InfoDump: Portland Timbers Salary Spending Since 2011

With the Timbers in the best run of form in the team's short history in Major League Soccer, I thought we might take a look at some of the number behind just how the team pulled things together.

For the purposes of this breakdown, I am going to use the last available batch of salaries from 2011, 2012, and 2013. The 2011 and 2012 salaries are dated after the end of the summer transfer window, while the 2013 salaries are dated after the end of the primary winter transfer window.

With the grouping of players by position, there are possible issues with the classification of several players. In the 2011 and 2012 groupings I placed players by the position in which they received the majority of their starts. In the 2013 groupings, however, the fluidity of Caleb Porter's formations and style of play caused some issues with classification. That being said, short of classifying Diego Valeri as a forward rather than a midfielder, most of the potential quibbles are minor in their impact. Darlington Nagbe, Rodney Wallace, and Kalif Alhassan could all be classified as midfielders or forwards, while Ben Zemanski and Jack Jewsbury could be classified as midfielders or defenders.

These numbers are entirely based off the salary data released by the MLS Players Association, so allocation money and other factors are not taken in to account.

2011

(Thru 9/1/11 - PDF here)

Total guaranteed salary: $2,690,690.92

Average salary: $92,782.45 (29 players)

Highest salary: $280,000.00 (Troy Perkins)

Minimum salary: $32,600.04 (Freddie Braun, Rodrigo Lopez, Chris Taylor, Spencer Thompson)

Lowest $ per minute: $26.57 per minute (Eric Brunner, 2795 minutes)

Lowest $ per goal: $19,166.67 per goal (Jorge Perlaza, 6 goals)

Salary spent on players retained in 2012*: $1,928,395.58 (22 players)

Percentage of salary spent on players retained in 2012*: 72%

Goalkeepers

Adin Brown ($76,000.00), Jake Gleeson ($44,000.00), Troy Perkins ($280,000.00)

Total goalkeepers salary: $400,000.00

Percent of total salary: 15%

Average keeper salary: $133,333.33 (3 players)

Defenders

Eric Brunner ($74,250.00), Mike Chabala ($75,833.33), Futty Danso ($75,000.00), Kevin Goldthwaite ($126,666.67), David Horst ($42,000.00), Lovel Palmer ($86,250.00), Steve Purdy ($42,000.00), Chris Taylor ($32,600.04), Rodney Wallace ($139,000.00)

Total defenders salary: $693,600.04

Percent of total salary: 26%

Average defender salary: $77,066.67 (9 players)

Midfielders

Eric Alexander ($46,500.00), Kalif Alhassan ($69,250.00), Freddie Braun ($32,600.04), Diego Chara ($143,758.00), Jack Jewsbury ($158,166.67), Rodrigo Lopez ($32,604.00), Peter Lowry ($61,666.67), James Marcelin ($65,000.00), Darlington Nagbe ($201,000.00), Ryan Poor ($80,000.00), Sal Zizzo (73,250.00)

Total midfielders salary: $963,795.38

Percent of total salary: 36%

Average midfielder salary: $87,617.76 (11 players)

Forwards

Kenny Cooper ($267,500.00), Bright Dike ($44,937.50), Eddie Johnson ($88,000.00), Jorge Perlaza ($115,000.00), Spencer Thompson ($32,604.00), Brian Umony ($85,004.00)

Total forwards salary: $633,045.50

Percent of total salary: 24%

Average forward salary: $105,507.58 (6 players)

2012

(Thru 10/1/12 - PDF here)

Total guaranteed salary: $4,125,593.38

Average salary: $128,924.79 (32 players, $84,212.69 without Kris Boyd)

Highest salary: $1,515,000.00 (Kris Boyd)

Minimum salary: $33,750.00 (Ryan Kawulok, Charles Renken, Sebastian Rincon, Chris Taylor)

Lowest $ per minute: $35.23 per minute (David Horst, 1845 minutes)

Lowest $ per goal: $11,587.50 per goal (Bright Dike, 5 goals)

Salary spent on players retained in 2013*: $1,830,594.63

Percentage of salary spent on players retained in 2013*: 44% (70% without Kris Boyd)

Goalkeepers

Joe Bendick ($44,000.00), Jake Gleeson ($66,125.78), Donovan Ricketts ($275,000.00**)

