All datasets used in this project, available as CSV files.
I compiled these datasets from publicly available sources — the MLSPA Salary Guide,
Transfermarkt, MLS SuperDraft records, club websites, and league directories — because
no one publishes this picture in one place. Every number on this site traces back to one
of these files. All are CSV and open in Excel, Google Sheets, R, Python, or any data tool.
License: All datasets on this page are released under
CC0 1.0 (Public Domain).
You may use, share, or build on them without restriction. Attribution appreciated but not required.
MLS salary data originates from the MLSPA Salary Guide (mlsplayers.org), which is publicly released by the players union.
MLS Salary & Career
mls_player_salaries_2026.csv
Full 2026 MLSPA Salary Guide. Guaranteed compensation for every player on an MLS roster, as of the September 2026 release. Excludes performance bonuses per MLSPA methodology.
916 players30 clubs56 KB
first_name · last_name · club · position · base_salary · guaranteed_comp
All 73 MLS Designated Players for the 2026 season. DPs are the top earners whose compensation exceeds the maximum salary budget charge. LA Galaxy holds 4 (one above the normal limit).
Top 100 MLS transfer fees by acquisition cost, sourced from Transfermarkt. Covers the highest-spending deals in league history. Argentina alone accounts for €208M — 92.6% of top-100 spend is international.
100 transfers5.9 KB
rank · player · position · age · season · nationality · club · fee_millions_eur
697 MLS SuperDraft picks across 11 cohorts (2010–2020). Used to compute the 5-year attrition curve: 56% of draft picks never appear on an MLS salary guide in their draft year (cut in camp, never signed, or sent to affiliates), and only 22% are still earning MLS pay 5 years later.
697 picks11 cohorts36 KB
year · overall_pick · round · team_drafted · player_name · college
490 SuperDraft picks from recent cohorts (2020–2025), cross-referenced against the 2026 MLSPA salary guide. Includes matched salary data for active picks and identifies the 94 still earning MLS pay.
490 picks6 cohorts29 KB
year · round · pick · player · college · club · position · 2026_comp
The master club database: 5,693 youth soccer clubs across 15 leagues in the United States. Each club is tagged with competitive tier (T1–T5), league, conference, division, and gender. The backbone of all cost analysis on this site.
5,693 clubs15 leagues592 KB
club_name · city · state · league · tier · tier_label · conference · division · gender
152 MLS NEXT clubs, tagged as Pro Academy (30 clubs, free) or Independent (122 clubs, $5K–$15K/year). Families at independent clubs pay to develop players who then compete for draft spots against pro academy players whose training was fully subsidized.
154 ECNL Boys clubs with websites, states, and conference assignments. ECNL is one of the top two national elite leagues for boys (alongside MLS NEXT). Most clubs charge $6,000–$12,000/year.
154 clubs15 KB
club · state · website · program_name · program_url · program_type
172 SoCal Soccer League clubs (Southern California competitive travel tier, T2). Includes city, state, team count per club, and gender. SoCal Soccer is the dominant competitive travel league in Southern California.
172 clubs16 KB
club_name · city · state · league · tier · tier_label · team_count · gender
85 USL Youth clubs identified from public sources across 4 regional divisions. Confirmed counts from Michael Jacoby Jr. (Director of Operations, USL Youth, June 2026): 96 clubs, ~850 teams. 11 clubs remain unidentified. Treat as best-effort — not verified by USL.
85 clubs identified96 confirmed total4 divisions
club_name · city · state · division · source · verified
258 Coast Soccer League clubs (Southern California, T2 competitive travel). Coast Soccer is one of the two largest competitive travel leagues in SoCal alongside SoCal Soccer League.
258 clubs31 KB
club · city · state · league · tier · tier_label · gender
362 fee records scraped from club websites in the national youth soccer directory. Includes recreational, competitive travel, and elite programs. Used to establish the T1–T5 cost ranges on the Costs page.
362 records41 KB
state · club · program_name · age_group · fee · fee_url
153 fee records from MLS NEXT club websites — the elite end of the pay-to-play market. Most programs charge $5,000–$15,000/year. Pro academies (free) are not represented here; these are all independent clubs.
585 program listings scraped from MLS NEXT club websites. Includes program type (Academy, Elite, Competitive, Recreational), URL source, and club website. More granular than the fee file — useful for understanding what each club offers.
585 programs74 KB
club · state · website · program_name · program_url · program_type
3,628 NCAA D1 commitments (classes of 2026–27, both genders) from TopDrawerSoccer listings — the most complete public census of the boys side. Youth league inferred from the club via this project's 4,576-club index where not listed.
3,628 players326 KB
player · gender · recruit_year · position · state · club · high_school · club_league_inferred · college
8,458 committed players (all class years, all divisions) from SoccerWire profiles. Heavily weighted to ECNL girls — useful for the women's pipeline, directional only for boys. Youth league listed on most rows.
8,458 players985 KB
player · gender · recruit_year · position · state · club · league · league_resolved · college · division
All 132 college commitments published by the Barça Residency Academy (Casa Grande, AZ) for classes 2020–26, with division classification. Basis for the Badge Premium case study on the Costs page.
132 players12 KB
player · grad_year · college · academy · previous_club_1 · previous_club_2 · home_state · home_city