Over the past five seasons, the New England Revolution’s Taylor Twellman is the highest-scoring U.S. player in Major League Soccer, though he hasn’t been paid like it. Today, following months of speculation linking him to clubs in Europe, the 26-year-old is expected to announce a new deal with the Revs, worth $300,000 over the next four seasons.
Like any business, sometimes you need a little help from the market to boost your value. Twellman, whose scored a record 82 goals in 147 appearances for the Revolution, had been earning $180,000 per year, placing him 28th on the list of the league’s top earners. “It was a long process and kind of drawn out,” Twellman told the Boston Globe of the contract negotiations. “All I have been asking all along is to be paid what my fair market value would be. “Staying with New England was ultimately what my goal was even at the beginning of talks of going to Europe. I wasn’t asking for Landon Donovan or David Beckham type of money. I am being paid for what I have done and what I will do in the future.”
The U.S. international, who was unlucky to miss out on this summer’s World Cup, has certainly built his league profile from the ground up: his first two seasons, Twellman earned the league minimum $24,000 (before bonuses). Now he’s earning the league maximum, that is, if you exclude designated players.