Former U.S. national soccer team coach Bob Bradley earned $400,000 in bonuses over a period encompassing the 2010 World Cup, raising his compensation to almost $1 million, while captain Carlos Bocanegra earned the most among the players during that time with almost $350,000.
Bradley received a base salary of $515,647, plus the bonuses and about $26,000 in other compensation and benefits, according to a 2010-11 U.S. Soccer Federation tax document that became available this month. Although the bonuses are not specified, they presumably were rewarded for guiding the Americans to first place in the group stage and passage to the round of 16 in South Africa.
The previous year, Bradley’s bonuses for advancing to the 2009 Confederations Cup final and qualifying for the World Cup totaled $345,000.
As previously reported here, Juergen Klinsmann, the new national team coach, received a base of $2.5 million annually through the 2014 World Cup. The incentives for World Cup qualifying and other events haven’t been disclosed.
The U.S. players were also well compensated for World Cup work and other assignments between April 2010 and March 2011. Based on formulas spelled out in the collective bargaining agreement between the players’ union and the USSF, Bocanegra earned $347,583 for match appearances, team performance and other categories. Michael Bradley was second at $345,782, followed by Landon Donovan at $342,989 and Tim Howard at $339,388.
The previous year, the top earners received about $150,000 apiece.
National team players are on salary with their respective clubs around the world, not with the USSF, which issues performance-based payments. For example, Donovan made $2.3 million playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy last year, plus national team earnings.
The USSF is required to list compensation for all officers and the other top-paid employees (in this case, 10 overall). Besides Bradley, who is now coaching Egypt’s national team, and the four players, secretary general/chief executive officer Dan Flynn received $603,803; managing director of administration Tom King $244,605; general counsel Lisa Levine $198,802; chief administrative offer Brian Remedi $190,489; and chief financial officer Eric Gleason $189,213.
Flynn made $583,544 in 2009-10. Sunil Gulati, the USSF’s president, is not paid.
Details of compensation for women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage were not listed. Other USSF documents show Sundhage’s base salary of $190,000, with a $20,000 marketing guarantee and unspecified bonuses.
Other noteworthy items in the USSF’s 2010-11 tax document:
*More than $2.8 million was spent on expenses in sub-Saharan Africa — the World Cup and a U.S. men’s friendly in South Africa in late 2010. That figure includes airfares, lodging, meals, ground transportation, etc.
*Almost $4.5 million of federation money was spent on the failed World Cup 2018/22 bid. In addition, the federation received between $3.5 million and $5.5 million from grants and donations to apply toward the effort for a total of $8 million to $10 million.
To read a previous blog post about the USSF budget for the next fiscal year, click here.