Release of MLS salaries provides food for thought for Impact fans

With the recent release of MLS players salaries list made public, I thought it would be fun to see where the Impact are getting the most bang for their buck. For those who may have yet to look at the salary list what is important to keep in mind is that they don't take into consideration sponsorships, or allocation money and other side deal earnings.

In a league where clubs are competing against each other with restraints of salary cap, this list does offer up the opportunity for debate on who's contracts are the best and who's are the worst. I know when discussing salaries it can be a touchy subject but this is more just for the sake of discussions. What matters to me is the team's success, not really who's making how much.

Looking back, if there were some people that were upset with the way the Bakary Soumare ordeal went down, it might make it easier to deal with when you look at how much cap room the club just created. With his departure the Impact save $165K!

That is huge especially for a player that lost their starting spot. I for one felt that Klopas gave him more than enough time to win and keep his spot, he just had too many off nights, and in a results oriented business it made more sense this way. They also bring in another Canadian opening up another international spot that the team seems to like to use.

Here is a quick look at a few players that stand out the most (good and bad) looking at their contributions compared to their salary. For the purpose of the article I will be using their base salary.

The Good!

Evan Bush, has been very solid this year. With the exception of the game where he let in a couple of soft goals versus NYCFC, he has provide the club with steady keeping. It can be argued that if he was available in the CCL final the outcome would have been very different. Sitting fifth in the league in saves (63), one thing is for sure, on most nights, he has given the team a chance to win. When you look at the amount of money Eastern conference leaders DC United are paying Hamid ($360K), Bush's salary is a steal.

Reigning club MVP Andres Romero's salary is also very good, coming in at an even $100K, the dynamic midfielder for me is worth the money! He is proving that last year was not a fluke. He has been one of the most consistent players this summer. One thing that I have enjoyed watching is that he has been tracking back a lot to help on the defensive side. Considering the team is paying him the same amount of money that former Impact midfielder Daniele Paponi was making its an upgrade for the same price.

It's no secret that I was pretty harsh on Donadel the first part of the season, but as he has become more used to the league his production on the field has been vastly improved. His salary for me is pretty good, especially when you look at some of the salaries that other teams are paying their holding midfielders, for example Juninho ($350K) Maurice Edu of the Philadelphia Union in making a whopping $700K & even former captain Davy Arnaud (now with DC United) is pulling in $212K. I think for what Donadel brings he more than justifies his salary.

A lot was made about the fact that Laurent Ciman took a pay cut to come to Montreal, and that had it not been for the care for his daughter he would not be here. Although he is one of the highest paid on the team, if you look at former defenders Matteo Ferrai's salary who made $300K in 2014, and Italian legend Alessandro Nesta $260K in 2013, both who were obviously past their prime, to give Ciman a non DP salary of $370K is not a bad deal. He has been nothing short of a rock star for the club.

The Bad!

Now it can be debated that the contracts of Dominic Oduro and Jack McInerney are not that bad, but for me when you are paying a combined salary of $520K for your top two strikers I expect a little be more consistency and production from both players. If you were to break down the salary per goal, that is $65,000 per goal. I know it is not always a case of dollars and cents but when you've reached the half way mark of the season and your strikers have 4 goals a piece, it is troubling. It is no wonder this past week has been full of rumors about the Impact looking for a top level striker.

The Ugly!

As I mentioned earlier, the Soumare trade made a lot of sense, because it is just too much money to be spending on a player that is sitting on the bench, especially a disgruntled one. That being said, if his contract was bad, you would have to agree that the contracts of both veteran Hassoun Camara ($235K) and journey man Nigel Reo-Coker's ($275K) are horrible! In a salary cap world $510K combined on two players that have not featured very often in the starting 11 let alone off the bench is mind blowing. I understand that Camara has been battling injuries, but with new comers Toia and Oyongo impressing as we approach the mid-way point of the season, one has to wonder how much longer the team can afford to have Camara's salary on the bench.

The good news for Camara is that with Soumare gone he can now be slipped in for minutes beside Ciman or Cabrera in the middle or on the right side where he has been penciled in when the starters need a break. I've already talked about Nigel Reo-Coker and his visibly diminishing role with the team, and again in a salary cap world his contract is far too high to be a role player. I do feel that there are far too many bodies in the middle now, and something will have to give soon.

Now that I have had my say, who's contracts do you like? Who's contracts are not? Any surprises?