Major League Soccer has seen the value of its clubs rise over the last few years, leading to a series of investments — the latest being a new 32-acre sports complex for the Easter Conference-leading Philadelphia Union.
The Union have planned to build a 170,000-square-foot sports and recreation complex. The project features eight indoor and outdoor fields, two multisport courts, a performance center, and a weight room.
The complex is expected to have an economic impact of $90 million over the next decade.
An MLS franchise is an increasingly hot commodity — the 28 teams are worth an average of $582 million in 2022, up 55% compared to last year.
- Los Angeles FC is the most valuable team at $900 million — up 5% year-over-year.
- The Galaxy — Los Angeles’ other MLS club — ranks second in value at $865 million.
- CF Montreal came in last out of all 28 MLS teams with a $390 million valuation.
The increasing value of MLS teams has caught the eye of marquee investors like current and former NBA superstars James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Dwayne Wade.
Harden invested $15 million for a 5% stake in the Houston Dynamo franchise in 2019, while Durant purchased a 5% stake in the Union in 2020.
In January, Wade became an investor in Real Salt Lake through Smith Entertainment Group.
