Seattle pay about $607 of payroll for each average home fan and Miami about $2,119, a 3.5-fold gap.
Back to the trend of the day: Messi's Inter Miami win 2-0 and stay in the title race
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
MLS Most Valuable Teams 2026 vs Payroll and Crowds
Philadelphia spend the least in MLS at $11.7M, yet each payroll dollar there carries about $63 of club value. Inter Miami's $54.6M payroll carries about $27 per dollar.
- No. 1: Philadelphia Union
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Philadelphia Union
Lowest payroll of all 30 ($11.7M), yet about $63 of Sportico value per payroll dollar, the best ratio, and $639 per home fan. Still in a playoff place on 45 points.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini. Did not include: Meta, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 1 · Gemini: 7
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 2
The lowest payroll in MLS ($11.7M) still yields 45 points, and every payroll dollar carries about $63 of Sportico value, the best ratio on this list.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 1
The league's smallest April payroll, $11.70 million, costs roughly $639 per average home attendee—a remarkable foundation for a competitive club.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 7
Outperforms teams with twice its payroll by pairing academy development with a bottom-seven wage bill that routinely clinches postseason berths.
3 AIs put it here - 2
Seattle Sounders
The lowest payroll per home fan in MLS, $607 for a 31,478 crowd, with $48 of Sportico value per payroll dollar. On the pitch only 7th in the West.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini. Did not include: Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 4 · Meta: 6 · Gemini: 5
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 4
Seattle pay just about $607 of payroll for each home fan (31,478 average crowd), the lowest of any club with both figures.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 4
Seattle combines a roughly $19.09 million player payroll with more than 31,000 spectators per home match and an $860 million Forbes valuation.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 6
$915M Sportico – $740M Philadelphia-style low payroll model but 31,150 avg home shows sustainable demand
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 5
Sustains 31,478 fans per game and an $800M+ valuation while maintaining a disciplined payroll outside the league's top five spenders.
4 AIs put it here - 3
St. Louis City SC
19th in payroll ($18.8M) but 2nd in the West on 51 points, after a 21-match unbeaten run. ESPN and an Oct 15 report agree on the points.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 2
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 9
St. Louis sit 2nd in the West on 51 points with a $675M valuation and a 22,408 average crowd, but I found no 2026 payroll total for them.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 2
A 21-match unbeaten streak and playoff qualification from a $18.81 million spring payroll make St. Louis the outstanding recent competitive-efficiency story.
Source ↗
2 AIs put it here - 4
Nashville SC
Most points in MLS (66) on the 8th-highest payroll ($23.0M), 14 clear in the East. The points come from one ESPN snapshot.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Wenxin. Did not include: Meta, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 6 · Wenxin: 4
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 1
They lead the table with 66 points on the 8th-highest payroll ($23.0M), 14 points clear of the East's second-placed team.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 6
A $22.99 million roster contains Mukhtar and Surridge, whose combined 2026 scoring production provides a strong argument for spending on proven attackers.
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 4
4 goals from Sam Surridge on a 22.7M payroll punching far above wage weight
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 5
FC Dallas
25th in payroll (about $14.5M) yet 3rd in the West on 50 points. But the league's smallest crowd, 11,004, means $1,318 of payroll per fan.
Included it: Claude, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 3 · Gemini: 10
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 3
Dallas have 50 points on the 25th-ranked payroll, but they play to the league's smallest crowds at 11,004, about $1,318 of payroll for each home fan.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 10
Navigates stadium renovation limits of 11,004 seats by generating top transfer profits and maintaining steady playoff contention on $16.1M.
