SOCCER MONEY MATTERS
Dynamo rank last in 2018 MLS salaries with $5.2 million roster
May 11, 2018, 8:31 am
The Dynamo's "moneyball" approach saw them reach the Western Conference final in 2017. Courtesy of Wilf Thorne/Houston Dynamo
Major League Soccer player salaries were published Thursday - about one week after the close of the primary transfer window. Toronto FC came in with the highest payroll once again with three of their players making $5 million or more while the Houston Dynamo came in last among active teams for the second consecutive year.
Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco topped the list with a guaranteed compensation of $7,115,555.67 while 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger is the owner of the highest base salary of $6,100,000.08 as a member of the Chicago Fire. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who arrived from Manchester United in March, is revealed to be playing with the LA Galaxy for a $1,500,000.00 salary.
The Dynamo’s total payroll of $5.26 million was lower than the top five players in the league in both base salary and guaranteed compensation. The entire list can be found on the MLS Players Association website.
The highest paid player on the Dynamo roster is Honduran forward Alberth Elis, making $650,340.00 annually. Swedish defender Adam Lundkvist, who was signed about two weeks ago and participated in his first practice with the team on Thursday afternoon in Vancouver, ame in second in base salary with a $405,000.00 salary.
Nine players at the Dynamo make under $100,000.00 in base salary including Memo Rodriguez, who scored the 90th minute game winner against the LA Galaxy last Saturday. Rookies Michael Nelson and Mac Steeves are tied for the lowest salary at 54,500.04.
The low on-field investment - compared to other MLS teams - has been one of the leading concerns among Dynamo fans in recent years. Gabriel Brener became the majority stakeholder in the club after buying out AEG’s share in December 2015.
Following the Dynamo’s playoff elimination after a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Western Conference final last November, Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera was asked about having a higher budget to which he responded, “Our budget is not going to change...We’re going to try and do the same thing with the budget and find the players we can afford."
Dynamo General Manager Matt Jordan was on Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis earlier this week and was asked about the rumors of signing 2010 FIFA World Cup winner Fernando Torres this upcoming summer. Jordan responded, “I think we’ve shown, we’re willing to make investments. We have an ownership group that shows that, especially this last offseason with some of the acquisitions that we’ve made and they were significant investments in players like [Alberth] Elis and [Juan David] Cabezas.
“Our ownership group is definitely willing, and obviously it has to be the right player, the right timing,” added Jordan on having the financial backing from the club's ownership group, which includes Brener's longtime business partner and former Boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya.
The Dynamo acquired Elis and Cabezas on permanent transfers in the offseason, although the purchase fees were not disclosed. The club also punted on the upwards of $7 million investment in forward Erick Torres - who commanded a 650,000.00 base salary in 2017 - by selling the player for a reported $2 million fee this past January.
The Dynamo are in action tonight at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9:30 p.m. CT kickoff, KUBE 57).
MLS Salaries by team (rounded to the nearest dollar)
Team | Base salary | Guaranteed compensation |
1. Toronto FC | $23,480,305 | $26,167,499 |
2. Los Angeles Galaxy | $14,799,180 | $17,502,008 |
3. New York City FC | $13,249,558 | $14,147,633 |
4. Chicago Fire | $13,165,346 | $13,824,204 |
5. Los Angeles FC | $11,254,869 | $13,432,053 |
6. Portland Timbers | $11,209,418 | $12,516,335 |
7. Montreal Impact | $7,230,911 | $11,888,541 |
8. Seattle Sounders | $9,767,458 | $11,376,125 |
9. Atlanta United | $10,369,120 | $11,306,330 |
10. Colorado Rapids | $9,981,477 | $11,001,331 |
11. FC Dallas | $8,239,754 | $9,333,819 |
12. Sporting Kansas City | $8,825,490 | $9,176,166 |
13. Orlando City | $8,230,668 | $8,981,658 |
14. Real Salt Lake | $8,228,528 | $8,975,666 |
15. Philadelphia Union | $8,492,604 | $8,915,988 |
16. Vancouver Whitecaps | $7,531,016 | $8,233,012 |
17. Minnesota United | $7,561,894 | $8,152,683 |
18. San Jose Earthquakes | $7,116,235 | $7,787,253 |
19. New York Red Bulls | $7,079,490 | $7,689,314 |
20. Columbus Crew | $6,632,083 | $6,971,083 |
21. New England Revolution | $6,139,674 | $6,818,556 |
22. D.C. United | $6,325,797 | $6,744,420 |
23. Houston Dynamo | $5,267,338 | $5,673,472 |
Houston Dynamo 2018 Player Salaries
Note: The Dynamo waived Midfielder Charlie Ward, announced Wednesday afternoon.
First Name | Last Name | Position | Base Salary | Total Compensation | |
1. | Alberth | Elis | F | $650,340.00 | $650,340.00 |
2. | Adam | Lundkvist | D | $405,000.00 | $433,750.00 |
3. | Tomas | Martinez | M | $305,004.00 | $487,929.00 |
4. | DaMarcus | Beasley | D | $275,004.00 | $275,004.00 |
5. | Mauro | Manotas | F | $264,328.08 | $264,328.08 |
6. | Eric | Alexander | M | $260,004.00 | $260,004.00 |
7. | Juan | Cabezas | M | $255,156.00 | $279,156.00 |
8. | Romell | Quioto | F | $240,000.00 | $252,500.00 |
9. | Andrew | Wenger | M | $230,000.00 | $230,000.00 |
10. | Darwin | Ceren | M | $225,000.00 | $274,375.00 |
11. | Philippe | Senderos | D | $225,000.00 | $242,500.00 |
12. | Adolfo | Machado | D | $220,008.00 | $236,508.00 |
13. | AJ | DeLaGarza | D | $200,000.04 | $207,500.04 |
14. | Leonardo | Da Silva | D | $157,504.50 | $165,171.17 |
15. | Chris | Seitz | GK | $155,004.00 | $155,004.00 |
16. | Arturo | Alvarez | M | $150,000.00 | $157,500.00 |
17. | Oscar Boniek | Garcia | M | $150,000.00 | $165,000.00 |
18. | Joe | Willis | GK | $124,999.92 | $132,749.92 |
19. | Dylan | Remick | D | $105,000.00 | $106,666.67 |
20. | Jared | Watts | D-M | $92,500.00 | $92,500.00 |
21. | Alejandro | Fuenmayor | D | $85,008.00 | $112,508.00 |
22. | Kevin | Garcia | D | $68,915.07 | $68,915.07 |
23. | George | Malki | D | $68,254.20 | $68,254.20 |
24. | Eric | Bird | M | $67,500.00 | $67,500.00 |
25. | Luis | Gil | M | $67,500.00 | $67,500.00 |
26. | Memo | Rodriguez | M | $55,654.20 | $55,654.20 |
27.* | Charlie | Ward | M | $55,654.20 | $55,654.20 |
28. | Michael | Nelson | GK | $54,500.04 | $54,500.04 |
29. | Mac | Steeves | GK | $54,500.04 | $54,500.04 |
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
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