The L.A. Times’ Graehme L. Jones spoke with MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis about the controversy that erupted after the MLS Players Union released the salaries of all 359 of the players in MLS. Gazidis called it “a little bit disingenuous for the union to disclaim ownership of those figures” after the union collectively bargained for them. As Jones points out, the league’s so-called “developmental players,” representing roughly a quarter of the total, earn well below the poverty line. Some 57 of those players make less than $12,900, while a further 36 make $17,700.
“Those kinds of salaries that are being paid compare favorably with those in professional baseball’s minor leagues,” Gazidis said. Jones goes into an analysis of that claim, which is correct, for the most part. Gazidis defends the developmental player program. “The idea…is for a young person coming out of college to have one year, or possibly two, to challenge themselves to make it as a professional soccer player in MLS,” he said, adding: “We’re graduating a pretty significant number. It’s about 24 or 25 players over the first two years of the program.” Chris Rolfe ($74,700), Bobby Boswell ($30,870), the reigning MLS Defender of the Year, and Herculez Gomez ($49,350), are all graduates of the program.