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Expansion is once again the word on everyone’s lips as Major League Soccer (MLS) prepares for the start of its 27th season.
Charlotte FC, who belong to Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, will become the 28th franchise to join the division when they kick off their inaugural campaign against DC United. Speaking earlier this week, MLS commissioner Don Garber said the team’s home opener against LA Galaxy could push 75,000 fans, demonstrating the excitement for top-tier soccer in the Queen City.
St Louis City SC will follow in 2023, while Garber has spoken openly about Las Vegas as the destination for the league’s 30th franchise. He said during his preseason press conference that MLS hopes to finalise an agreement “in the first third of the year” with Aston Villa co-owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who in January entered exclusive discussions with the league about bringing an expansion team to Vegas.
All that comes at a time when MLS franchise valuations continue to skyrocket. At US$860 million, Los Angeles FC are the league’s most valuable franchise, according to Sportico, which says the average MLS club is now worth approximately US$550 million. The US$400 million figure attached to the January takeover of Real Salt Lake by a group led by David Blitzer and Ryan Smith was another endorsement of the league’s growing appeal to investors.
In terms of its ownership rules, MLS has also now circulated guidelines to its teams about private equity investment, mirroring the approach seen in other major leagues. As reported by Sportico, MLS is allowing firms to own up to 20 per cent of a franchise, although investment companies are prohibited from owning stakes in more than four teams, while no franchise can have more than 30 per cent of its equity owned by private funds.
On the media front, 2021 was a year of steady growth for MLS in terms of viewership figures. The league’s average of 276,000 viewers for 31 regular season fixtures across ESPN and ABC marked a sizeable increase on the average of 233,000 for the previous season. Fox, meanwhile, recorded a four per cent viewership increase compared to the 2020 season.
With audience growth on an upward trajectory, MLS holds high hopes for its next US media rights deal, which Garber said he is planning to finalise by the end of March. The league currently receives US$90 million annually from ESPN, Fox and Univision, but is reportedly seeking as much as US$300 million from its next deal.
Meanwhile, there also appear to be significant sums of cash flowing into MLS from brands. SponsorUnited’s recently published MLS 2021 Marketing and Partnerships annual report revealed that the league eclipsed US$400 million in team sponsorship revenue in 2021, driven primarily by the finance, healthcare, automotive, technology, insurance, and media sectors. The study also highlighted that sponsors are leveraging MLS to capture a younger audience, noting that the league has seen a 40 per cent increase in brands since 2019.
With plenty of activity off the pitch, SportsPro presents its annual MLS commercial guide, including a rundown of every team, their sponsors, and the league’s major TV deals.
Teams
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United
Owner: Arthur Blank (AMB Sports and Entertainment Group)
President: Darren Eales
Valuation: US$845 million
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (shared with NFL’s Atlanta Falcons)
2021 average home attendance: 43,964
Arena operator: AMB Sports and Entertainment Group
Stadium naming rights partner: Mercedes-Benz (US$32.4 million per year, signed 2017, expires 2044)
Main sponsor: American Family Insurance (signed 2016, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: Piedmont Healthcare (value not reported)
Local broadcasters: Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports South, WZGC (English radio), WAOS/WXEM/WLBA (Spanish radio)
Charlotte FC
Owner: David Tepper
President: Joe LaBue
Valuation: N/A
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium (shared with NFL’s Carolina Panthers)
2021 average attendance: N/A
Arena operator: Panthers Stadium LLC
Stadium naming rights partner: Bank of America (US$7 million per year, signed 2004, expires 2024)
Main sponsor: Ally (US$7 million per year, multi-year deal signed 2019, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: Centene Corporation (right sleeve, US$5 million to US$7 million per year, multi-year deal signed 2021, length not reported)
Local broadcasters: ABC Charlotte and TV64 (English TV), Telemundo Charlotte (Spanish TV), WFNZ (English radio)
You don’t have to be from here to be a game-changer.
