By Ridge Mahoney

Senior Editor

Soccer America Magazine

A list of MLS player compensation figures for 2004 being circulated by the Major League Soccer Players Union and obtained by Soccer America lists Freddy Adu as the highest paid player at $500,000 in 2004, although his base salary is listed at $300,000.

The $500,000 figure includes guaranteed bonuses and other forms of compensation such as loyalty bonuses, marketing bonuses, car/housing allowances, etc. It does not include performance bonuses.

This is the first time an extensive list of MLS player salaries has been published.

The top salary is $350,000 for Kansas City forward Josh Wolff, closely followed by Columbus striker Brian McBride at $341,250. Rounding out the top five in salary, in order, are John Spencer of Colorado ($311,272.50) and Ante Razov of Chicago ($300,000) and Adu.

These numbers are not the same as those calculated by the clubs for salary-cap purposes. Salary-cap figures are topped by a $280,000 maximum and include achievable bonuses as well as surcharges tacked on for licensing agreements.

Behind Adu on the guaranteed list are Wolff ($418,571.43), Landon Donovan of San Jose ($367,500), Eddie Pope of the MetroStars ($350,331.66), and McBride ($341,250).

According to the list, 16 players top $200,000 in guaranteed compensation, including these who might be considered overpaid: Earnie Stewart of D.C. United ($285,000 in salary and guaranteed compensation), Hong Myung Bo of Los Angeles ($234,999.96/$289,999.96), and Darryl Powell of Colorado ($229,999.92 $239,999.92).

On the bottom end of the scale, more than 80 players earn less than $50,000 in salary, including Los Angles forward Carlos Ruiz.

Ruiz is listed on a base salary of $30,000 and has a contract guaranteed for $50,000. Those figures do not include any sums paid by Municipal, his former club, to retain a share of his rights.

If Ruiz is transferred, Municipal would receive a share of the transfer fee.

The list includes players whose options were picked up or had signed MLS contracts as of Dec. 31.

Cobi Jones, Jason Kreis and Jeff Agoos head a list of high-salaried players whose options were not been picked up as a prelude to MLS offering them contracts at a much lower salary.

Other players, such as Alexi Lalas, Ezra Hendrickson, Chad Deering, Jaime Moreno and Oscar Pareja, have not been renewed and may not be offered new deals at all. MLS had a Dec. 31 deadline to tender those offers; otherwise, players become free agents, although under the MLS single-entity system they are not free to negotiate new deals within MLS. Only if they go abroad are they free agents as the term is commonly used.

Kreis has reportedly been offered a new deal at about $150,000 per year. Jones has been asked to take a sharp cut from the reported $350,000-$400,000 he has earned since signing a deal with MLS several seasons ago. Agoos, too, has been offered considerably less than the reported $260,000 he earned last year.

The list of 2004 player salaries does not include players such as Lalas, Agoos, Kreis, etc. who as of Dec. 31 had not come to terms. Also not on the list are players whose MLS contracts have expired, as per Brian West, Clint Mathis and Carlos Bocanegra.