2 AIs put it here - 6
San Jose Earthquakes
In spring the cheapest club per point in MLS at $546k. Now 4th in the West on 47 points with a $15.8M payroll, though its Sportico value fell.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 3
What each AI noted 2
2 AIs put it here - 7
Atlanta United
Biggest crowds in MLS (37,627) at $741 of payroll per fan and worth $1.14B, but 14th in the East: $2.79M per point, the league's worst.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 8 · ChatGPT: 10 · Meta: 4 · Gemini: 3 · Wenxin: 7
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 8
They draw the biggest crowds (37,627) for about $741 of payroll per fan and are worth $1.14B (Sportico), but they sit 14th in the East on 30 points.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 10
Atlanta attracts the league's biggest reported home crowd, roughly 37,863 per game, but its $27.88 million payroll puts it third in spending.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 4
$1.14B Sportico ($1.00B Forbes) with 37,627 avg home fans – $27.88M payroll = $741 per home seat, best fan spread
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 3
Packs 37,720 fans per home match into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to deliver the lowest seasonal payroll spend per spectator in MLS ($371/fan).
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 7
League leading 37,627 average home crowd on a 21.7M payroll, low payroll per fan
Source ↗
5 AIs put it here - 8
Vancouver Whitecaps
Top of the West on 52 points with the 5th-highest payroll, but worth only $450M to Sportico, about $18 per payroll dollar, the lowest here.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Wenxin. Did not include: Meta, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 5 · Wenxin: 5
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 7
They top the West on 52 points with the 5th-highest payroll ($24.6M), but the lowest value in this group ($450M, about $18 per payroll dollar).
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 5
Vancouver leads the reported October 15 Western Conference comparison on 52 points despite spending less than half Miami's payroll.
Source ↗ - Wenxinplace 5
Tied top league scorer Brian White on a 23.3M payroll with strong home attendance
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 9
Inter Miami
Most valuable club ($1.45B Sportico, $1.35B Forbes) and 52 points, but its $54.6M payroll costs $2,119 per home fan, the most of any club here.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 6 · ChatGPT: 8 · Meta: 1 · Gemini: 2 · Wenxin: 9
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 6
The league's biggest payroll ($54.6M) is the price of the most valuable club, worth $1.45B to Sportico and $1.35B to Forbes, but it works out to about $2,120 of payroll per home fan.
Source ↗ - ChatGPTplace 8
At $54.57 million in annual guaranteed payroll, Miami spends the most—but Messi has helped turn it into a $1.35 billion–$1.45 billion franchise.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 1
$1.45B Sportico ($1.35B Forbes) from $54.6M payroll = 26.6x value per payroll, $21.05M Club World Cup payout, 75,824 record crowd vs Colorado
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 2
Transforms a league-high $45M+ wage bill into a staggering $1.35B (Forbes) to $1.45B (Sportico) enterprise value, claiming the #1 commercial crown.
- Wenxinplace 9
Messi drives 1.35B-1.45𝐵𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑏𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑠1.45Bclubvaluethatfaroutstripsits120.9M payroll spend
Source ↗
5 AIs put it here - 10
LAFC
2nd in both payroll ($32.7M) and value ($1.40B Sportico, $1.32B Forbes), yet only 6th in the West on 45 points, at about $1,208 of payroll per fan.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini. Did not include: Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: see list · Meta: see list · Gemini: see list
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 10
They have the second-largest payroll ($32.7M) and the second-highest value ($1.4B Sportico, $1.32B Forbes), but only 45 points, 6th in the West.
Source ↗ - ChatGPT
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list - Meta
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list - Gemini
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list
4 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
Inter Miami's value rose 22% in a year to $1.45B, the biggest gain in MLS, and passed LAFC for the first time. The bottom twelve clubs gained only about 2%.
Atlanta draw the biggest crowds and are worth over $1B, yet sit 14th in the East. It is the clearest case of fans and value coming apart from results.
Sportico values clubs higher than Forbes (average $767M against $731M; Miami $1.45B against $1.35B) because it counts team businesses and real estate.
The season's biggest crowd, 75,824, came to see Inter Miami at Colorado, played in an NFL stadium rather than the Rapids' 18,000-seat ground.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 MLS Clubs by Value for Money: Payroll, Crowds and Club Worth Side by Side
2Why this topic
Reading the payroll, crowd and valuation sources together shows which clubs buy results, which buy crowds and which only grow in value on paper, and none of the three shows that alone.