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) February 14, 2022
Mint History with us.#NewlyMinted pic.twitter.com/caWSasvryt
Chicago Fire
Owner: Joe Mansueto
President: Ishwara Glassman Chrein
Valuation: US$535 million
Stadium: Soldier Field (shared with NFL’s Chicago Bears)
2021 average home attendance: 10,694
Arena operator: ASM Global
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A
Main sponsor: Motorola (value not reported, signed 2019, one-year extension agreed for 2022)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: WGN-TV, WRTO (Spanish radio)
FC Cincinnati
Owners: Carl Lindner III, Meg Whitman, Scott Farmer
Co-chief executive: Jeff Berding
Valuation: US$500 million
Stadium: TQL Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 21,175
Arena operator: FC Cincinnati
Stadium naming rights partner: TQL (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Main sponsor: Mercy Health (US$5 million a year, signed 2017, expires 2028)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: WSTR Star64 (TV), FCCincinnati.com (streaming), iHeartRadio (English radio)
Columbus Crew
Owners: Dee and Jimmy Haslam, JW and Whitney Johnson, Pete Edwards
President of business operations: Kristin Bernert
Valuation: US$540 million
Stadium: Lower.com Field
2021 average home attendance: 16,583
Arena operator: Columbus Crew
Stadium naming rights partner: Lower.com (US$3million to US$4 million per year, long-term deal signed 2021, length not reported)
Main sponsor: Nationwide (US$3 million per year, multi-year deal signed 2020, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: Tipico (right sleeve, signed 2022, value and length not reported)
Local broadcasters: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Great Lakes, WBNS-FM (English radio), ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish radio)
DC United
Owner: Jason Levien and Stephen Kaplan
President: Danita Johnson
Valuation: US$630 million
Stadium: Audi Field
2021 average home attendance: 12,791
Arena operator: DC United
Stadium naming rights partner: Audi (US$4 million a year, expires 2030)
Main sponsor: XDC Network (signed 2022, value not reported, expires 2025)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: NBC Sports Washington (English TV), TeleXitos (Spanish TV)
Inter Miami
Owners: Jorge and Jose Mas, David Beckham
President: David Beckham
Valuation: US$525 million
Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium
2021 average attendance: 14,129
Arena operator: Inter Miami
Stadium naming rights partner: AutoNation (value not reported, three-year deal signed 2021)
Main sponsor: XBTO (US$4 million to US$5 million per year, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Sleeve sponsor: Xmanna (right sleeve, ‘seven-figure’, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Local broadcasters: CBS Miami (English TV), My TV33 (English TV, select games), WAMI-DT (Spanish TV)
CF Montréal
Owner and chairman: Joey Saputo
Valuation: US$380 million
Stadium: Saputo Stadium
2021 average attendance: N/A (team played several home games in US due to border restrictions)
Arena operator: CF Montréal
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A
Main sponsor: Bank of Montreal (US$4 million a year, long-term extension signed 2018)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: TVA Sports (French-language TV), TSN 690 (English radio), CKLX-FM (French radio)
New England Revolution
Owner: Kraft family
President: Brian Bilello
Valuation: US$480 million
Stadium: Gillette Stadium (shared with NFL’s New England Patriots)
2021 average home attendance: 18,861
Arena operator: Kraft Group
Stadium naming rights partner: Gillette (value not reported, extension signed in 2010, expires 2031)
Main sponsor: UnitedHealthcare (US$3 million per year, signed 2011, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: WBZ-TV, WBZ-FM (English radio), WAMG (Spanish radio)
New York City FC
Owner: City Football Group (CFG)
Chief executive: Brad Sims
Valuation: US$655 million
Stadium: Yankee Stadium
2021 average home attendance: N/A (played several home games at Red Bull Arena due to scheduling conflicts)
Arena operator: Yankee Stadium LLC
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A
Main sponsor: Etihad Airways (CFG-wide deal)
Sleeve sponsor: Dude Wipes (right sleeve, value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2022)
Local broadcasters: YES Network, NYCFC.com/Radio (English and Spanish)
New York City FC celebrate winning their first MLS Cup after defeating the Portland Timbers on 11th December 2021.
