Orlando City's 2023 salary breakdown

May 13, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA;  Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernandez (9) fights for control of
May 13, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernandez (9) fights for control of / Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA
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The Major League Soccer Player's Association released the first of its bi-annual salary guides. These releases detail the salaries of every player on every team across the league. The information gives fans a glimpse into the shrouded details of MLS salary configurations league wide.

While this information --- especially without context regarding the salary cap, allocation money, budget charges, etc. --- isn't super useful, it's an interesting glimpse into how much teams are spending and what players they're spending on.

Let's dive into Orlando City's salary guide for the 2023 season. The Lions aren't the biggest spenders in the league by any measure. The club has gotten more ambitious in the transfer market, but the payroll is fairly modest compared to some of the top spenders in the league.

Here are some of the most noteworthy details of Orlando's salary guide:

Ercan Kara making top dollar

May 6, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Orlando City SC forward Ercan Kara (9) gets ready for a free
May 6, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Orlando City SC forward Ercan Kara (9) gets ready for a free / David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Austrian striker Ercan Kara is comfortably the highest paid player on the roster. He's the only player on the team making over $1 million and both his base salary and guaranteed compensation are more than double the second-highest paid player at the club, Facundo Torres.

Kara isn't that highly paid in the grand scheme of MLS. He's the 35th highest earner in the league, right behind Nashville center back Walker Zimmerman and LAFC superstar Denis Bouanga. This fact highlights Orlando's relatively cheap top players. The Lions don't have one or two designated players making astronomical amounts, instead it's a fairly balanced wage bill.


Pereyra's significant pay cut

Apr 15, 2023; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Mauricio Pereyra (10) dribbles
Apr 15, 2023; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Mauricio Pereyra (10) dribbles / Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Orlando City re-signed club captain Mauricio Pereyra on a non-DP deal this offseason, and the Uruguayan midfielder took a significant pay cut to stay with the Lions. In the fall 2022 salary guide, Pereyra earned over $1.3 million. On his new contract, he's set to make $675,000.

For a player who's had a long career and earned plenty, it might not be a significant number, but for it's always encouraging to see beloved leaders stick with the club even at a reduced rate. Pereyra is now the sixth highest earner at the club.


Gallese is second most expensive goalkeeper in MLS

May 13, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA;  Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese (1) makes the save during
May 13, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese (1) makes the save during / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is one of the highest rated shot-stoppers in MLS, and he's certainly getting paid like it. The South American star is the second highest-paid goalkeeper in the league, only behind St. Louis's Roman Bürki.

Spending a lot on a goalkeeper is always a risky proposition, but Gallese has been a rock for Orlando since arriving in MLS ahead of the 2020 season. "El Pulpo" is the third highest paid player at the club, and the highest paid non-DP on the roster.


Full Salary Table

Here's the full breakdown of Orlando's salary guide. * denotes a Designated Player, ** denotes a U22 initiative player.

Player

Position

Age

Base Salary

Guarantee

Ercan Kara*

ST

27

$1,860,000.00

$2,053,601.00

Facundo Torres*

W

23

$640,000.00

$993,200.00

Pedro Gallese

GK

33

$720,000.00

$937,333.00

Antonio Carlos

CB

30

$900,000.00

$925,000.00

Martín Ojeda*

W

24

$840,000.00

$912,600.00

Mauricio Pereyra

M

33

$675,000.00

$675,000.00

Robin Jansson

CB

31

$575,000.00

$631,250.00

Wilder Cartagena

DM

28

$348,000.00

$388,250.00

Iván Angulo

W

24

$348,000.00

$380,660.00

Ramiro Enrique**

ST

22

$318,182.00

$375,909.00

Gastón González**

W

21

$360,000.00

$362,400.00

Rodrigo Schlegel

CB

26

$300,000.00

$349,250.00

Rafael Santos

LB

27

$300,000.00

$326,188.00

César Araújo**

DM

22

$255,000.00

$294,000.00

Kyle Smith

RB

31

$250,000.00

$265,900.00

Dagur Dan Thórhallsson

M

23

$160,000.00

$195,500.00

Maston Stajduhar

GK

25

$130,000.00

$145,650.00

Michael Halliday

RB

20

$110,000.00

$116,300.00

Shak Mohammed

W

19

$85,444.00

$102,444.00

Luca Petrasso

LB

22

$85,444.00

$94,468.00

Thomas Williams

CB

18

$85,444.00

$91,974.00

Adam Grinwis

GK

31

$85,444.00

$85,444.00

Felipe Martins

M

32

$85,444.00

$85,444.00

Wilfredo Rivera

W

19

$85,444.00

$85,444.00

Duncan McGuire

ST

22

$67,360.00

$77,360.00

Favian Loyola

M

17

$67,360.00

$69,495.00

Jack Lynn

ST

23

$68,775.00

$68,775.00

Abdi Salim

CB

22

$67,360.00

$67,360.00

Alex Freeman

RB

18

$67,360.00

$67,360.00