3Where it applies
Major League Soccer (USA and Canada)
4What we looked at
- Payroll per average home fan
- Club value per dollar of payroll
- Gap between a club's rank by spending and its rank by points in the table
- MLS Players Association, totals by KC Soccer Journal — Spring 2026 guaranteed pay of every player, added up per club. Inter Miami $54.6M is the highest and Philadelphia $11.7M the lowest.
- FootyStats MLS attendance — Average home crowd per club, from Atlanta 37,627 down to FC Dallas 11,004. Used here for payroll per average home fan.
- Sportico MLS valuations (Feb 2026) — Estimated club value including team businesses and real estate. Inter Miami $1.45B; league average $767M.
- Forbes MLS valuations 2026 — Estimated enterprise value without the separately owned real estate. Inter Miami $1.35B; average $731M.
- ESPN MLS standings — Points per club after about 29 games, compared with each club's rank by payroll
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Wenxin.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Nashville SC
They lead the table with 66 points on the 8th-highest payroll ($23.0M), 14 points clear of the East's second-placed team.
Source ↗ - 2Philadelphia Union
The lowest payroll in MLS ($11.7M) still yields 45 points, and every payroll dollar carries about $63 of Sportico value, the best ratio on this list.
Source ↗ - 3FC Dallas
Dallas have 50 points on the 25th-ranked payroll, but they play to the league's smallest crowds at 11,004, about $1,318 of payroll for each home fan.
Source ↗ - 4Seattle Sounders
Seattle pay just about $607 of payroll for each home fan (31,478 average crowd), the lowest of any club with both figures.
Source ↗ - 5San Jose Earthquakes
They were the league's most efficient spender in the spring at $546,000 per point and have 47 points now.
Source ↗ - 6Inter Miami
The league's biggest payroll ($54.6M) is the price of the most valuable club, worth $1.45B to Sportico and $1.35B to Forbes, but it works out to about $2,120 of payroll per home fan.
Source ↗ - 7Vancouver Whitecaps
They top the West on 52 points with the 5th-highest payroll ($24.6M), but the lowest value in this group ($450M, about $18 per payroll dollar).
Source ↗ - 8Atlanta United
They draw the biggest crowds (37,627) for about $741 of payroll per fan and are worth $1.14B (Sportico), but they sit 14th in the East on 30 points.
Source ↗ - 9St. Louis City SC
St. Louis sit 2nd in the West on 51 points with a $675M valuation and a 22,408 average crowd, but I found no 2026 payroll total for them.
Source ↗ - 10LAFC
They have the second-largest payroll ($32.7M) and the second-highest value ($1.4B Sportico, $1.32B Forbes), but only 45 points, 6th in the West.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
Philadelphia spend the least of all 30 clubs ($11.7M) and still hold a playoff place. Inter Miami's payroll is 4.7 times theirs (my calculation).
Seattle's crowd is almost three times FC Dallas's (31,478 against 11,004), and Seattle's payroll is only about $4.6M higher (my calculation).
Inter Miami's valuation rose 22% in a year to $1.45B, the league's largest gain, and it overtook LAFC for the first time in Sportico's list.
Atlanta draw the biggest crowds in MLS and are valued above $1B, yet rank 14th in the East. It's the clearest case of fans and value coming apart from results.
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Philadelphia Union — MLS 2026
The league's smallest April payroll, $11.70 million, costs roughly $639 per average home attendee—a remarkable foundation for a competitive club.
Source ↗ - 2St. Louis CITY SC — MLS 2026
A 21-match unbeaten streak and playoff qualification from a $18.81 million spring payroll make St. Louis the outstanding recent competitive-efficiency story.
Source ↗ - 3San Jose Earthquakes — MLS 2026
San Jose's $15.83 million payroll is less than 30% of Miami's, making any close sporting comparison a powerful challenge to the spending hierarchy.
