Time to Audit Austin FC’s (Roster) Finances

We soccer geeks have it rough. While pencil-pushing NFL, NBA, and MLB fans get to bathe constantly in a pristine sea of financial transparency – contract terms, salaries, bonuses, etc. – those of us on the MLS beat are left to feed off scraps. For silly reasons we won’t get into, the league does not require its clubs to divulge any information relating to player wages, which makes any attempt to analyze a club’s allocation of resources incredibly challenging.

Thankfully, we have the MLS Players Association, which takes it upon itself twice a year to publish a (mostly) accurate list of salaries for every MLS player for the current season. On Tuesday, we got the first dump of the 2026 campaign, and in one tweet, our thirst was quenched. Here’s what we learned about Austin FC from a peek inside the local club’s payroll:

Let’s start big picture. With a total payroll of $19.9 million, Austin FC ranks right in the middle of the pack – 16th out of 30 clubs, to be exact. Over half of that bill ($10.4 million) is allocated to the club’s trio of designated players, Brandon Vázquez, Myrto Uzuni, and Facundo Torres. 

Torres was the club’s big offseason signing back in February, and we now know that the Uruguayan international has unseated Vázquez as the club’s highest-paid player. Torres’ guaranteed compensation is listed at $4.4 million annually, compared to Vázquez at $3.7 million. Torres’ figure is more than double what he earned when he last played in MLS with Orlando City in 2024, before his one-season spell with Palmeiras in Brazil.

Though Uzuni still represents the club’s record signing in terms of the transfer fee ATX paid to acquire him from Granada CF in 2025, his annual wage of $2.3 million really doesn’t look so bad on paper. After struggling mightily in his first season in Verde, Uzuni seems to have found his stride this season, affecting games much more consistently and entering the week leading the club in goals (5) and goal contributions (9). 

Also this offseason, Austin FC locked up two of its young core players to contract extensions, and those players now represent the highest-paid non-DPs on the roster. Former top SuperDraft pick Dani Pereira now hits the club’s books at $794K, while homegrown star and newly minted U22 Initiative player Owen Wolff earns $750K. Well-deserved raises for both.

Problematic contracts have, regrettably, been an Austin FC staple for pretty much the club’s entire history, and though the club has done a better job avoiding those than in years past, there are still a couple of cringeworthy numbers on the current payroll. Besard Šabović earns a starter’s salary of $650K (sixth-highest on the team) but has spent nearly 75% of the club’s minutes this season on the bench. Meanwhile, Robert Taylor (and his $633K salary) has hardly been in uniform this season due to multiple injuries keeping the Finn sidelined.

Beyond that pair, though, Austin FC’s front office has to feel pretty good about the early returns the club has gotten from offseason additions Christian Ramirez ($578K), Jayden Nelson ($554K), and Joseph Rosales ($530K). That trio has combined for 24 starts and 10 goal contributions, despite Nelson being in and out of the lineup due to injury.

After a chaotic 2-2 draw at Minnesota United over the weekend, Austin FC entered the week 10th in the Western Conference and outside the playoff picture. It’s by no means been a dynamite first third of the season for the Verde and Black. Physically, the health of the club’s roster has been a major obstacle to success thus far.

Financially speaking, though, Austin FC’s roster might be as healthy as it’s ever been, and that’s a credit to sporting director Rodolfo Borrell and the club’s front office.

This article appears in May 15 • 2026.