New York Red Bulls
Owner: Red Bull GmbH
General manager: Marc de Grandpre
Valuation: US$505 million
Stadium: Red Bull Arena
2021 average home attendance: 13,161
Arena operator: Red Bull
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A
Main sponsor: Red Bull
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: MSG Networks, New York Red Bulls website (radio)
Orlando City
Owner: Wilf family
President: Jarrod Dillon
Valuation: US$400 million
Stadium: Exploria Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 15,644
Arena operator: Orlando City SC
Stadium naming rights partner: Exploria Resorts (value not reported, signed 2019, length not reported)
Main sponsor: Orlando Health (value not reported, long-term extension signed 2021)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: WRBW, LionNation TV (streaming), WYGM (English radio), WRSO (Spanish radio)
Philadelphia Union
Owner: Jay Sugarman
President: Tim McDermott
Valuation: US$530 million
Stadium: Subaru Park
2021 average home attendance: 12,903
Arena operator: Keystone S&E
Stadium naming rights partner: Subaru (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2020)
Main sponsor: Bimbo Bakeries (Original five-year deal reportedly worth US$11 million, extension signed 2019, expires 2023)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: WPVI-TV, WPHL, WDAS (English radio)
Toronto FC
Owner: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
President: Bill Manning
Valuation: US$650 million
Stadium: BMO Field
2021 average home attendance: 7,898 (several games played in US due to restrictions)
Arena operator: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Stadium naming rights partner: Bank of Montreal (value not reported, signed 2016, expires 2026)
Main sponsor: Bank of Montreal (worth US$4 million a year, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: GE Appliances (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2020)
Local broadcasters: TSN, CHUM and CJCL (radio)
Western Conference
Austin FC
Owner: Two Oak Ventures
Majority owner and chief executive: Anthony Precourt
Valuation: US$575 million
Stadium: Q2 Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 20,738
Arena operator: Two Oak Ventures LLC
Stadium naming rights partner: Q2 Holdings (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Main sponsor: Yeti (worth ‘more than’ US$4 million a year, multi-year deal signed 2020)
Sleeve sponsor: Netspend (value not reported, signed 2020, length not reported)
Local broadcasters: The CW Austin, KXAN, KBVO (all English TV), Univision 62 and UniMas Austin (Spanish TV), KASE-FM (English radio), TUDN Radio Austin (Spanish radio)
Colorado Rapids
Owner: Stan Kroenke
Chief operating officer: Matt Hutchings
Valuation: US$370 million
Stadium: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
2021 average home attendance: 12,014
Arena operator: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE)
Stadium naming rights partner: Dick’s Sporting Goods (worth US$2 million a year, signed 2006, expires 2026)
Main sponsor: N/A (deal with Transamerica expired at end of 2020 season)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: Altitude Sports and Entertainment, KKSE (English radio)
FC Dallas
Owner: Clark and Dan Hunt
Chief executive: Clark Hunt
Valuation: US$415 million
Stadium: Toyota Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 13,418
Arena operator: Frisco Soccer, LP
Stadium naming rights partner: Toyota (value not reported, ‘long-term’ deal signed in 2013)
Main sponsor: MTX Group (seven-year deal, value not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: Advocare (value not reported, deal signed 2020)
Local broadcasters: KTXA, KMPX (Spanish TV), FCDallas.com/Radio (English radio), KFLC (Spanish radio)
Houston Dynamo
Owner: Ted Segal
President: John Walker
Valuation: US$425 million
Stadium: PNC Stadium (22,039)
2021 average home attendance: 12,220
Arena operator: Anschutz Entertainment Group
Stadium naming rights partner: PNC (worth US$2 million a year, signed 2011, was due to expire in 2021 but name still in place)
Main sponsor: MD Anderson Cancer Center (‘more than’ US$4 million a year, multi-year deal started 2019)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: KTBU, TeleXitos (Spanish TV), KLAT (Spanish radio)
LA Galaxy
Owner: Anschutz Entertainment Group
President: Chris Klein
Valuation: US$835 million
Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park
2021 average home attendance: 16,205
Arena operator: Anschutz Entertainment Group
Stadium naming rights partner: Dignity Health (ten-year naming rights deal worth more than US$6 million a season, expires 2029)
Main sponsor: Herbalife Nutrition (ten-year deal worth US$4.4 million a year, expires 2022)
Sleeve sponsor: Honey (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Local broadcasters: Spectrum SportsNet, lagalaxy.com (English radio), KWKW (Spanish radio)
LAFC
Owners: Larry Berg, Brandon Beck, Bennett Rosenthal
Co-president and chief business officer: Larry Freedman
Valuation: US$860 million
Stadium: Banc of California Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 18,539
Arena operator: LAFC
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A (Banc of Californa terminated its 15-year naming rights deal in June 2020. Early termination fee means LAFC received US$36 million over the three years the deal was active. The stadium’s current name will remain in place while a replacement is found)
Main sponsor: Flex (US$5 million a year, five-year deal signed 2021)
Sleeve sponsor: Target (value not reported, deal started in 2020)
Local broadcasters: Bally Sports SoCal, KCOP, KSPN (English radio), Estrella TV (Spanish TV), KFWB (Spanish radio)
At US$860m, LAFC were listed by Sportico as the MLS’ most valuable franchise in 2021.
