A week after The Oregoniannamed Seattle the country’s top soccer market, the city’s MLS franchise has another title to add to the mantle: Most valuable.
Forbes.com on Wednesday released a list of the league’s most valuable clubs, estimating the Seattle Sounders' worth at $285 million, tops in the league. The LA Galaxy ($265M), New York City FC ($255M), Toronto FC ($245M) and Orlando City SC ($240M) round out the top five.
The cost to own an MLS team has skyrocketed as the expansion fees could jump to $200M, according to MLS President Mark Abbott. The average MLS franchise is now worth $185M, compared to $157M just last season and up over 80 percent from 2013’s $103M valuation.
