.

Not only that, but a total of 12 players (not including Croizet) made more than Feilhaber’s 2013 number (Gutierrez, Johnny Russell, Krisztian Nemeth, Andreu Fontas, Ilie Sanchez, Roger Espinoza, Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, Gerso Fernandez, Feilhaber himself, Rodney Wallace and Tim Melia). Maybe the real problem is that a good chunk of those players weren’t regular starters. Wallace barely played. Fontas wasn’t much better. And the list goes on and on.

Compensation from 2010 to 2019

Salaries went up pretty consistently for both SKC and the entire league over the last decade. There was a minor dip from 2013 to 2014 ($3,762,631 to $3,731,611) and again from 2016 to 2017 ($6,740,721 to $6,588,351). What’s really noticeable is the huge jump from 2017 to 2018 ($6,588,351 to $11,554,237).

2018 brought the additions of the team’s highest two paid players (Russell and Gutierrez) along with the next two highest paid guys as mid-year additions (Fontas and Nemeth). It’s a little misleading as Nemeth was reportedly still partially on the books at the New England Revolution, but it was clear SKC were serious about improving their team after a run of playoff one-and-done scenarios. 2020 will likely continue that spending trend (we’ll know more in the late spring or early summer).

Without further delay, here is a look at the salaries from 2010 to 2019. For reference I’ve added the team’s highest paid players and the number of players making north of $500,000. Why 500K? Well, the Designated Player number has steadily increased over the years but it seemed like a good benchmark.

*The aforementioned salary of Croizet is off the books as of this number. Otherwise it’s closer to $13 million.

^2011 is an odd year as Omar Bravo is listed at a mere $170,000 despite being a Designated Player. The DP charge that year was $335,000, so the numbers are definitely wrong, but there is no true indication of his salary.

Complete Salaries for the Last Decade

Over the years The Blue Testament has released much of the salary data available from MLS but we’ve never put it all in one spot. Below are all the salaries, from most recent all the way back to 2010.