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As they do every season, the MLS Players' Union has released salary information for every player currently under contract with the league. While the numbers may not be totally accurate, they do give us a decent idea of where players and teams stand financially.
The Philadelphia Union have 27 players under contract for the 2016 MLS Season. All of their salaries are displayed in the table below.
| Player | 2016 Base Salary | 2016 Guaranteed Compensation |
| Roland Alberg | $328,000.00 | $377,250.00 |
| Fabinho | $142,000.00 | $142,000.00 |
| Eric Ayuk | $62,500.00 | $62,500.00 |
| Tranquillo Barnetta | $650,000.00 | $687,500.00 |
| Andre Blake (GA) | $100,000.00 | $138,000.00 |
| Brian Carroll | $120,000.00 | $120,000.00 |
| Anderson Conceicao | $150,000.00 | $165,833.33 |
| Warren Creavalle | $118,000.00 | $125,666.67 |
| Maurice Edu (DP) | $725,000.00 | $793.750.00 |
| Leo Fernandes | $63,000.00 | $63,000.00 |
| Ray Gaddis | $150,000.00 | $152,500.00 |
| Fabian Herbers (GA) | $100,000.00 | $125,500.00 |
| Ilsinho | $430,000.00 | $478,333.33 |
| Matt Jones | $75,000.00 | $80,625.00 |
| Michael Lahoud | $110,000.00 | $115,637.50 |
| Sebastien Le Toux | $300,000.00 | $310,228.13 |
| Richie Marquez | $63,000.00 | $63,000.00 |
| John McCarthy | $79,000.00 | $85,250.00 |
| Cole Missimo | $51,500.00 | $51,500.00 |
| Vincent Nogueira | $400,000.00 | $400,000.00 |
| Chris Pontius | $380,000.00 | $411,000.00 |
| Walter Restrepo | $125,000.00 | $139,500.00 |
| Keegan Rosenberry | $62,500.00 | $63,750.00 |
| CJ Sapong | $225,000.00 | $225,000.00 |
| Ken Tribbett | $51,500.00 | $51,500.00 |
| Taylor Washington | $51,500.00 | $51,500.00 |
| Joshua Yaro (GA) | $130,000.00 | $194,000.00 |
Quick notes
Though the Union currently have three players with a guaranteed compensation higher than the maximum budget charge of $457,500, only one (Maurice Edu) is a Designated Player. Tranquillo Barnetta and Ilsinho were bought down with Targeted Allocation Money.
The Union also used Targeted Allocation Money on Roland Alberg, whose guaranteed compensation is below the maximum budget charge. The club may have used that TAM in order to sign Alberg, or it could have been used to buy down his cap hit if it exceeded the maximum budget charge. Usually, a player's transfer fee is added to his salary cap charge in the year that he is signed. According to MLS's "Roster Rules and Regulations," the league allows teams to sign a Special Discovery Player, giving them the ability to "amortize the total amount of acquisition costs (up to $500,000) over the term of the player's contract." Therefore, the Union may have deemed Alberg a Special Discovery Player in order to spread out the cap hit of his transfer fee, thus making him a non-Designated Player. They may have also signed him without using that mechanism, opting to use TAM to buy down his salary cap hit. Isn't this fun?
Since Andre Blake, Fabian Herbers, and Josh Yaro are Generation adidas players, their salaries do not count against the budget.
At $63,000 and $62,500, respectively, Richie Marquez and Keegan Rosenberry are two of the best bargain defenders in MLS. Expect both of them--Marquez especially--to lobby for better deals when the season is done.
CJ Sapong signed a three-year deal in the offseason, and it looks like that contract included a handsome salary raise. He's now making $225,000 in guaranteed compensation, compared to $142,000 last season.
Stay tuned for deeper analysis of the Union's payroll later on.