USL Championship player salary explained 2021

The USL Championship player salaries explained.

 

The various professional and semi-professional soccer leagues across the United States and Canada do pay their player’s salary and the USL Championship is not an exception.

 

Although looking at how much salary a player is expected to earn in any given Soccer club is dependent on how good the play can become or effective on the field of play.

 

 

This is the main reason you see players including Blaise Matuidi of CF Inter Miami, Carlos Vela of Los Angeles FC earns higher than the rest of the players at the club.

 

Sometimes, the salaries paid by Soccer teams in any given club across the world could be as a result of his contributions towards the overall performance of the club over the years.

 

 

After going through detailed research, we at interesting football has decided to explain the USL Championship players salaries and how it works in 2021.

 

 

For the USL Championship, you do not expect players to earn as high as compared to the MLS and other independent professional Soccer leagues.

 

This is due to the sponsorship the league gets and the partnership the participating clubs receive in the course of the season.

 

But this is not to take from the fact that some USL Championship soccer club might spend as high as 1 to 2 million dollars yearly on players.

 

To break it down further, players playing for USL Championship clubs might as well earn between 30 to 70 million dollars based on the above figure mentioned earlier.

 

 

Once again, the amount of money you will be paid as a player is ultimately tied to how good you are, the impact and your importance to your team.

 

I believe you understand the picture I was trying to paint.

 

USL Championship players yearly salaries in 2021 explained

 

The yearly budget for every Soccer team in the league is dependent on the overall weight of the players signed by the club ahead of the season.

 

Some clubs would spend less on player salaries based on the quality of players present in the team while others would spend even lower than the others.

 

 

As mentioned earlier, Soccer teams in the league could spend as much as 30 to 70 million dollars for payment of players yearly salaries.

 

This is hugely dependent on the squad depth, performance, quality of players, impact and overall performance of individual players present in the team.

 

On average, each player in the USL Championship is expected to bag home 35 to 70 thousand dollars as yearly salaries in full.

 

 

Some players are of top quality and would always demand higher pay to persuade clubs to consider keeping them or join the next available team ready to pay such a high sum.

 

 

Compare this with Major League Soccer, the signing of Carlos Vela to LA Galaxy, Javier Hernandez, Gonzalo Higuain came with huge financial obligations.

 

These players are good on their rights and would demand higher wages before signing a contract to play for their respective clubs.

 

 

So do players in the USL, some of the players competing in the league are not just Academy graduates looking for the next big clubs to jump into.

 

Some are already established professional players on their rights and would cost their respective clubs a fortune to keep them.

 

 

Due to the nature of the league, players are always on the move to the next available offer since it remains a major destination for already established clubs in Major League Soccer.

 

 

Although in 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the USL Championship board announced a new salary structure to help clubs survive the effects of the pandemic.

 

 

The restructuring meant players making as high as 2000 dollars monthly would see a 10 per cent cut as means to help clubs survive the turbulent period.

 

 

That been said, there still players in the division earning close to a whopping sum of 40,000 dollars while the majority earn a five-figure salary monthly.

 

 

Breaking down who is expected to earn higher

 

Striker

You all know the role of the striker is to score goals that would potentially bring trophies to the club.

 

His high-end impact on the field of play is what determines the success of the club during the league campaign.

 

Take a look at Carlos Vela, he is one of the best in the LA Galaxy, scoring goals and for the Galaxy to keep him, they pay him what he demands of them.

 

 

A striker would always be paid higher because he scores important goals that would bring in goals capable of attracting Trophies for the club.

 

 

So at this point, the club would always search for the best legs in this position.

 

This is because the pay for Strikers is much higher than others and would cost more to keep him wade off Competition from other teams looking to grab his signature.

 

 

Midfield

The role of the midfielder is to stabilize the middle of the park and also to distribute important passes for the striker upfront.

 

 

The Midfielder in some cases could be paid higher because he is the game dictator.

 

Also in some cases, he could be paid lower and this is because his role is not as high as the striker.

 

Although, the two positions could be treated similarly as a result of their importance to the overall performance of the entire team.

 

 

Defender

Another important area in the team.

