2023 Dynamo player salaries released
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Major League Soccer Players Association released their 2023 salary guide today. The MLSPA usually releases these numbers twice a year which show each player’s base salary and guaranteed compensation.
The Houston Dynamo currently have the 11th highest salary total, spending $17,252,231. The six teams at the top of that list; Toronto, LA Galaxy, Atlanta, D.C., Austin, and Chicago should give you some insight on how much correlation there is between salary spending and winning. Hector Herrera is the sixth highest player in the league in guaranteed compensation at $5,246,875. He sits behind Xerdan Shaqiri, Lorenzo Insigne, Chicharito Hernandez, Federico Bernardeschi, and Sebastian Driussi.
The Dynamo have all three of their designated player spots and they’ve used targeted allocation money to bring in some other players on big salaries. Let’s look at all the players on the roster. All numbers will be guaranteed compensation. Also of note, Matias Vera’s salary is still on the list, even though he is on loan. It is unsure how much of that the Dynamo are covering, if any. Houston is also covering salary on Tim Parker who is now playing with St. Louis CITY SC. You can see all the player salaries at this link.
Designated Players
Hector Herrera - $5,246,875
Sebastian Ferreira - $2,130,200
Teenage Hadebe - $1,288,077
Herrera makes a LOT of money. He’s backing it up this season as one of the best midfielders in the league (bad decision Saturday withstanding). We all know the Ferreira saga. You don’t want a guy making two million on your bench, especially in a league with a salary cap and only three DP spots. Something will have to change with Ferreira soon, either he shapes up and becomes a contributor or he’s moved this summer. Hadebe was a defensive anchor this season until he suffered an injury and will miss an extended amount of time.
Starter Money for Starters
Artur - $651,633
Steve Clark - $619,281
Corey Baird - $581,031
Adalberto Carrasquilla - $550,224
Amine Bassi - $550,000
Franco Escobar - $524,167
These are the other players on the Dynamo roster making over half a million. All of them are starters and have played many minutes this season. Artur, Bassi, and Escobar are all new to the team this year. The obvious name that people will look at here is Baird, as the Corey Baird discourse continues to always be a thing. Baird was acquired by the Dynamo just before Matt Jordan was relieved of duties as GM.
300k and Up
Erik Sviatchenko - $460,532
Chase Gasper - $425,000
Brad Smith - $416,875
Daniel Steres - $402,175
Ivan Franco - $384,250
Djevencio van der Kust - $330,583
This group of players making between $300k and $500k is a very interesting one with a lot of question marks. Steres has been one of the best players on the team. The question marks surround the others. Sviatchenko has yet to step on the field. Smith is slowly coming back from an ACL injury. Gasper was picked up off waivers, meaning the Dynamo are only paying a fraction of that salary, but was sent off in his last appearance for the first team. Franco and van der Kust are players on loan who the club will have to decide on. Franco has been given minutes but has yet to impress. Djevencio hasn’t gotten much of a chance on the first team but his impressive performance for Dynamo 2 Sunday could be a glimpse of potential that is still to be seen.
Six Figures
Andrew Tarbell - $280,000
Nelson Quinones - $237,890
Griffin Dorsey - $169,000
Ethan Bartlow - $135,000
Micael - $134,250
Luis Caicedo - $110,000
Brooklyn Raines - $103,507
You must have good depth in MLS. It’s a long season with lots of travel and midweek games, you’ve got to have guys who can give you minutes and not have a drop in quality. Bartlow is a nailed-on starter now. His Generation adidas contract is doing exactly what it’s designed to do, give you a good young player on a friendly salary. The other guys in this group are those depth pieces. Raines is an up and comer on the first team and is beginning to get minutes for his development. Micael has been elevated to a starter with Hadebe injured and is handling the role quite well so far.
The Kids
Thor Ulfarsson - $97,643
Xavier Valdez - $95,155
Juan Castilla - $89,966
Daniel Rios - $89,886
Ifunanyachi Achara - $85,444
Tate Schmitt - $85,444
Charles Auguste - $71,110
Beto Avila - $67,360
Mujeeb Murana - $67,360
This group of players is made up of young guys on the fringes of the roster. Rios is on loan with Las Vegas in the USL Championship. Valdez, Castilla, Avila, and Murana are other homegrowns who are mostly playing at Dynamo 2. Auguste is also playing mostly for Dos after being signed after the SuperDraft. We have yet to see Achara at all after being selected in the Re-Entry Draft. Ulfarsson is the leading goal scorer among the club’s forwards with one (yeah…). Schmitt was a good bargain pick up to fill in at left back until he got injured.
What do you think of the salaries? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @BayouCitySoccer.