Source ↗ - 4Seattle Sounders FC — MLS 2026
Seattle combines a roughly $19.09 million player payroll with more than 31,000 spectators per home match and an $860 million Forbes valuation.
Source ↗ - 5Vancouver Whitecaps FC — MLS 2026
Vancouver leads the reported October 15 Western Conference comparison on 52 points despite spending less than half Miami's payroll.
Source ↗ - 6Nashville SC — MLS 2026
A $22.99 million roster contains Mukhtar and Surridge, whose combined 2026 scoring production provides a strong argument for spending on proven attackers.
Source ↗ - 7Los Angeles FC — MLS 2026
LAFC is valued at $1.32 billion by Forbes and $1.40 billion by Sportico, while paying roughly $32.65 million in annual guaranteed player compensation.
Source ↗ - 8Inter Miami CF — MLS 2026
At $54.57 million in annual guaranteed payroll, Miami spends the most—but Messi has helped turn it into a $1.35 billion–$1.45 billion franchise.
Source ↗ - 9San Diego FC — MLS 2026
A $765 million Sportico valuation for a recently launched MLS club shows how much investors can value a franchise before its long-term economics are proven.
Source ↗ - 10Atlanta United FC — MLS 2026
Atlanta attracts the league's biggest reported home crowd, roughly 37,863 per game, but its $27.88 million payroll puts it third in spending.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
The reported annual payroll per average home-match attendee is approximately $607 in Seattle versus $2,119 in Miami. That is a 3.49-fold difference, although the calculation is not the cost of serving an individual fan.
Sportico estimates that all 30 MLS franchises together are worth $23 billion, averaging $767 million, but the bottom twelve gained only about 2% while Miami rose 22%.
The highest-reported individual attendance was 75,824 for Colorado Rapids versus Inter Miami, demonstrating that a superstar can generate ticket demand far beyond his own club's home market.
Miami's Forbes-estimated revenue rose from $56 million in 2022 to roughly $200 million in the most recently assessed season, a much bigger commercial transformation than the club's salary ranking alone reveals.
🇺🇸 Meta10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Meta alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Inter Miami CF 2026
$1.45B Sportico ($1.35B Forbes) from $54.6M payroll = 26.6x value per payroll, $21.05M Club World Cup payout, 75,824 record crowd vs Colorado
Source ↗ - 2Los Angeles FC 2026
$1.40B Sportico ($1.32B Forbes) from $32.7M payroll = 42.8x value per payroll, Son 15 assists drive crowds
Source ↗ - 3LA Galaxy 2026
$1.17B Sportico ($1.08B Forbes) – Puig $5.79M is 22% of ∼$26.4M payroll but 0 early contributions
Source ↗ - 4Atlanta United 2026
$1.14B Sportico ($1.00B Forbes) with 37,627 avg home fans – $27.88M payroll = $741 per home seat, best fan spread
Source ↗ - 5New York City FC 2026
$1.12B Sportico ($1.02B Forbes) from $21.54M payroll (12th) = 52x value per payroll, best ratio among billion-dollar clubs
Source ↗ - 6Seattle Sounders FC 2026
$915M Sportico – $740M Philadelphia-style low payroll model but 31,150 avg home shows sustainable demand
Source ↗ - 7Austin FC 2026
$910M Sportico from mid-table payroll – $500M expansion fee to $910M in 4 years is 82% gain
Source ↗ - 8Columbus Crew 2026
$800M Sportico (+9.6%) – low payroll high points model, 60,614 record crowd vs Inter Miami in Cleveland shows Messi effect for opponents
Source ↗ - 9FC Cincinnati 2026
$790M Sportico (+9.0%) – $334k per point for Philadelphia shows Cincinnati mid-payroll can still compete
Source ↗ - 10San Diego FC 2026
$765M Sportico as expansion club – $24.4M payroll 5th highest yet 13th in West shows worst gap between spending rank and table rank
Source ↗
What Meta noticed
Forbes avg $731M vs Sportico avg $767M – $36M difference because Forbes excludes some stadium real estate, Sportico includes team-related businesses and uses 9.2x revenue multiple
Atlanta 37,627 avg vs Dallas 11,004 lowest is 3.42x – almost identical to Sportico top vs bottom valuation $1.45B vs $430M CF Montréal = 3.37x
San Diego FC paid $500M expansion fee and is now $765M after one season (+53%) without a trophy – expansion alone creates value, not just wins
Largest crowd 75,824 at Colorado Rapids 2-3 Inter Miami Apr 19 was at Empower Field NFL stadium (capacity 76k), not Rapids' 18k soccer stadium – Messi effect forces clubs to move games
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Columbus Crew
Maintains an elite top-three table position while spending under $20M on player wages, generating the league's sharpest points-per-dollar efficiency.
