In the opaque world of Major League Soccer, where information is at a premium, the two days each year when the MLS Players’ Association releases salary numbers have become a whirlwind of buzz, rankings and gossip.



The days are also usually jilted with a warning from one MLS team or another: The numbers are not 100% accurate, they say. That was the case again this year, with multiple teams, including the Portland Timbers and Philadelphia Union, pushing back against one listed number or another.



However, to call the MLSPA salary release inaccurate is to misinterpret the point of the release in the first place. The best way to think of the numbers on that list is as a snapshot, not the complete picture. The salary release doesn’t account for performance bonuses or acquisition costs, is usually a far cry from what a player’s actual cap charge is and does not tell the story of short- and long-term or front- and back-loaded deals. But it is usually, with a...