Ranking the 10 most valuable MLS franchises

Major League Soccer has worked tremendously hard to develop a league that rivals some of the most successful in the world. While they are still not quite at the level of the top European leagues, MLS has come a long way in establishing credibility over the last couple of decades. We’ll take a look at the league’s top 10 most valuable franchises, as presented by Forbes in February 2024.

There are a few owners in sports who have put down roots in a particular city, and David Tepper is one of them. He owns the NFL’s Carolina Panthers(based in Charlotte) as well as Charlotte Football Club, and is hoping to build both teams back up. Charlotte FC has been in existence for just two prior seasons, and has not yet finished above .500 in either.

The MLS took a page out of the NBA and MLB’s playbook when it decided to bring high level soccer to Toronto in 2007. They have not regretted that decision, as the market has wrapped their arms around the soccer team. They have largely struggled on the pitch in their existence, but did win the MLS cup in 2017.

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Austin is a perfect example of a market that the MLS probably never would’ve targeted 15-20 years ago, but has emerged on to the soccer landscape. Austin FC has completed three full seasons, highlighted by a stunning performance in 2022 where they finished fourth in the league.

At the risk of using a corny line, D.C. United has served as one of the founding fathers of Major League Soccer. Their inception dates all the way back to 1996, when Jaime Moreno and his teammates were always amongst the best teams in the new league. They’ve finished first four times, although all of those came in 2007 or earlier.

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The Sounders have made a ton of noise in the Pacific Northwest, winning two MLS cups in their history. Owner Jody Allen has been involved in major professional sports for decades, as the Allen family have owned NFL and NBA teams throughout that time. Seattle has managed to build a legion of fans throughout their MLS tenure.

They haven’t had a set home in New York since they joined MLS in 2015, but that will soon change. NYCFC is set to move into their own state-of-the-art arena in 2027, as reported by The New York Times.

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They’ve played at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in their history thus far. They certainly made a splash early on, signing David Villa to attract attention to the club.

Arthur Blank spared no expense when he helped build Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and that investment will continue to pay dividends for Atlanta. The NFL’s Falcons and MLS’ United Football Club call it home, and it’s an awfully impressive venue to behold.

They’ve often been in the MLS Cup fix, and stand to be one of the league’s best teams moving forward.

The Galaxy might be the most well-known soccer team in the United States. They’ve attracted talent like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, amongst many others.

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This has garnered them four first place finishes in their history, which dates all the way back to 1996.

Inter Miami's value has skyrocketed over the past year, as the club wasn't even in the top 10 when Forbes did its prior breakdown in February 2023.

The seismic shift in figures can only be attributed to the star of one man: Lionel Messi. The Argentinian great lifted the awareness of the team since the summer of 2023.

It takes a brave group to create a startup team in the same market that the Galaxy play, but Los Angeles Football Club has more than held their own since 2018.

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The friendly competition between the two clubs has forced LAFC to think big when it comes to signing brand name players such as Giorgio Chiellini.