TFC's Giovinco, Bradley Top MLS Earners; Club Has Highest Payroll

Toronto FC F Sebastian Giovinco and MF Michael Bradley are MLS' "top earners" for the '18 season, according to Peter Galindo of SPORTSNET.ca. Giovinco is set to earn $7.1M this season and Bradley $6.5M. LAFC F Carlos Vela ($6.29M), Fire MF Bastian Schweinsteiger ($6.1M) and Galaxy F Giovani dos Santos ($6M) "round out the top five." Galaxy F Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a "decent bargain" at $1.5M per year. Defending MLS Cup champs Toronto FC to "no one's surprise ... has the most players in the top 10." Toronto FC also is the "league's highest spender" at more than $26M in salary, "significantly above" the second-place Galaxy (SPORTSNET.ca, 5/10). Orlando City MF Kaka, who retired after the '17 season, "topped the league" last year with a $6.6M base salary and total earnings of $7,167,500, including a "prorated share of compensation not specified to a specific year." There are 46 players with total compensation of $1M or more, an "increase from 28 in the initial list last year and from 23" in the first '16 list (AP, 5/10).

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ROONEY WORTH THE PRICE? In DC, Steven Goff reports Wayne Rooney would "become one of MLS' highest-paid players" if he leaves EPL club Everton and "ends up signing with DC United." A source said that United is "prepared to pay him" between $5-8M per season. The question is whether United is "going to spend too much on a player with a famous name but diminishing returns." Between the salary and transfer fee, United "could end up spending between" $15-20M on Rooney. A formal agreement "between the various sides is not imminent" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/11). SI.com's Avi Creditor wrote when fans "consider everything" in Rooney's potential signing, it "makes it hard to wrap your head around the dollar figures being reported." An apparent $17M plus wages "will be required to pull off the signing, though it'll reportedly be heavily subsidized by Everton and his former side, Manchester United." Compare and contrast that with the $15M Atlanta United spent to land MF Ezequiel Barco, a "19-year-old Argentine star on the rise, it's laughable and a sunk cost with one possible desired outcome" (SI.com, 5/10). 

RETIREMENT GIFT: In N.Y., Andrew Das writes Rooney signing with DC United would "hark back to the early days of MLS, when the league often signed players well past their prime for their name value as much as their soccer talent." But aging stars like Rooney, as well as Schweinsteiger and Ibrahimovic, are now "outliers in a league trending younger and less European" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/11). CNBC’s Joumanna Bercetche asks, “Is it me or is it just the U.S. is the place you go to when you’re retiring from British football?” CNBC’s Adam Reed replied that “traditionally that has been the case.” Despite the “changing face of MLS,” there is this “reputation still that players in the twilight of their careers” come play in the league. Reed added for DC United, who are in last place in the Eastern Conference, Rooney would "be a great addition for them and in the MLS he can still very much do a (good) job” (“Street Signs,” CNBC, 5/11). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said Rooney "will be the biggest guy in the city," and "will pack" Audi Field ("PTI," ESPN, 5/10).