If money could buy trophies, FC Dallas would still be shopping on a budget.
At $11.9 million in base salary and $13.3 million guaranteed, Dallas sits near the bottom of the MLS payroll rankings — 27th by base, 29th by guaranteed. But here’s the thing about Dallas: they’ve never needed Wall Street money to find Main Street talent.
This is the club that raises stars in-house like it’s running a youth academy factory — because it is. From the days of Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi to today’s crop of homegrowns, Dallas does “development” better than most do defense.
Still, 2025 isn’t about selling potential. It’s about paying for production.
And these are the three guys cashing the biggest checks to make it happen.
🥇 Petar Musa – “The Croatian Connection”
Base Salary: $2,250,000
Guaranteed Salary: $2,680,000
When FC Dallas brought in Petar Musa, they weren’t just signing a striker — they were buying a belief that this team could hang with the big-market bullies. The Croatian forward came with a résumé built in Europe and the swagger to match.
At nearly 19% of the team’s total payroll, Musa’s paycheck says “franchise cornerstone.” His feet? They’ve got to say “20-goal scorer.”
And so far, he’s been worth the watch. He’s not the flashiest forward in MLS — that’s Messi’s department — but he’s a technician in the box, a chess player who sees two moves ahead. Dallas fans might call him a silent assassin; opponents probably call him a nightmare.
In a league where a single DP can define a season, Musa’s the guy expected to turn those one-goal heartbreaks into headline wins.
🥈 Paxton Pomykal – “Homegrown Heartbeat”
Base Salary: $1,050,000
Guaranteed Salary: $1,158,000
Every team has a player the fans feel something for.
For Dallas, that’s Paxton Pomykal — a hometown hero who bleeds the club’s red and blue. He’s the bridge between the academy dream and the MLS reality, the guy you point to when your kid says, “I want to play for FC Dallas someday.”
At just over $1 million a year, Pomykal’s deal looks modest compared to some of the European imports flooding the league. But you can’t put a price on chemistry. When he’s healthy, the team ticks. When he’s not, it feels like someone unplugged the rhythm section.
Paxton’s not the flashiest midfielder, but he’s the one who keeps the ball moving — the connective tissue in a team still searching for its full identity. Think of him as the metronome in a Texas two-step.
🥉 Sebastian Lletget – “The Veteran Vibe”
Base Salary: $800,000
Guaranteed Salary: $891,250
You don’t stay relevant in MLS this long without having the smarts to adapt.
Sebastian Lletget is the wily veteran every locker room needs — smooth, stylish, and just enough swagger to make the youngsters listen.
At 32, he’s not chasing highlight reels. He’s chasing wins. His $800K salary is more about presence than pizzazz. He knows when to slow the tempo, when to pick a pass, and when to throw an arm around a frustrated teammate after a tough loss in the Texas heat.
Lletget’s value isn’t measured in goals; it’s measured in moments — those subtle, veteran things that turn chaos into control.
Best Bang for the Buck
If you’re hunting for Dallas’s best return on investment, look beyond the top earners.
Goalkeeper Maarten Paes ($450K) has been a fortress. You’d pay triple that for his reflexes in Europe. And Bernard Kamungo ($225K) might just be the next great Dallas success story — a player who rose from the USL and keeps proving that heart outworks hype.
Dallas has quietly built a roster that’s frugal but functional — a collection of homegrown grit, clever signings, and a touch of imported flair. It’s not Inter Miami money, but it’s smart money.
How They Stack Up
League-wide, FC Dallas sits in the bottom quarter for spending, but here’s the twist — they’re consistently in the middle when it comes to performance. Compare that to clubs like Toronto or DC United who spend millions more and still can’t find the win column.
That’s the Dallas difference: efficiency. In an era where MLS is becoming the land of megastars, Dallas is still that blue-collar team proving that strategy beats salary.
They don’t buy their edge — they build it. Smart scouting, homegrown heroes, and a belief that brains still beat budgets in MLS.
FC Dallas Player Salaries 2025 By the Numbers
| Player | Pos | Base | Guaranteed | Rank | % Base | % Guar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petar Musa | Center Forward | $2,250,000 | $2,680,000 | 1 | 18.9% | 20.1% |
| Paxton Pomykal | Attacking Midfield | $1,050,000 | $1,158,000 | 2 | 8.8% | 8.7% |
| Sebastian Lletget | Central Midfield | $800,000 | $891,250 | 3 | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| Anderson Julio | Right Wing | $750,000 | $820,000 | 4 | 6.3% | 6.1% |
| Shaq Moore | Right-back | $700,000 | $770,000 | 5 | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Sebastien Ibeagha | Center-back | $675,000 | $738,625 | 6 | 5.7% | 5.5% |
| Osaze Urhoghide | Center-back | $580,000 | $643,982 | 7 | 4.9% | 4.8% |
| Ramiro Moschen Benetti | Central Midfield | $500,000 | $500,000 | 8 | 4.2% | 3.7% |
| Maarten Paes | Goalkeeper | $450,000 | $522,000 | 9 | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Lalas Abubakar | Center-back | $410,000 | $445,000 | 10 | 3.4% | 3.3% |
| Geovane de Jesus Rocha | Right-back | $350,000 | $397,000 | 11 | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| Enes Sali | Left Wing | $325,000 | $370,000 | 12 | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Louicius Deedson | Right Wing | $280,000 | $330,319 | 13 | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| Christian Cappis | Central Midfield | $242,000 | $242,000 | 14 | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| Patrickson Delgado | Defensive Midfield | $234,000 | $260,280 | 15 | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Bernard Kamungo | Right Wing | $225,000 | $256,000 | 16 | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Tsiki Ntsabeleng | Attacking Midfield | $200,000 | $227,000 | 17 | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Kaick da Silva Ferreira | Defensive Midfield | $150,000 | $201,900 | 18 | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Tarik Scott | Left Wing | $140,000 | $155,942 | 19 | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Nolan Norris | Left-back | $125,000 | $143,642 | 20 | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Logan Farrington | Center Forward | $104,000 | $141,493 | 21 | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Michael Collodi | Goalkeeper | $104,000 | $116,425 | 21 | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Jacob Jackson | Goalkeeper | $104,000 | $104,000 | 21 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pedro Henrique Fonseca de Araújo Martins | Right Wing | $104,000 | $104,000 | 21 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Herbert Endeley | Right-back | $104,000 | $104,000 | 21 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Diego Pepi | Center Forward | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Álvaro Augusto | Center-back | $80,622 | $92,740 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Diego García | Central Midfield | $80,622 | $94,263 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Alejandro Urzua | Central Midfield | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Tomas Pondeca | Central Midfield | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Carl Sainté | Defensive Midfield | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Joshua Torquato | Left-back | $80,622 | $88,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Daniel Baran | Right Wing | $80,622 | $94,838 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Anthony Ramírez | Right Wing | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Sam Sarver | Right Wing | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Malachi Molina | Right-back | $80,622 | $93,338 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Enzo Newman | Right-back | $80,622 | $80,622 | 26 | 0.7% | 0.6% |
If there are any new signings or other updates to the player salaries, I will update the information above.
Here are the player salaries for all the teams In the MLS.
Final Thought
Dallas might not buy their stars — they build them. But with Musa leading the line, Pomykal setting the tempo, and Lletget guiding the youth, 2025 could be the year they blend homegrown heart with big-money bite.
Everything’s bigger in Texas — including the belief that this might just be the year FC Dallas cashes in on their potential.
