A week after The Oregonian named 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 Seattle Sounders FC at No. 1 and worth $285 million. The team brought in $52M in revenue in 2015.
The cost to own an MLS team has skyrocketed as the expansion fees have jumped to $200M, according to league president Mark Abbott. The average MLS franchise is now worth $185M, compared to $157M just last season and up over 80% from 2013’s $103M valuation.