St. Louis City SC may be the newest team in Major League Soccer, but they’re already making headlines for an impressive debut season. As of July 5 of 2023, the team is in the first position of the Western Conference with 3 games less than the second place. The team is also making headlines for their player salaries. Are the salaries high? low? average?
The average base salary of a St. Louis City SC player is $352,398 with an average annualized guaranteed compensation of $388,061. The highest-paid player is Roman Bürki, with a base salary of $1,500,000 and guaranteed compensation of $1,632,469.
How does this compare to other MLS teams? Are they spending more or less than their competitors? We’ll take a look at the numbers and analyze what this means for the team’s success on the field. So, buckle up and get ready for an in-depth look at St. Louis City SC salaries in 2023.
Table of Contents
- St. Louis City SC Salaries
- Top 3 Highest-Paid Players
- The proportion of spending on the Highest Earners
- St. Louis City SC Salaries Compared to Other MLS Teams
St. Louis City SC Salaries
Here is the breakdown of St. Louis City SC players’ base salary and guaranteed compensation.
Top 3 Highest-Paid Players
The players with the highest compensation of St. Louis City SC are:
- Roman Bürki – $1,632,469
- João Klauss de Mello – $1,370,284
- Eduard Löwen – $1,344,250
1. Roman Bürki – $1,632,469
The Swiss goalkeeper, Roman Bürki joined St. Louis City SC in 2022 from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer ahead of the team’s first season in the MLS, making him the team’s highest-paid player with a base salary of $1,500,000 and guaranteed compensation of $1,632,469.
Bürki began his professional career in Switzerland, playing for FC Thun and BSC Young Boys before moving to Germany in 2013 to sign with SC Freiburg. He then joined Borussia Dortmund in 2015, where he became the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Bürki has represented the Swiss national team and has won several individual awards throughout his career, including the Swiss Super League Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2013 and the Bundesliga Player of the Month award in September 2019.
As an experienced and talented goalkeeper, Bürki is expected to play a key role in St. Louis City SC’s success in the coming seasons. Despite his market value dropping significantly from his all-time highest €14 million when he was Borussia Dortmund, his value is still high with €1.5 million for a goalkeeper.
2. João Klauss de Mello – $1,370,284
In 2022, St. Louis City SC signed Klauss, making him one of the team’s highest-paid players with a base salary of $1,230,000 and guaranteed compensation of $1,370,284. The Brazilian forward brings the experience of playing for European teams such as Hoffenheim, Sint-Truiden, Standard Liège, to name a few.
Klauss is the most valuable player on the team as of June of 2023 with a market value is currently €4.5 million ahead of the Center back Joakim Nilsson and Central Midfield Eduard Löwen with €3.5 and €3 million market value respectively.
3. Eduard Löwen – $1,344,250
In 2022, St. Louis City SC announced the signing of Löwen, becoming the third highest-paid player with a compensation of $1,344,250. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is currently €3 million as of June of 2023. Despite not being his all-time highest market value, he is still considered among the most valuable players in the club.
Eduard Löwen is also one of the Designated Players for the 2023 season. What is interesting is that his salary for a Designated Player is low compared to other Designated Player’s salaries in the MLS. Despite that, the German has demonstrated to be a top-class player for the team scoring amazing goals.
The proportion of spending on the Highest Earners
MLS teams are known for investing and paying more to their Designated Players who typically represent about 40% to 58% of a team payroll. However, St Louis CITY SC breaks that pattern completely with their Designated Players Eduard Löwen, João Klauss de Mello, and Isak Jensen (who is Young Designated Player).
If you look at the chart below, you will see why. The Designated Players only represent 20% of the whole team payroll. This is low compared to even other low Designated vs Rest of the players’ ratios like the case of FC Dallas whose Designated Players account for 35%.
What is also a surprising fact: a non-Designated Player is the highest earner. Despite his experience, Roman Bürki is not a designated player, yet he earns more than Eduard Löwen and João Klauss. Therefore, he is expected to be carried a lot of the payroll “burden”, which isn’t really that much for an MLS team.
St. Louis City SC Salaries Compared to Other MLS Teams
St Louis City SC’s total payroll is $10.9 million, and if you have checked other MLS teams like Austin FC, its clear that the team has a rather a low payroll. In fact, St Louis payroll is considered the second lowest in the MLS besides the Montreal.
Whether you consider other factors like average roster base salary, total roster base salary, and average roster guaranteed compensation, St. Louis is in the lower end of the spenditure list making it look they are having a bargain compared teams like Toronto FC.
The payroll and net worth of a team can tell a lot about the experience and quality of the players. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
That’s exactly the case of St. Louis City SC. Despite their low salaries, the team has become the first MLS expansion club to start the season with a perfect 4-0-0 record. On top of that, they are leading the Western Conferences as of June 6 of 2023 with 14 games played and 28 points.
