The latest Major League Soccer salary guide was released by the MLS Players Association last Thursday and with it came plenty to talk about for every team in the league, including Houston Dynamo FC.
The spring release of 2021 MLS salaries contains Annual Base Salary and Annual Guaranteed Compensation data as of April 15, 2021.
Below is a list of each Dynamo FC player's base salary along with their guaranteed compensation number, a figure released by the MLSPA that includes incentives broken down per year, filtered by the latter category in descending order.
Houston Dynamo FC 2021 player salaries (MLSPA)
| Player | Base Salary | Guaranteed Compensation |
| Darwin Quintero | $1,352,055 | $1,352,055 |
| Maximiliano Urruti | $1,136,127 | $1,270,146 |
| Tim Parker | $838,200 | $852,200 |
| Christian Ramiez | $775,000 | $841,250 |
| Marko Maric | $465,000 | $513,250 |
| Fafa Picault | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Adam Lundkvist | $325,000 | $372,500 |
| Matias Vera | $350,000 | $356,250 |
| Mateo Bajamich | $264,000 | $324,069 |
| Memo Rodriguez | $265,000 | $290,935 |
| Joe Corona | $275,000 | $290,000 |
| Zarek Valentin | $250,000 | $280,000 |
| Jose Bizama | $225,000 | $250,000 |
| Darwin Ceren | $195,500 | $245,500 |
| Ariel Lassiter | $210,000 | $230,280 |
| Alejandro Fuenmayor | $190,008 | $217,508 |
| Derrick Jones | $160,000 | $182,969 |
| Tyler Pasher | $150,000 | $157,881 |
| Maynor Figueroa | $150,000 | $157,688 |
| Ethan Bartlow | $81,375 | $88,875 |
| Michael Nelson | $85,444 | $85,444 |
| Oscar Boniek Garcia | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Sam Junqua | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Erik McCue | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Kyle Morton | $81,375 | $81,375 |
| Juan Castilla | $63,547 | $77,897 |
| Danny Rios | $63,547 | $68,069 |
| Nico Lemoine | $66,724 | $66,724 |
| Marcelo Palomino | $66,724 | $66,724 |
| Ian Hoffmann | $63,547 | $63,547 |
MLS Ranking - #24 out of 27 clubs
Among their MLS peers, Houston Dynamo FC's total wage bill lists them as the fourth-lowest spending team (active clubs only). Only Philadelphia Union, Austin FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC spends less in total guaranteed compensation.
This comes as no surprise as the club has been the lowest spender in the league multiple times over recent season.
Highest Paid Player - Darwin Quintero
Colombian Darwin Quintero, the team's leader in goals (7) and a co-MLS leader in assists (10) in 2020, is listed as the club's highest paid player at a base salary and guaranteed compensation of $1,352,055.00. The 33-year-old forward has only appeared in three matches for a total of 49 total minutes this season.
Bargain Buys
When going through the lower end of the list, offseason acquisitions Tyler Pasher ($157,881) and Derrick Jones ($182,969) stand out among great value additions based on their contributions at the start of the season. Pasher, before injured, compiled a goal and assist while Jones has collected a game-winning assists, his first assist in orange, last Wednesday.
Other bargains are Hondurans Oscar Boniek Garcia ($81,375) and Maynor Figueroa ($157,688), both of whom have started multiple times in defense this season.
Breakdown
By breakdown of position, here is where Dynamo FC is spending its money:
Forwards (8) - $4,742,405 ($4,453,906 in base salaries)
Midfielders (9) - $1,659,719 ($1,520,693 in base salaries)
Defenders (10) - $2,445,068 ($2,285,880 in base salaries)
Goalkeepers (3) - $680,069 ($631,819 in base salaries)
Average base salary of 30-man roster: $296,410