SDFC's $24 million player payroll is top 5 in MLS
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San Diego FC spends nearly $24.4 million on compensation for its players, according to the Major League Soccer Players Association's latest salary guide.
- But that total is less than what the league's top-paid player brings in.
Stunning stat: Inter Miami's Lionel Messi is getting a whopping $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation during the 2026 season, per the new guide released Tuesday.
- That tops the total payroll for all but two of the league's 30 teams.
Zoom in: San Diego's top-paid player is Chucky Lozano, who makes more than $9.3 million — the fourth highest salary in the league.
- Lozano hasn't taken the field for SDFC this season, and the coaching staff has no plans to change that.
- The club announced in January it was parting ways with its first superstar and was looking to trade him. But he remains on the roster.
- Some fans aren't happy that he's not playing or training with the team, the Union-Tribune reported.
🌟 Meanwhile, SDFC star forward Anders Dreyer's performance suggests the club's $3.56 million annual investment in him is paying off.
- Dreyer was the 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year and an MLS All-Star, and he recently became the second fastest player in MLS history to record 20 goals and 20 assists.
💸 SDFC newcomer Lewis Morgan and forward Marcus Ingvartsen, SDFC's current leading goal-scorer, are next on the list.
- They each make about $1.8 million.
What's next: See SDFC vs. Austin FC at 6:30pm Wednesday at Snapdragon Stadium.
- The team plays two more home games — against FC Cincinnati on Saturday and Vancouver Whitecaps on May 23 — before the MLS season breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.