Columbus Crew
The money at Columbus Crew: what it pays its players, what it is worth and who owns it, and what it is paid. The club's games, rosters and history are at soccerstats.us.
Pay
Payroll by season
| season | players | total pay | highest paid | pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 | $22,338,020 | Wessam Abou Ali | $3,611,750 |
| 2025 | 28 | $19,224,892 | Diego Rossi | $3,426,827 |
| 2024 | 27 | $16,586,339 | Diego Rossi | $3,376,827 |
| 2023 | 28 | $15,313,747 | Cucho Hernandez | $2,886,000 |
| 2022 | 30 | $17,892,808 | Lucas Zelarayan | $3,700,000 |
| 2021 | 30 | $14,319,351 | Lucas Zelarayan | $1,985,000 |
| 2020 | 30 | $14,094,779 | Lucas Zelarayan | $1,940,000 |
| 2019 | 29 | $10,614,613 | Gyasi Zardes | $1,471,667 |
| 2018 | 29 | $7,715,954 | Federico Higuaín | $1,100,000 |
| 2017 | 28 | $6,771,045 | Federico Higuaín | $1,050,000 |
| 2016 | 28 | $5,874,069 | Federico Higuaín | $1,175,000 |
| 2015 | 29 | $5,745,122 | Federico Higuaín | $1,175,000 |
| 2014 | 30 | $3,537,827 | Federico Higuaín | $744,000 |
| 2013 | 30 | $3,642,001 | Federico Higuaín | $604,000 |
| 2012 | 30 | $3,717,509 | Chad Marshall | $341,250 |
| 2011 | 30 | $3,551,415 | Andrés Mendoza | $595,000 |
| 2010 | 23 | $2,808,204 | Chad Marshall | $320,000 |
| 2009 | 25 | $2,903,551 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | $775,000 |
| 2008 | 31 | $2,372,681 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | $375,000 |
| 2007 | 29 | $2,108,226 | Eddie Gaven | $188,000 |
Pay is guaranteed compensation where the source gives it and base salary where it does not. Total pay sums it across every player on record that season.
Transfers
| season | player | from | to | move | fee | up to | reported | sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Max Arfsten | Columbus Crew | Middlesbrough | out | $7.5M | — | 1 | |
| 2026 | Brais Méndez | Real Sociedad | Columbus Crew | in | $7M | — | 1 | |
| 2026 | Jacen Russell-Rowe | Columbus Crew | Toulouse | out | $2.5M | — | 1 | |
| 2026 | Diego Rossi | Columbus Crew | CF Monterrey | out | — | $8M | 1 | |
| 2025 | Cucho Hernandez | Columbus Crew | Real Betis | out | $16M | — | 1 | |
| 2025 | Wessam Abou Ali | Al Ahly SC | Columbus Crew | in | $7.5M | $8.5M | 1 | |
| 2025 | Daniel Gazdag | Philadelphia Union | Columbus Crew | within MLS | $4M | $4.5M | 1 | |
| 2025 | Aliyu Ibrahim | Houston Dynamo | Columbus Crew | within MLS | — | $1.2M | 1 | |
| 2024 | Aidan Morris | Columbus Crew | Middlesbrough | out | $4M | — | 1 | |
| 2024 | Marino Hinestroza | Pachuca | Columbus Crew | in | $3M | — | 1 | |
| 2022 | Cucho Hernandez | Watford | Columbus Crew | in | $10M | — | 1 | |
| 2020 | Lucas Zelarayan | UANL | Columbus Crew | in | $7M | — | 1 | |
| 2019 | Zack Steffen | Columbus Crew | Manchester City | out | $7M | $10M | 1 2 | |
| 1998 | Brad Friedel | Columbus Crew | Liverpool | out | $2.5M | — | 1 |
Fees paid and received, as reported; nearly all are press estimates. Every transfer on record.
Value & ownership
Valuations
Click or tap a mark to see what it is.
| season | publisher | rank | value | revenue | operating income | sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Forbes | 8 | $805,000,000 | $80,000,000 | -$10,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2026 | Sportico | 8 | $800,000,000 | $93,000,000 | — | 1 2 |
| 2025 | Forbes | 9 | $735,000,000 | $74,000,000 | -$10,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2025 | Sportico | 8 | $730,000,000 | $84,000,000 | — | 1 2 |
| 2024 | Forbes | 15 | $640,000,000 | $61,000,000 | -$6,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2024 | Sportico | 13 | $650,000,000 | $73,000,000 | — | 1 2 |
| 2023 | Forbes | 15 | $550,000,000 | $55,000,000 | -$8,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2022 | Sportico | 14 | $560,000,000 | $55,000,000 | — | 1 2 |
| 2021 | Sportico | 11 | $540,000,000 | — | — | 1 2 |
| 2019 | Forbes | 23 | $200,000,000 | $18,000,000 | -$8,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2018 | Forbes | 22 | $160,000,000 | $24,000,000 | -$6,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2017 | Forbes | 20 | $130,000,000 | $26,000,000 | -$5,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2016 | Forbes | 19 | $123,000,000 | $24,000,000 | -$2,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2015 | Forbes | 16 | $112,000,000 | $18,000,000 | -$4,000,000 | 1 2 |
| 2013 | Forbes | 17 | $73,000,000 | $18,600,000 | -$1,600,000 | 1 2 |
| 2008 | Forbes | 12 | $23,000,000 | $6,000,000 | -$4,500,000 | 1 |
Estimates, not sale prices. Forbes values the team alone, its revenue and operating income are for the season before the list; Sportico includes the team's real estate and related businesses. Every club's valuations.
Ownership
| operator | from | to | note | sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Hunt | 1995 | 2006 | 1 | |
| Clark Hunt | 2006 | 2013 | 1 | |
| Anthony Precourt (Precourt Sports Ventures) | 2013 | 2018 | 1 | |
| Haslam and Edwards families | 2018 | present | 1 |
| year | seller | buyer | stake | price | club valued at | note | sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Hunt Sports Group | Precourt Sports Ventures | 100% | $68,000,000 | — | then a record for an existing club | 1 |
| 2018 | Precourt Sports Ventures | Haslam and Edwards families | 100% | $150,000,000 | — | Precourt took an expansion team in Austin | 1 |
| 2025 | Haslam Sports Group | minority investors | 10% | — | $900,000,000 | 1 |
Every club's ownership, sales and expansion fees.
Revenue
Sponsorships
| sponsor | named | seasons | a year | in all | note | sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower.com | Lower.com Field | 2021–2025 | $3,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $3M to $4M a year, not renewed, the stadium becomes ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in 2026 | 1 2 |
Figures are as reported, mostly press estimates; one in grey italics is worked out from the other figure and the deal's length. Seasons are the first and last the deal covers. Sources are numbered links to the reports. Every club's sponsorships.