It is that time of the season again.

The MLS Players Association just released an updated list of the salaries for every player in the league. 

For starters, San Diego FC is the 6th highest spender in the league. $24.4 million.

I will address the elephant in the room. Chucky Lozano has the 4th-highest guaranteed compensation in the league. $9.3 million. An eye-watering amount to not be involved with the team in any capacity. Aside from that, here are a few players who are either outperforming or underperforming their salary. 

Bargains:

• Manu Duah: $92,020

Just a hair above the MLS minimum salary. The #1 overall pick from the 2025 MLS Super Draft is in his 2nd season of outperforming his wages. The 20-year-old is one of the first names on the teamsheet and is a vital part of the backline. He recently earned a call-up to the Ghana national team for a friendly before the World Cup. I suspect he and the club will negotiate a new contract in the near future. For reference; His center back partner, Chris McVey, is earning $576,000 this season. 

• Luca Bombino: $177,200 

Another young defender. At just 19 years old, Bombino has made himself one of the most important players in the squad. His absence was noticeable when he was out for a few games with an injury. Bombino has even popped up with a couple of goals so far in this young season (one in MLS and one in CONCACAF Champions Cup). It is worth noting that Bombino’s salary was recently increased from the league minimum last season ($80,622). Don’t be surprised if we see a similar salary increase in the next offseason. 

• Honorable mention: Duran Ferree $113,400

You could make the argument that Duran has played on par with his salary, especially with him recently losing his starting spot to CJ Dos Santos (Although that lasted just 1 game because of the Dos Santos face injury). But the 19-year-old was the starting goalkeeper for all the MLS games up until that point. Ferree is the lowest-paid goalkeeper of the three on the roster, but has by far played the most games. 

Underperformers:

• Chucky Lozano: $9,333,333

Nothing more to say. An absolute disaster.

• Andres Reyes: $879,000

You would be forgiven if you did not know who this player is or if you thought he had left the club. He has been extremely unlucky with injuries. Reyes has not appeared in the 2026 season, and you could count on one hand how many times he has played for SDFC since joining for the inaugural season. 

• Lewis Morgan: $1,868,508

This one may be a bit premature, considering Morgan only joined the club in January of this year. That being said, Morgan has yet to score for the SDFC in his 10 appearances. A far cry from his 13 goals from 26 games started for New York Red Bulls in 2024. A caveat to this is that Red Bulls are still paying a portion of his salary. Nonetheless, he is earning roughly the same amount as Marcus Ingvartsen, who has eight goals so far this season. 

Ultimately, salary discussions in MLS are always complicated. (This article does not touch on Designated Players, TAM, GAM, etc.) Availability, injuries, age, and transfer value all factor into how contracts should be evaluated. But through the early stages of the 2026 season, San Diego FC appears to have several elite bargains… and Chucky Lozano. 

Jack Lamont

Jack Lamont. I have been a soccer fan my whole life. With an emphasis on MLS, Premier League and US Soccer. Living in San Diego since 2022. Before that I spent time living in Portland, OR working for the Timbers and in Las Vegas, NV working for the Raiders.