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With the news dropping yesterday regarding the MLS salary figures, it is time to dig into the numbers a bit further. First, let's tackle the changes among players returning to either Chivas USA from last year, or remaining in the league and coming to Chivas this season.
All of the players listed below returned to Chivas USA, with the exceptions of Eric Avila (Toronto FC), Steve Purdy (Portland Timbers), and Josue Soto (Houston Dynamo):
| Name | Guaranteed comp in Oct 2012 | Guaranteed comp in May 2013 | Difference |
| Juan Agudelo | $100,000 | $175,000 | $75,000 |
| Eric Avila | $158,000 | $120,000 | - $38,000 |
| Miller Bolanos | $48,000 | $54,000 | $6,000 |
| Tristan Bowen | $131,363.63 | $156,363.63 | $25,000 |
| Bobby Burling | $51,333.33 | $88,333.33 | $37,000 |
| Jose Correa | $48,000 | $60,000 | $12,000 |
| Laurent Courtois | $120,000 | $132,000 | $12,000 |
| Marky Delgado | $46,500 | $52,500 | $6,000 |
| Marvin Iraheta | $33,750 | $46,500 | $12,750 |
| Ante Jazic | $117,500 | $132,187.50 | $14,687.50 |
| Dan Kennedy | $175,000 | $192,500 | $17,500 |
| Patrick McLain | $33,750 | $46,500 | $12,750 |
| Tim Melia | $44,000 | $65,000 | $21,000 |
| Oswaldo Minda | $68,750 | $143,750 | $75,000 |
| Steve Purdy | $44,000 | $80,004 | $36,004 |
| Josue Soto | $38,750 | $35,125 | - $3,625 |
| Jorge Villafana | $67,666.67 | $70,966.67 | $3,300 |
Clearly, Agudelo and Minda got the biggest raises, although there's the issue of Minda's claim he hasn't actually received his full pay this year. Besides them, Burling and Purdy received the next-highest raises, though Burling only entered the lineup once Walter Vilchez went down, and Purdy has only played in one game so far.
Both Marvin Iraheta and Patrick McLain were "development" players last year, so their salaries in 2012 were as low as allowed under MLS, and below the minimum for your run-of-the-mill players. This year, they were "promoted" out of development status, and now make the regular league minimum.
The only players to make less money from last year to now are Eric Avila and Josue Soto. Avila's salary went down because the team that held his MLS rights prior to Chivas USA, the Colorado Rapids, selected him in the second phase of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, meaning his contract could be renegotiated (and this nearly always means it is negotiated at a lower rate favorable to the clubs). As for Soto, he took a slight pay cut, although he was not making much money as a Homegrown signing for Houston, and since they cut him without his ever playing in a competitive match, Chivas USA likely had all the bargaining power on that front.
And then there's the situation of Ante Jazic...but more on that later.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!