The release has confirmed that Mbekezeli Mbokazi is earning $655,620 per year at Chicago Fire, while fellow South African Puso Dithejane takes home $283,252 annually. Both figures are before tax.
Both players were signed by Chicago Fire under the MLS U-22 Initiative. Mbokazi joined the club from Orlando Pirates in a deal worth $3 million in transfer fees.
To put the figures in perspective, Ronwen Williams – widely regarded as the highest earner in the Betway Premiership – takes home around R500,000 per month. Mbokazi is earning roughly double that on a monthly basis in Chicago.
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Two more South Africans feature on the list. Bongokuhle Hlongwane – earns $1.14 million at Minnesota United, where he has scored 30 goals in 108 appearances since joining from Maritzburg United in 2022.
Olwethu Makhanya of Philadelphia Union earns $338,000 per year. The 21-year-old centre back started 23 of 29 matches in 2025, helped the Union record 14 clean sheets and has attracted interest from clubs in Portugal and Italy ahead of the summer window.
The wider MLS salary landscape shows just how vast the earning potential is in the league. Lionel Messi leads the way at Inter Miami with guaranteed compensation of $28.3 million, with Son Heung-min second at LAFC on $11.1 million and Rodrigo De Paul third on $9.6 million.
The average guaranteed compensation across the league sits at $688,816 – meaning Hlongwane is considerably above. Mbokazi is just below the league average while Dithejane and Makhanya are comfortably below it, reflecting their status as young developing players under the U-22 Initiative.
Photo: Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
