Thursday, June 8, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Hudson River Blue
New York City FC Official Gear
  • Home
  • Latest News
    • Game Recaps
    • Video Highlights
    • Player Ratings
    • Transfer News + Rumors
    • Tactics + Analysis
    • HRB Interviews
    • International Call-Ups
    • Oppo Research
    • Reader Polls
    • City Football Group News
    • FO News
    • Stadium Saga
    • Preseason
  • Schedule + Results 
    • NYCFC Schedule and Results
    • Game Recaps
    • Video Highlights
    • Game Day Hubs
    • Oppo Research
    • Leagues Cup
    • Hudson River Derby
    • MLS Cup Playoffs
    • US Open Cup
    • Campeones Cup
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Tactics + Analysis
    • False 9
    • Hot Takes
    • Guest Columns
    • Predictions
  • Tri-State Soccer Scene
    • Tri-State Soccer Scene
    • Gotham FC
    • NYCFC II
    • NYCFC Academy
  • Fan Culture
    • Fan Culture
    • Kits + Merch
    • Food + Drink
  • About
    • About
    • Masthead
    • Privacy Policy
    • Opt-Out Preferences
Hudson River Blue
No Result
View All Result
Home City Football Group News

Forbes values NYCFC at $800 million

The finance publication reports the club is the fourth-most-valuable franchise in MLS: Here are 6 takeaways

Oliver Strand by Oliver Strand
February 2, 2023
in City Football Group News, FO News
A A
0
Forbes values NYCFC at $800 million

Guess winning silverware helps the bottom line. | Courtesy NYCFC.com

Forbes published the valuations for all MLS clubs for the first time since 2019 in a juicy online feature, and New York City FC was pegged at an eye-watering $800 million. NYCFC trails only LAFC ($1 billion), LA Galaxy ($925 million), and Atlanta United ($825 million).

Before we get into what those valuations might mean, we want to point out that these numbers are essentially made-up. Forbes didn’t conduct an audit, and MLS clubs are under no obligation to submit their finances to the publication. These valuations are entirely speculative, estimations based not just on attendance and merchandising, but vibes. Or, in the words of the disclaimer published in Forbes, “All published figures are Forbes estimates; team values do not include stadiums, real estate or debt.” 

As The Athletic pointed out last year, MLS clubs are “like tech stocks” with inflated values that reflect potential growth. In addition, every club in MLS is worth $325 million simply for being a club in MLS: That’s the buy-in fee paid by Charlotte FC to join the league, which makes it the foundational value of every team. 

Keeping all that in mind, we’re deeply skeptical of the attention-grabbing headline that appeared in Forbes, namely “Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Clubs 2023: LAFC Is The First Billion-Dollar Franchise.” Did an intern with an abacus really arrive at that oh-so-clean $1 billion figure? Or was the actual figure, say, $970 million, and an SEO-savvy editor bumped it up to a billion with a “B” because who will know? 

All that aside, we like goofing around with numbers, and this article is as fine an excuse as ever to play around with millions – even billions! – of make-believe dollars. In that spirit, here are 6 takeaways. 

But first, here’s a table that compares the valuations published today and the valuations Forbes published in 2019. It’s best viewed on a desktop, but we know most of you are reading this on your phone.

MLS Franchise Valuations by Year (per Forbes)

RankClub2023 Value2019 ValueChange % Change2019 RankRank Change
1LAFC$1 billion$475 million+ $525 million111%3+ 2
2LA Galaxy$925 million$480 million+ $445 million93%2–
3Atlanta United$850 million$500 million+ $300 million60%1– 4
4NYCFC$800 million$385 million+ $415 million108%7+ 4
5DC United$700 million$330 million+ $370 million112%9+ 4
6Toronto FC$690 million$395 million+ $295 million75%5– 2
7Austin FC$680 million–––––
8Seattle Sounders$660 million$405 million+ $225 million56%4– 5
9Portland Timbers$650 million$390 million+ $260 million67%6– 4
10Charlotte FC$625 million–––––
11Inter Miami CF$600 million–––––
12Sporting Kansas City$590 million$325 million+ $265 million82%10– 3
13Phildelphia Union$575 million $240 million+ $325 million135%18+ 4
14FC Cincinnati$560 million–––––
15Columbus Crew$550 million$200 million+ $350 million175%23+ 7
16Minnestoa United FC$540 million$300 million+ $240 million80%11– 6
17New Jersey Red Buls$525 million$290 million+ $235 million81%13– 5
18Nashville SC$500 million–––––
19New England Revolution$475 million$245 million+ $230 million94%17– 3
20San Jose Earthquakes$450 million$275 million+ $175 million64%16– 5
21Real Salt Lake$440 million$235 million+ $205 million87%19– 3
22Houston Dynamo$435 million$280 million+ $155 million55%15– 8
23Chicago Fire$425 million$335 million+ $90 million27%8– 16
24Orlando City$420 million$295 million+ $125 million42%12– 13
25Vancouver Whitecaps$410 million$215 million+ $195 million91%21– 5
26FC Dallas$400 million$220 million+ $180 million82%20– 7
27CF Montréal$375 million$210 million+ $165 million79%22– 6
28Colorado Rapids$350 million$190 million+ $160 million84%24– 5

1. Not all clubs gained value

The table above looks like growth was spread around the league, albeit unevenly. But those gains are misleading as all MLS teams got a $175 million bump over 2019 figures. 