Minnesota United
Owner: Bill McGuire
Chief executive: Shari Ballard
Valuation: US$520 million
Stadium: Allianz Field
2021 average home attendance: 14,797
Arena operator: Minnesota United FC
Stadium naming rights partner: Allianz (value not reported, signed 2017, expires 2028)
Main sponsor: Target (value not reported, signed 2017, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: Bally Sports North, WUCW, KSTP (English radio)
Nashville SC
Owner: John Ingram
Chief executive: Ian Ayre
Valuation: US$460 million
Stadium: Nissan Stadium (shared with NFL’s Tennessee Titans)
2021 average home attendance: 19,338
Arena operator: Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Stadium naming rights partner: Nissan (US$5 million to US$6.5 million per season, signed 2015, expires 2035)
Main sponsor: Renasant Bank (value not reported, signed 2019, expires 2023)
Sleeve sponsor: Hyundai (value not reported, long-term deal signed 2021)
Local broadcasters: WZTV, WUXP, WNAB, ESPN 94.9 Game 2 (English radio)
Portland Timbers
Owner: Peregrine Sports, LLC
Chief executive: Merritt Paulson
Valuation: US$635 million
Stadium: Providence Park
2021 average home attendance: 21,285
Arena operator: City of Portland
Stadium naming rights partner: Providence Health and Services (value not reported, signed 2014, expires 2029)
Main sponsor: Alaska Airlines (US$3 million a year, extension signed 2018)
Sleeve sponsor: TikTok (worth ‘slightly more’ than US$1 million a year, deal signed 2021)
Local broadcasters: KPTV, Root Sports Northwest, KXTG (English radio), KGDD (Spanish radio)
Real Salt Lake
Owners: David Blitzer and Ryan Smith
President: John Kimball
Valuation: US$420 million (recent takeover deal reportedly worth US$400 million)
Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium
2021 average home attendance: 15,219
Arena operator: Real Salt Lake
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A (Club recently hired Playfly to find replacement for Rio Tinto)
Main sponsor: LifeVantage (US$3 million a year, signed 2013, expires 2023)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: KMYU, KALL (English radio), KTUB (Spanish radio)
A new era has arrived.@MLS, David Blitzer and the Smith Entertainment Group reached an agreement to purchase #RSL.
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 5, 2022
San Jose Earthquakes
Owner: John Fisher
President: Jared Shawlee
Valuation: US$510 million
Stadium: PayPal Park
Arena operator: San Jose Earthquakes
Stadium naming rights partner: PayPal (US$2 million per year, signed 2021, expires 2031)
Main sponsor: Intermedia (value not reported, expires 2022)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Bay Area (English TV), KSTS-DT Telemundo 48 (Spanish TV), KTCT (English radio), KZSF (Spanish radio)
Seattle Sounders
Owners: Adrian Hanauer (majority owner), Jody Allen, Drew Carey
President of business operations: Peter Tomozawa
Valuation: US$705 million
Stadium: Lumen Field (shared with NFL’s Seattle Seahawks)
2021 average home attendance: 25,125
Arena operator: First & Goal Inc
Stadium naming rights partner: Lumen Technologies (US$162.7 million, signed 2019, expires 2033)
Main sponsor: Zulily (US$6 million per year, signed 2019, length not reported)
Sleeve sponsor: Emerald Queen Casino (value not reported, multi-year deal signed 2021)
Local broadcasters: KZJO, KCPQ, Root Sports Northwest, KJR (English radio), KUNS-TV (Spanish TV), KKMO (Spanish radio)
Sporting KC
Owner: Sporting Club
Chief executive and President: Jake Reid
Valuation: US$550 million
Stadium: Children’s Mercy Park
2021 average home attendance: 18,752
Arena operator: Sporting Kansas City
Stadium naming rights partner: Children’s Mercy Hospital (value not reported, ten-year deal signed in 2015)
Main sponsor: Compass Minerals (value not reported, signed 2022, expires 2028)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: KMCI-TV, SportingKC.com (streaming), WHB (English radio), KDTD (Spanish radio)
Vancouver Whitecaps
Owners: Greg Kerfoot, Jeff Mallett, Steve Luzco, Steve Nash
Chief executive: Axel Schuster
Valuation: US$385 million
Stadium: BC Place
2021 average home attendance: N/A (team played several games in US due to border restrictions)
Arena operator: BC Pavilion Corporation
Stadium naming rights partner: N/A
Main sponsor: Bell (‘more than’ US$4 per year), multi-year extension signed in 2018)
Sleeve sponsor: N/A
Local broadcasters: TSN, CHMJ (English radio)
All valuations are from Sportico’s most recent ranking of MLS team values. All sponsorship figures quoted have been reported or officially disclosed. Attendance figures are according to Transfermarkt data.
Broadcast partners
Domestic (US$90 million per year)
US: ESPN, Fox Sports, Univision
Canada: TSN, TVA Sports, DAZN (out-of-market package)
Select overseas:
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean: ESPN
South America: ESPN
Brazil: DAZN, ESPN
Honduras: R-Media
UK and Ireland: Sky Sports, Premier Sports
Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland: DAZN
Netherlands: ESPN
France: BeIN Sports
Belgium, Luxembourg: Eleven Sports
Middle East and North Africa: Abu Dhabi Sports
Sub-Saharan Africa: ESPN
APAC: BeIN Sports
Australia, New Zealand: BeIN Sports
