Ty Harden: International Poster Child for the Underpaid MLS Player

I saw Galaxy defender Ty Harden play a couple of times when he was at the University of Washington, and I noticed him for two reasons. First, because he was a good player, and second, because he looked like the type of guy Hollywood central casting would send to play The Collegiate Soccer Star: Blond, square-jawed, photogenic, and a general all-American kind of guy.

Ty has shown up in the press a lot since the MLS salaries were made public. I’ve come across articles from all across the US, from India, from Malaysia, and especially from the UK. There was even a paragraph about him in the UEFA online magazine. Part of the interest is that he’s a rookie who’s played every minute of every regular-season game thus far. But most of the interest is in comparing him to another blond, photogenic Galaxy player, one David Beckham. And the point of interest is always this:

David Beckham’s 2007 salary: $6,500,000
Ty Harden’s 2007 salary: $17,700

In other words, as one article pointed out, it would take Ty Harden 367 years to earn one year of Beckham’s salary.

As I reported here earlier, Harden made things even more interesting this week with the following quote, also reported worldwide, which I find remarkable for its complete lack of either resentment or self-pity:

“It could be embarrassing if he buys a few of us dinner at a top restaurant and expects the favour returned,” Harden said. “The only way I’ll be able to do that is if he pays me a couple of hundred bucks to clean his pool.”

And so Ty Harden has now become the worldwide face of The Player Who Deserves Better.

MLS, are you listening?

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Category: MLS Money Matters, Player News