The Major League Soccer Players' Association released their first batch of 2026 player salary data, giving us a clear picture of how New York City FC has structured the payroll this season.
The new salary data reveals that New York City ranks 12th in MLS for total guaranteed compensation committed to its roster, with $21,539,612 spread out among the 36 players listed in the MLSPA's salary dump.
The report's figures are all as of April 14, 2026, so they do not include the newly-signed Arnau Farnós, though that $21.5 million payroll figure does include the four members of the NYCFC squad spending the 2026 season out on loan — though it's unclear how much of their salaries are paid by NYCFC, and how much gets paid by the clubs that loaned in each of James Sands, Julián Fernández, Jovan Mijatović, and Mitja Ilenič.
Below, find the full list of NYCFC player salaries, along with how those salaries changed year-over-year for the players who were part of the 2025 squad. There are six new additions to the list in the form of newly-signed players with the team this season, though none of them crack the team's Top 10 for highest-paid players.
| Name | 2026 Comp | $ Change v. '25 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Fernández Mercau | $3,650,000 | $0 | 0% |
| Thiago Martins | $2,262,000 | $100,000 | 5% |
| Hannes Wolf | $1,510,000 | $0 | 0% |
| Talles Magno | $1,365,000 | $300,000 | 28% |
| James Sands* | $1,318,750 | $0 | 0% |
| Keaton Parks | $1,130,000 | $600,000 | 113% |
| Alonso Martínez | $850,333 | $50,000 | 6% |
| Raul Gustavo | $812,960 | $0 | 0% |
| Matt Freese | $795,833 | $304,156 | 62% |
| Julián Fernández* | $784,300 | $60,000 | 8% |
| Andrés Perea | $757,000 | $23,500 | 3% |
| Jovan Mijatović* | $737,500 | $50,000 | 7% |
| Tayvon Gray | $664,000 | $448,508 | 208% |
| Aiden O'Neill | $630,938 | $60,000 | 10% |
| Agustín Ojeda | $607,833 | $30,000 | 5% |
| Maxi Moralez | $500,000 | $0 | 0% |
| Mitja Ilenič* | $391,700 | $0 | 0% |
| Strahinja Tanasijević | $368,750 | $30,000 | 9% |
| Kevin O'Toole | $323,333 | $76,666 | 31% |
| Kai Trewin | $311,542 | ||
| Maximo Carrizo | $183,523 | $46,000 | 33% |
| Jacob Arroyave | $126,398 | $32,778 | 35% |
| Jonny Shore | $125,900 | $9,400 | 8% |
| Drew Baiera | $119,336 | $9,400 | 8% |
| Zidane Yañez | $117,567 | $32,778 | 38% |
| Nico Cavallo | $115,248 | $32,778 | 40% |
| Greg Ranjitsingh | $113,400 | $9,400 | 9% |
| Tomás Romero | $113,400 | $9,400 | 9% |
| Malachi Jones | $113,400 | $32,778 | 40% |
| Seymour Reid | $102,840 | $7,403 | 8% |
| Peter Molinari | $92,654 | ||
| Kevin Pierre | $90,226 | ||
| Max Murray | $89,873 | $7,403 | 9% |
| Cooper Flax | $88,025 | ||
| Kamran Acito | $88,025 | ||
| Mac Learned | $88,025 |
The Kai Trewin-Justin Haak Gambit
Kai Trewin is the highest-profile new addition to the squad since the 2025 season and he's a relative bargain, arriving from fellow City Football Group side Melbourne City FC in his native Australia and pulling in $311,542 in guaranteed compensation in his first season in MLS.
