Four days after playing against a team of part-timers who compete for free, D.C. United will face MLS’s fattest payroll.
Having dodged an upset against an ambitious amateur side in the U.S. Open Cup, United has pivoted back to league play: Saturday night’s away match against front-running Toronto FC and its trio of marquee players, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, whose collective earnings of $18.5 million is more than three times greater than United’s entire roster.
It’s also $18.5 million more than Christos FC, United’s foe that took a first-half lead Tuesday before wilting in the last 10 minutes during a 4-1 decision at Maryland SoccerPlex.