- 2Inter Miami CF
Transforms a league-high $45M+ wage bill into a staggering $1.35B (Forbes) to $1.45B (Sportico) enterprise value, claiming the #1 commercial crown.
- 3Atlanta United FC
Packs 37,720 fans per home match into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to deliver the lowest seasonal payroll spend per spectator in MLS ($371/fan).
Source ↗ - 4Los Angeles FC
Pairs a $1.32B–$1.40B valuation with perpetual sellouts and top-tier playoff seedings, balancing star salaries with top-two commercial revenue.
- 5Seattle Sounders FC
Sustains 31,478 fans per game and an $800M+ valuation while maintaining a disciplined payroll outside the league's top five spenders.
- 6FC Cincinnati
Extracts top-tier conference point finishes out of an unbloated $19.2M roster, filling TQL Stadium to 99% capacity every weekend.
Source ↗ - 7Philadelphia Union
Outperforms teams with twice its payroll by pairing academy development with a bottom-seven wage bill that routinely clinches postseason berths.
- 8Charlotte FC
Averages 33,500 fans in Bank of America Stadium, producing the second-highest gate-per-payroll return in the Eastern Conference.
- 9Real Salt Lake
Consistently punches above a bottom-five salary spend ($15.8M) to capture Western Conference home-field playoff advantage.
- 10FC Dallas
Navigates stadium renovation limits of 11,004 seats by generating top transfer profits and maintaining steady playoff contention on $16.1M.
What Gemini noticed
Atlanta United's league-leading 37,720 attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium allows it to absorb a top-six payroll while maintaining the league's lowest team wage outlay per turnstile ticket sold.
🇨🇳 Wenxin10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by Wenxin alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1New York City FC
Top 4 points output on a 18.2M payroll, smallest spend vs performance gap in the league
Source ↗ - 2NY Red Bulls
Consistently top-half table finish on a 19.7M total wage bill
Source ↗ - 3Charlotte FC
Strong attacking return on the second lowest top 10 payroll at 18.3M
Source ↗ - 4Nashville SC
4 goals from Sam Surridge on a 22.7M payroll punching far above wage weight
Source ↗ - 5Vancouver Whitecaps
Tied top league scorer Brian White on a 23.3M payroll with strong home attendance
Source ↗ - 6FC Cincinnati
Sustained playoff contention on a 23.1M total club wage bill
Source ↗ - 7Atlanta United
League leading 37,627 average home crowd on a 21.7M payroll, low payroll per fan
Source ↗ - 8LA Galaxy
4 goals from João Klauss delivering value on a 25.5M historic brand payroll
Source ↗ - 9Inter Miami
Messi drives 1.35B-1.45𝐵𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑏𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑠1.45Bclubvaluethatfaroutstripsits120.9M payroll spend
Source ↗ - 10Houston Dynamo
Solid mid-table performance on an exact 20M total club payroll
Source ↗
What Wenxin noticed
The league's highest average home attendance belongs to Atlanta United, which sits outside the top 10 highest payroll rankings
Only two MLS clubs have total payrolls higher than Messi's individual guaranteed 2026 salary