Once the toast of MLS, D.C. United now feels like an old monument — grand, respected, but badly in need of renovation. The team’s payroll tells a familiar story: a few big names cashing big checks, surrounded by role players grinding to keep the lights on.
Let’s take a look at who’s earning the big bucks, who’s overachieving for peanuts, and how the Black-and-Red stack up across the league.
The average player salary in D.C. United is $468,075, and the yearly wage bill for all the players combined is $13,106,110. Which makes them the 6th lowest paying club in the MLS.
🥇 Christian Benteke – “The Belgian Bulldozer”
Base Salary: $4,500,000
Guaranteed Salary: $4,937,500
At 6-foot-3, Benteke isn’t just a striker — he’s a traffic hazard in cleats. When D.C. swings in a cross, you half expect him to shoulder through the goalpost just to make a point.
He’s earning a third of the entire team’s payroll — a jaw-dropping 34% of D.C.’s base salary budget — and he’s still delivering flashes of Premier League power. When he’s on, he’s unstoppable. When he’s off, it’s like paying a heavyweight boxer to shadowbox in the park.
Is he worth it? Depends on your tolerance for heartburn.
🥈 Randall Leal – “The Costa Rican Conductor”
Base Salary: $1,150,000
Guaranteed Salary: $1,265,000
Randall Leal is that player who looks like he’s perpetually one perfect pass away from being elite. The former Nashville SC winger brought his silky left foot to D.C. and has been the creative engine they desperately needed.
He’s crafty, clever, and quietly consistent — even if he’s not putting up Hany Mukhtar-level numbers. For a club ranked 25th in MLS by total payroll, Leal’s just the kind of mid-level DP that keeps things interesting without blowing up the budget.
Still, he’s the kind of player fans love to debate: magician or mirage?
🥉 Aarón Herrera – “The Reliable Right Back”
Base Salary: $825,000
Guaranteed Salary: $920,220
Some guys do the dirty work. Herrera does it with style. The right-back rarely makes headlines, but he’s the reason the defense doesn’t collapse entirely. His tackles are crisp, his positioning solid, and his hair somehow perfect after 90 minutes in the D.C. humidity.
At just under a million guaranteed, Herrera’s contract feels like one of the smarter signings on the roster. Not flashy, but functional — the kind of steady reliability every club needs when they’re not sure what kind of team they’re trying to be.
By the Numbers
| Category | D.C. United | League Average | Rank (out of 29) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Base Salary | $13.1M | ~$15.6M | 25th |
| Total Guaranteed | $14.9M | ~$17.3M | 24th |
| Average Base per Player | $468K | $539K | — |
| Top Earner Share (Benteke) | 34.3% of total base | ~22% | 2nd highest in MLS |
Benteke’s salary eats up over a third of D.C.’s budget — only LAFC’s Son Heung-min takes a bigger slice of his team’s pie. For a club trying to rebuild from the middle, that’s a heavy anchor to carry.
Best Value for the Money
If Benteke’s salary screams “Superstar,” Gabriel Pirani’s deal whispers “steal.” The 23-year-old Brazilian attacking mid is earning just $791,700 guaranteed, yet he’s been one of United’s brightest sparks.
Then there’s David Schnegg, the Austrian left-back putting in tireless shifts for about $700K — a blue-collar player in a white-collar league.
And don’t overlook Jacob Murrell, a 21-year-old forward making the league minimum ($80K) but giving every defender in sight a headache.
League Comparison
D.C. United’s $13.1M base puts them in the bottom third of MLS spending — sandwiched between Real Salt Lake and Orlando City. For context, Inter Miami spends almost three times more, and LAFC pays its stars double what D.C. pays its entire roster.
But money isn’t everything. Cincinnati and Philadelphia have proven you can win with smarts, not just salaries. D.C., though, hasn’t quite cracked that code yet.
Their wage structure looks like a see-saw — Benteke at one end, rookies and minimum-salary hopefuls at the other — and not nearly enough weight in the middle.
Below is a breakdown of each player’s salary in D.C. United
| Player | Pos | Base | Guaranteed | Rank | % Base | % Guar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Benteke | Center Forward | $4,500,000 | $4,937,500 | 1 | 34.3% | 33.1% |
| Randall Leal | Left Wing | $1,150,000 | $1,265,000 | 2 | 8.8% | 8.5% |
| Aarón Herrera | Right-back | $825,000 | $920,220 | 3 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
| Matti Peltola | Defensive Midfield | $750,000 | $826,000 | 4 | 5.7% | 5.5% |
| Gabriel Cordeiro Pirani | Attacking Midfield | $725,000 | $791,700 | 5 | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| David Schnegg | Left-back | $600,000 | $706,250 | 6 | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| Boris Enow | Central Midfield | $500,000 | $613,900 | 7 | 3.8% | 4.1% |
| Lucas Bartlett | Center-back | $450,000 | $510,625 | 8 | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| Dominique Badji | Center Forward | $400,000 | $435,000 | 9 | 3.1% | 2.9% |
| Caden Clark | Attacking Midfield | $375,000 | $407,000 | 10 | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| João Gabriel Martins Peglow | Left Wing | $357,500 | $608,812 | 11 | 2.7% | 4.1% |
| Joon-hong Kim | Goalkeeper | $354,000 | $427,000 | 12 | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Jared Stroud | Left Wing | $350,000 | $392,500 | 13 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Kye Rowles | Center-back | $292,500 | $494,167 | 14 | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| Luis Barraza | Goalkeeper | $180,000 | $187,688 | 15 | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Kristian Fletcher | Center Forward | $150,000 | $169,509 | 16 | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Lukas MacNaughton | Center-back | $120,000 | $122,100 | 17 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Jackson Hopkins | Attacking Midfield | $104,000 | $104,286 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Garrison Tubbs | Center-back | $104,000 | $104,000 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Brandon Servania | Central Midfield | $104,000 | $131,056 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Jordan Farr | Goalkeeper | $104,000 | $109,000 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Conner Antley | Right-back | $104,000 | $105,667 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Derek Dodson | Right-back | $104,000 | $110,250 | 18 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Gavin Turner | Attacking Midfield | $80,622 | $102,856 | 24 | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Jacob Murrell | Center Forward | $80,622 | $80,622 | 24 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Hosei Kijima | Central Midfield | $80,622 | $80,622 | 24 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Rida Zouhir | Central Midfield | $80,622 | $95,362 | 24 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Hakim Karamoko | Right Wing | $80,622 | $80,622 | 24 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
If there are any new signings or any other updates to the current player salaries, I will update the information above.
Final Whistle
D.C. United’s roster feels like a transitional novel — one star from the past, a few characters finding their place, and a subplot about the next generation rising.
Benteke’s the brawn, Leal’s the balance, Herrera’s the backbone. But unless the supporting cast tightens up, those paychecks will keep outpacing the progress.
Still, there’s a pulse in the capital. If the kids can grow, the veterans can click, and the checkbook can stay balanced, maybe — just maybe — the old D.C. dynasty isn’t done yet.
Here are the player salaries for all the teams In the MLS.
