:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40473746/14756789660_5f0c302c20_k.0.jpg)
Each spring and fall, the Major League Soccer Players Union releases a list of all the annual salaries its players earn. A direct attempt to give transparency to an otherwise secretive salary system -- all player contracts are owned and administrated by MLS, and the league does not publicly disclose contract details -- the numbers below are only to be used as a guide as to how the San Jose Earthquakes are spending their salary budget of $3.1 million.
Topping the list is Designated Player Chris Wondolowski, who is slated to earn $650,000 in guaranteed compensation in 2014. Fellow U.S. men's national team member Clarence Goodson is not far behind and will earn $342,000, just shy of Designated Player status. On loan from Benfica forward Yannick Djalo is set to receive $300,000 from MLS in guaranteed compensation, though it is likely that his parent club is adding to that amount.
Looking at the two freshest faces on the team, newly minted Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia will collect a prorated salary of $216,000 and defender Pablo Pintos will gather up $122,500, the two players' contract value combined totaling $338,500.
Since the last salary figures were released, back in April, the Earthquakes have jettisoned the contracts of four players -- Sam Garza, Alan Gordon, Ryan Neil, and Joseph Sofia -- saving the team a total guaranteed salary amount of $328,170.67.
According to the MLS Roster Rules and Regulations summary, players occupying roster spots 1-20 count against the club's 2014 salary budget of $3,100,000, and are referred to collectively as the club's Salary Budget Players. Roster spots 19 and 20 are not required to be filled, and teams may spread their salary budget across only 18 Salary Budget Players. The maximum budget charge for a single player is $387,500.
The Quakes' top twenty salaries, in terms of base salary, total $3,514,922.00. Considering only the top eighteen, that number drops to $3,389,918. MLS teams often used Allocation Funds, the value of which are not disclosed by the league, to help pay down the salary total below the salary budget limit of $3,100,000.
2014 MLS Player Salaries (as of September 15): San Jose Earthquakes
In alphabetical order:
| Player | Base Salary |
Guaranteed Compensation |
| Brandon Barklage | $65,000.00 | $68,415.21 |
| Victor Bernardez | $100,008.00 | $141,608.00 |
| David Bingham | $85,910.00 | $130,285.00 |
| Jon Busch | $173,250.00 | $184,583.33 |
| Cordell Cato | $50,400.00 | $50,400.00 |
| Sam Cronin | $185,000.00 | $187,500.00 |
| Yannick Djalo | $200,000.00 | $300,000.00 |
| Shaun Francis | $55,000.00 | $57,889.79 |
| Michael Fucito | $57,750.00 | $60,639.79 |
| Clarence Goodson | $315,000.00 | $342,000.00 |
| Andreas Gorlitz | $90,000.00 | $99,737.19 |
| Ty Harden | $68,250.00 | $71,665.21 |
| Atiba Harris | $181,500.00 | $189,775.00 |
| Jason Hernandez | $210,000.00 | $213,333.33 |
| Adam Jahn | $48,500.00 | $48,500.00 |
| Billy Knutsen | $36,504.00 | $36,504.00 |
| JJ Koval | $48,500.00 | $48,500.00 |
| Steven Lenhart | $250,000.00 | $257,500.00 |
| Bryan Meredith | $48,500.00 | $48,500.00 |
| Tommy Muller | $48,500.00 | $48,500.00 |
| Matias Perez Garcia | $216,000.00 | $216,000.00 |
| Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi | $240,000.00 | $240,000.00 |
| Pablo Pintos | $60,000.00 | $122,500.00 |
| Shea Salinas | $130,000.00 | $133,333.33 |
| Billy Schuler | $48,500.00 | $48,500.00 |
| Khari Stephenson | $65,004.00 | $68,336.02 |
| Jordan Stewart | $140,000.00 | $140,000.00 |
| Tommy Thompson | $140,000.00 | $145,000.00 |
| Chris Wondolowski | $600,000.00 | $650,000.00 |
| Salary Total | $3,957,076.00 | $4,349,505.20 |
Top Twenty salaries in order of Guaranteed Compensation:
| Player | Base Salary |
Guaranteed Compensation |
| Chris Wondolowski | $600,000.00 | $650,000.00 |
| Clarence Goodson | $315,000.00 | $342,000.00 |
| Yannick Djalo | $200,000.00 | $300,000.00 |
| Steven Lenhart | $250,000.00 | $257,500.00 |
| Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi | $240,000.00 | $240,000.00 |
| Matias Perez Garcia | $216,000.00 | $216,000.00 |
| Jason Hernandez | $210,000.00 | $213,333.33 |
| Atiba Harris | $181,500.00 | $189,775.00 |
| Sam Cronin | $185,000.00 | $187,500.00 |
| Jon Busch | $173,250.00 | $184,583.33 |
| Tommy Thompson | $140,000.00 | $145,000.00 |
| Victor Bernardez | $100,008.00 | $141,608.00 |
| Jordan Stewart | $140,000.00 | $140,000.00 |
| Shea Salinas | $130,000.00 | $133,333.33 |
| David Bingham | $85,910.00 | $130,285.00 |
| Pablo Pintos | $60,000.00 | $122,500.00 |
| Andreas Gorlitz | $90,000.00 | $99,737.19 |
| Ty Harden | $68,250.00 | $71,665.21 |
| Brandon Barklage | $65,000.00 | $68,415.21 |
| Khari Stephenson | $65,004.00 | $68,336.02 |
| Salary Total | $3,514,922.00 | $3,901,571.62 |