If every MLS franchise is worth at least $325 million today (the cost of Charlotte’s expansion fee), then every club should be worth $175 million more than what they were valued at when Forbes last published this list in 2019, when FC Cincinnati joined the league for $150 million. 

That means that San Jose Earthquakes are stalled when they gained just $175 million, and Houston Dynamo, Chicago Fire,  Orlando City, CF Montréal, and Colorado Rapids actually lost value. 

Chicago Fire’s gain of just $90 million is especially notable — basically, they lost $185 in value. More like Chicago Dumpster Fire, amiright?

2. Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew are overperforming

While the Forbes headline belongs to LAFC, and the glam clubs at the top of the list generally posted the largest gains, both Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew outperformed traditionally strong franchises such as Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Toronto FC. The Crew’s 175% growth was the most in the league, and they climbed seven spots in the rankings despite MLS adding four teams.

3. NYCFC are keeping it tight at the top of the pack

New York City have generally remained a top-five team since joining the league in 2015. As you can see from the following table, NYCFC have steadily added value over the years. (Note that no major publication published MLS valuations in 2020; Forbes didn’t publish valuations in 2021 or 2022, so we use Sportico’s figures for those years.)

NYCFC Valuation by Year

YearPublicationValuationMLS Rank
2023Forbes$800 million#4
2022Sportico$680 million#4
2021Sportico$655 million#5
2019Forbes$385 million#7
2018Forbes$278 million#7
2017Forbes$275 million#4
2016Forbes$255 million#3

4. New Jersey Red Bulls remain mediocre

Our frenemies across the Hudson River added just $235 million in value, or $60 million when adjusted to reflect the higher MLS franchise fee. Arbitrary as all of this might be, it feels right that the New Jersey Red Bulls are worth less than Minnesota United, FC Cincinnati, or Sporting Kansas City.

5. DC United’s $700 million valuation is a mystery

Why DC United, a team that came in last or almost-last in every meaningful measure this past season on the field, are ranked fifth, which put them above hyper-popular clubs such as Sounders and Timbers, is beyond us. Are DC United really worth more than the always-sold-out Austin FC, a team that dominates the sporting scene in a metropolitan area with more than two million residents? Or than Toronto FC, a team that feels like a perennial contender even when it doesn’t put up the strongest performances? 

If you want an illustration of the arbitrariness of these numbers, look no further than DC United’s $700 million valuation, which, if you are to believe it, means that the club is worth more than Newcastle United, Leeds United, Southampton, and Fulham combined. 

6. Sounders fans aren’t happy with these numbers

Looks like Seattle dropped $20 million in value in the past year. Declining valuation, missing the playoffs: Looks like going all-in to win the CCL last year continues to hurt the organization. 

Still, best of luck in the Club World Cup this Saturday!

Tags: Atlanta UnitedCF MontréalCharlotte FCChicago FireColorado RapidsColumbus CrewDC UnitedForbesFulhamHouston DynamoLA GalaxyLAFCLeeds UnitedNew Jersey Red BullsNewcastle UnitedOrlando CityPhiladelphia UnionSan Jose EarthquakesSeattle SoundersSouthamptonThe AthleticToronto FCValuation
Oliver Strand

Oliver Strand

Oliver is the executive editor and publisher of Hudson River Blue. A benchwarmer on the 1985 Culver City All-Stars, he grew up supporting the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

NYCFC defender Tayvon Gray.

Tayvon Gray suspended by MLS

June 3, 2023
Maxi Moralez and Taty Castellanos when they played for NYCFC.

City Football Group out of touch with NYCFC’s frustrations

June 6, 2023
James Sands has testy exchange with supporters after loss

James Sands has testy exchange with supporters after loss

June 1, 2023
Ted Lasso Season 3 Finale Review: Richmond, Until Goodbye

Ted Lasso Season 3 Finale Review: Richmond, Until Goodbye

May 31, 2023
Newtown Pride FC advances to the TST final

Newtown Pride will play for $1 million prize today

June 4, 2023
Hudson River Blue

A New York City soccer community
© 2023 Seawall Media LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • NYCFC Schedule and Results
  • Game Recaps
  • Video Highlights
  • Player Ratings
  • Opinion
  • Transfer News + Rumors
  • Tactics + Analysis
  • International Call-Ups
  • False 9
  • Kits + Merch
  • Food + Drink
  • Stadium Saga
  • HRB Interviews
  • Long Reads
  • MLS Cup Playoffs
  • US Open Cup
  • Tri-State Soccer Scene
  • Gotham FC
  • NYCFC II
  • About
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Opt-Out Preferences
  • Masthead
  • Login

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}