Total goalkeepers salary: $385,125.78

Percent of total salary: 9%

Average keeper salary: $128,375.26 (3 players, 96% of 2011)

Defenders

Eric Brunner ($100,625.00), Futty Danso ($82,500.00), Ian Hogg ($44,000.04), David Horst ($65,000.00), Andrew Jean-Baptiste ($75,000.00), Ryan Kawulok ($33,750.00), Kosuke Kimura ($71,466.00), Hanyer Mosquera ($97,500.00), Lovel Palmer (96,250.00), Steve Purdy ($44,000.00), Steven Smith ($120,500.00), Chris Taylor ($33,750.00)

Total defenders salary: $864,341.04

Percent of total salary: 21%

Average defender salary: $72,028.42 (12 players, 93% of 2011)

Midfielders

Kalif Alhassan ($79,250.00), Freddie Braun ($44,000.00), Diego Chara ($193,750.00), Jack Jewsbury ($189,750.00), Darlington Nagbe ($226,000.00), Charles Renken ($33,750.00), Franck Songo'o ($70,000.00), Rodney Wallace ($159,000.00), Sal Zizzo ($81,414.06)

Total midfielders salary: $1,076,914.06

Percent of total salary: 26%

Average midfielder salary: $119.657.19 (9 players, 137% of 2011)

Forwards

Kris Boyd ($1,515,000.00), Bright Dike ($57,937.50), Mike Fucito ($44,100), Danny Mwanga ($356,250.00), Brent Richards ($70,867.29), Sebastian Rincon ($33,750.00), Jose Adolfo Valencia ($44,000.00)

Total forwards salary: $2,121,904.79 ($606,904.79 without Kris Boyd)

Percent of total salary: 51% (23% without Kris Boyd)

Average forward salary: $ 265,238.10 (8 players, 251% of 2011; $86,700.68 without Kris Boyd)

2013

(Thru 5/1/13 - PDF here)

Total guaranteed salary: $3,563,601.31 (without Hanyer Mosquera or Pa Modou Kah)

Average salary: $122,882.80 (29 players)

Highest salary: $400,000.00 (Diego Valeri)

Minimum salary: $35,125.00 (Ryan Kawulok, Dylan Tucker-Gangnes)

Goalkeepers

Jake Gleeson ($63,263.75), Milos Kocic ($49,612.00), Donovan Ricketts ($300,000.00**)

Total goalkeepers salary: $412,875.75

Percent of total salary: $12%

Average keeper salary: $137,625.25 (3 players, 107% of 2012)

Defenders

Futty Danso ($83,000), Michael Harrington ($166,833.33), David Horst ($70,000.00), Andrew Jean-Baptiste ($80,000), Jack Jewsbury ($194,650.00), Ryan Kawulok ($35,125.00), Ryan Miller ($65,000.00), Mikael Silvestre ($186,666.67), Dylan Tucker-Gangnes ($35,125.00)

Total defenders salary: $916,400.00 ($721,750.00 without Jack Jewsbury)

Percent of total salary: 26% (20% without Jack Jewsbury)

Average defender salary: $101,822.22 (9 players, 141% of 2012; $90,218.75 without Jack Jewsbury)

Midfielders

Kalif Alhassan ($89,250.00), Diego Chara ($243,754.00), Steven Evans ($46,500.00), Will Johnson ($243,750.00), Michael Nanchoff ($46,500.00), Diego Valeri ($400,000.00), Rodney Wallace (150,000.00), Ben Zemanski (76,000.00), Sal Zizzo (85,987.77)

Total midfielders salary: $1,381,741.77 ($1,576,391.77 with Jack Jewsbury)

Percent of total salary: 39% (44% with Jack Jewsbury)

Average midfielder salary: $153,526,86 (9 players, 128% of 2012)

Forwards

Bright Dike ($60,687.50), Ryan Johnson ($144,704.00), Darlington Nagbe ($266,000.00), Frederic Piquionne ($150,000.00), Brent Richards ($73,992.29), Sebastian Rincon ($46,500.00), Jose Adolfo Valencia ($65,000.00)

Total forwards salary: $806,883.79

Percent of total salary: 23%

Average forward salary: $115,269.11 (7 players, 43% of 2012; 133% of 2012 without Kris Boyd)

*: Includes all players still with the team after the start of the regular season.

**: The Montreal Impact are paying the difference between the salary of Donovan Ricketts and Troy Perkins.