 

He could be paid on an average salary level compared to the striker and the Midfielder whose job are more crucial.

 

 

A brilliant defence without a better frontline would concede more goals and possibly miss out on trophies as a result of a lack of productivity.

 

 

Goalkeeper

This position could be seen as the less priced.

 

But the Goalkeeper is another important position that earns more money in a team.

 

This is because a rookie goalkeeper would make you concede loads of goals that could dent your hopes of winning important games when it matters.

 

 

Breaking done the salary structure for the USL Championship Divisions

USL League One

As mentioned earlier, the amount of money paid to players on a weekly or monthly basis would be dependent on the quality of the player.

 

That been said, the salary paid to players in this division is not limited is all dependent on the ability of the club and how they would like to pay their players.

 

 

Unlike Major League Soccer where there are some regulations around player salaries, the USL is dependent on whether the club wants or willing to pay a particular player.

 

 

The league was created for development and players are not expected to earn huge sums compared to other professional leagues in the country.

 

USL League Two

This is obviously at the same level as League One.

 

The two leagues pay their players using the same salary structure.

 

Players from each participating clubs are expected to earn higher based on how good they are on the field of play.

 

 

Analyzing how USL Championship teams generate revenue to pay their players

 

The nature of the league makes it difficult for participating teams to generate more money from ticket sales compared to other professional leagues in the country.

 

 

This has however made it difficult for some clubs to pay decent money to players.

 

Here, it is difficult to have 10,000 spectators attending games because of its nature.

 

Also, investors, partners and advertisers are only looking at a market carrying a high audience.

 

 

So in some cases, a club in the USL could receive funds from its main soccer team in the MLS for funds.

 

 

Although teams do get tickets sales during matchdays, it is not as high as that of Major League Soccer or any other league in the country.

 

 

The chances of players making money for themselves in the USL Championship

Players make money because they are paid by the clubs they represent in the league.

 

The salary they get is however dependent on player to player basis.

 

Some of the players are naturally exceptional talents and would need more money to retain them since other clubs would be looking at the possibility of securing their services halfway in the season.

 

Despite assuming the status of a semi-professional league, it is sitting directly below Major League Soccer which is the number one league in the country.

 

 

About the USL Championship

The USL Championship is a professional soccer league in the United States.

 

 

The league is second behind the MLS. Teams across the country including the reserve teams of MLS clubs play in the league.

 

It is the go to destination for top professional soccer clubs in search of players. For the players point of view, the USL League offers a pathway for them.

 

This is because clubs looking for players would always have contact with the players and their representatives.

 

Also for players already playing for a big club’s Academy, you can use it as a medium to prove yourself to stand a chance of getting called up for the senior team when the need arises.

 

How is the Competition played? The league operates on similar fashion as the Major League Soccer where teams are divided into Conference.

 

This was carried out to accommodate more teams as part of the league expansion franchise.

 

The teams will play a regular season matches in a double round robin format in the course of the season.

 

Every participant of the league will  play every member of the division within it’s conference.

 

 

At the end of the regular season matches, the top teams from each Conference will proceed to the Championship playoffs to decide the winner of the league for the season.

 

 

How to watch the Competition on Television?

You can follow your favourite USL teams on the ESPN network and YouTube TV for streaming media platforms.

 

In terms of most successful teams in the division, Orlando City and Louisville City FC are the two most successful teams haven won two titles respectively.

 

The Championship have produced several notable players that have gone on to play for bigger MLS sides.

 

With consistency, the league has continued to grow, becoming major destination for MLS clubs looking for professional players.

 

Final Thoughts

As a second professional soccer league in the United States, it is also played by professional players from MLS reserve teams or independent and clubs.

 

 

When it comes to salaries, players in the division are paid without any salary cap, unlike the MLS.

 

 

Players could earn from 20,000 dollars to 40,000 thousand dollars annually this is due to the high revenue generated by clubs in the division.

 

That been said, the league is also another means for players to earn while playing at a lower level before making that big move to the MLS or any other top tier professional league.

 

Conclusion
This article highlights the USL Championship players salary paid annually, or monthly.

Advertisment ---