Fourteen MLS clubs are ranked in the latest edition of the Soccerex Football Finance 100 (FF100), a report compiled by global soccer business outfit Soccerex to evaluate and rank the top 100 soccer clubs across the world according to their finances.
Among leagues around the world, only the English Premier League has more clubs represented on the list than MLS. The league has three clubs in the top 30: the LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and New England Revolution – the same number as France and Italy.
The Galaxy are the highest-ranking MLS franchise in 18th position (with a 1.19 FFI score) thanks to high-valued tangible assets like Dignity Health Sports Park and the wealth of owners AEG. The Galaxy are ranked higher than 2016 EPL winners Leicester City and European giants like Monaco, Inter Milan and Valencia.
Seattle rank 21st (0.97) and New England (0.75) in 30th, fueled by what Soccerex terms “high-valued tangible assets and wealthy owners.”
Reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United are new entrants in the FF100, finishing in 50th place (0.47) with the league’s highest average attendance numbers and most valuable roster key factors along with owner Arthur Blank’s wealth, though the report notes that the Five Stripes would rank higher if they owned their dazzling Mercedes-Benz Stadium home.
In broader terms, the Soccerex report states that MLS teams “have strong attendance and high tangible asset values with a large proportion under wealthy ownership but they have relatively low squad values compared with the European elite.”
Here's the full rundown of where MLS teams ranked on the FF100:
- 18. LA Galaxy
- 21. Seattle Sounders
- 30. New England Revolution
- 31. Colorado Rapids
- 32. New York Red Bulls
- 38. New York City FC
- 40. Toronto FC
- 46. Sporting Kansas City
- 47. San Jose Earthquakes
- 50. Atlanta United
- 51. Orlando City SC
- 54. Houston Dynamo
- 56. Portland Timbers
- 57. Chicago Fire
