It’s one of the few Major League Soccer lists where D.C. United isn’t first.
This week Forbes magazine released its first valuation of MLS franchises, and it’s no surprise that David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy tops out at $100 million, or that the Galaxy is one of just three teams in the league that turn a profit.
But it’s hard to believe that D.C. United and its league-best 12 titles and second-highest attendance (20,967 per regular-season game in 2007) is sixth ($35 million).
”It’s encouraging for the business,” said United president Kevin Payne. “I do think that over time, we will have more teams, including ours, that are in the neighborhood of the number associated with the Galaxy.”
Even with a rising tide lifting all boats — Seattle (2009) and Philadelphia (2010) will enter the league at franchise costs of $30 million each, with two more teams expected to follow at $40 million a piece — D.C. is set to fall further behind New York and get eclipsed by Real Salt Lake over the next year, as those teams see revenues double or triple once their respective stadiums are complete. Salt Lake’s new park opens next month.
Meanwhile, United feeds on the scraps left after paying rent at RFK Stadium and running the third-highest operating loss in the league; form similar to its on-field performance over the past few seasons: underachieving despite huge potential.
The team is determined to decide by the end of the calendar year whether to proceed with stadium plans at Poplar Point in the District of Columbia or a location in Prince George’s County, which remains very much in play.
After a quiet summer with no stadium news, a feasibility study by the Maryland Stadium Authority — set for release Sept. 22, according to a source familiar with the project — is the next milestone and could be a strong indicator of where United intends to make its permanent home.
“I think that the District officials and in Maryland clearly understand what [the economic impact of a stadium] means to us,” said Payne, emphasizing that community’s fiscal benefit will be far more significant than improvement of United’s bottom line. ”Maryland is very comfortable with the notion that stadiums and sports teams are economic development opportunities for the state and the locality they are based in.”
Major League Soccer franchise valuations
| Team | Value | Revenue | Income (loss) |
| Los Angeles* | $100 M | $36 M | $4.0 M |
| Toronto* | $44 M | $17 M | $2.1 M |
| Chicago* | $41 M | $16 M | ($3.1 M) |
| Dallas* | $39 M | $15 M | $0.5 M |
| New York | $36 M | $10 M | ($4.5 M) |
| D.C. United | $35 M | $13 M | ($3 M) |
| Houston | $33 M | $10 M | ($1.8 M) |
| Colorado* | $31 M | $11 M | ($2.2 M) |
| Salt Lake | $30 M | $7 M | ($2.1 M) |
| New England | $27 M | $10 M | ($1.5 M) |
| Chivas USA* | $24 M | $10 M | ($1 M) |
| Columbus* | $23 M | $6 M | ($4.5 M) |
| Kansas City | $22 M | $5 M | ($2.9 M) |
Source » Forbes; * – Teams playing in soccer-specific stadiums
