Forbes magazine on Monday named the Seattle Sounders as MLS’ fourth-most valuable franchise at $405 million in its annual rankings. Seattle is behind only Atlanta United ($500M), the LA Galaxy ($480M) and LAFC ($475M).
The piece drew attention to increased investment from local ownership groups across the league, noting NBA star James Harden’s stake in the Houston Dynamo. Providing additional examples of this trend, Forbes cited the group of Seattle investors that purchased a portion of the club back in August.
“One month [after Harden’s investment],” said the article, “former Microsoft exec Terry Myerson led an ownership group that includes celebrities Russell Wilson, Ciara and Macklemore in buying out Joe Roth’s minority stake in the Seattle Sounders.”
The Sounders’ value increased by $95M from the 2018 rankings, a reflection of the growth seen by both the club and MLS overall.
“The average MLS team is now worth $313 million, up 30% from last year,” the article said. “That year-over-year growth far outpaces the rising team values in the NBA (13%), the NFL (11%), MLB (8%) and the NHL (6%).”
You can read the full article on Forbes’ website HERE.
