FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright's early impact on a roster he largely inherited upon being hired in October came into clearer focus Tuesday.
The Major League Soccer Players Association released league-wide salary information for its players, and it revealed the expenditures Albright's added to FC Cincinnati's wage bill.
Albright inherited four seven-figures deals from the previous regime at the club, but the salary data reflects club-friendly additions and one designated-player deal that's already paying off for FCC.
As it had in the past, MLSPA revealed players' current annualized base salary along with annual average guaranteed compensation, which includes a player's base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player's contract, including option years.
Multiple FC Cincinnati officials declined comment regarding the MLSPA's release of salary information.
FCC has five seven-figure earners, but just one of the 11 players Albright's added to the team through various mechanisms including the MLS SuperDraft is among the players pulling down $1 million-plus.
That player is Obinna Nwobodo, with a base salary of $900,000 and a total compensation package of $1,028,100. Nwobodo, 25, of Nigeria and previously a player for Turkish first-division club Göztepe SK, became Albright's first designated player signing for FC Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati salaries:
(Player - base salary; total compensation)
Luciano Acosta - $1,943,500; $2,222,854
Isaac Atanga - $350,000; $364,000
*Dominique Badji - $500,000; $555,000
Zico Bailey - $84,000; $84,000
Alvaro Barreal - $350,000; $350,000
Tyler Blackett - $807,600; $807,600
Geoff Cameron - $387,000; $440,667
*Roman Celentano - $84,000; $84,000
Allan Cruz - $1,140,000; $1,254,000
*Ray Gaddis - $230,000; $230,000
Nick Hagglund - $84,000; $84,000
Calvin Harris - $85,444; $100,444
*Alec Kann - $200,000; $220,833
Yuya Kubo - $1,091,000; $1,206,750
*Nick Markanich - $65,500; $65,000
Ronald Matarrita - $750,000; $806,875
Haris Medunjanin - $225,000; $248,750
Ben Mines - $84,000; $88,840
*Junior Moreno - $325,000; $373,750
*Ian Murphy - $65,500; $67,750
*John Nelson - $65,500; $73,500
*Obinna Nwobobo - $900,000; $1,028,100
Quimi Ordonez - $65,500; $69,037
*Alvas Powell - $150,000; $167,000
*Harrison Robledo - $65,500; $86,391
Brenner Souza da Silva - $1,680,000; $2,218,600
Brandon Vazquez - $275,000; $304,167
Kenneth Vermeer - $84,000; $84,000* = first-year senior player for FCC added since Albright was hired in October.
More:FC Cincinnati acquires Obinna Nwobodo from Turkish club Göztepe
Nwobodo won't be the last relatively big expenditure for Albright, but as the first, it's a move that's been welcomed by FC Cincinnati supporters and observers of the club.
Nwobodo was a statistical outlier in Europe for his trademark aggressive, ball-hawking tactics as a defensive midfielder. He commanded a premium price on the open market, but the early returns since his arrival – not the least of which is that FC Cincinnati is 4-0-0 since he first appeared April 30 at Toronto FC – have widely been perceived as positive.
More:FC Cincinnati 'very pleased' with Obinna Nwobodo's debut against Toronto FC
Nwobodo's salary figure, along with FC Cincinnati's other seven-figure earners, are well short of the top-10 earners in the league, which starts with Carles Gil ($3,550,000 million) and works its way up to the top earner, Chicago Fire's Xherdan Shaqiri ($8,150,000).
After Nwobodo, the priciest addition Albright and Co. made to FCC's 2022 squad are Dominique Badji ($500,000), Junior Moreno ($325,000), Ray Gaddis ($230,000) and Alvas Powell ($150,000).
The rest of the players added since Albright was hired come in at less than $100,000, and that includes players that have started regularly for FCC at times this season like John Nelson.
FC Cincinnati's highest-paid player, both in base salary and total compensation, is Luciano Acosta. And it's hard to argue with the return Acosta's provided, particularly early in 2022.
Since joining the club in winter 2021 under former GM Gerard Nijkamp and head coach Jaap Stam, Acosta's tallied 12 goals and 13 assists. After scoring seven goals in 2021, Cincinnati's captain already has five goals 12 league games into 2022.
The spring 2021 salary guide contains salary information for all MLS players under contract as of April 15.
The MLSPA's salary guide is a useful tool for measuring spending from team to team, although it doesn't give the total picture of club expenditures, including transfer fees.
There is no accounting for how all the salary numbers work relative to the salary cap and how clubs use roster-management tools such as guaranteed allocation money (or "GAM") and targeted allocation money (or "TAM") to pay down contracts, although that information is reported on independently in some cases.
One irrefutable fact about FC Cincinnati's current expenditures is that the club's getting better value for its expenses than at any previous point in the club's history in Major League Soccer.
Through 12 matches, FC Cincinnati earned a 6-5-1 record. The six victories matches the club's previous single-season high in MLS (six in 2019) and marks the latest stage in a season the club has had a winning record.
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