Toronto FC: Forbes ranks team 36th most valuable club in the Americas

Forbes determined value within sports teams yet again with Toronto FC being named their 36th most valuable soccer club in the Americas.

Toronto FC continues to get recognition, with the club getting into Forbes most updated soccer franchise value rankings which is published each season. The article divides a club’s worth into three separate categories: the value of the players, the brand and the cost of a stadium.

The results were rather disappointing for MLS fans this year. Major League Soccer have dominated the top 10 of Forbes’ list for quite some time, but this year, seven out of the 10 towards the top are South American clubs.

Ivan Perez goes on to say the following about the monetary amount and value of the clubs in the top 10:

"The list totals $6,052 million, where 46.1 per cent of the value is in the top 10. The MLS league (with clubs from the United States and Canada) performs the tournament that brings more institutions, with 13, followed by Liga MX and Brazil with 12"

In other words, a majority of the value is controlled south of the United States border. Take Corinthians as an example. They totaled $576.9 million in value as a result of deals with Nike and the several million followers the club has.

Transferring this over to Toronto, nine MLS clubs rank above the Reds at the moment. One of those teams is the Montreal Impact, who place just a couple of spots ahead of Toronto. TFC’s valuation came at a $54.4 million figure. To put that into perspective, the New York Red Bulls earned almost triple of that value in being the highest ranked MLS club.

What’s being said in all of this? Toronto still has more work to do than a lot of supporters think.

To start, what could be the key factor in moving up the list is replicating success from season-to-season. What most likely puts Toronto on this list in part, is their consecutive MLS Cup appearances in 2016 and 2017, along with winning the treble last season.

The initiative is simple in that area; bring in more results. TFC have been riding some nice form recently especially after Jozy Altidore’s return, and even though the playoffs seem far away right now, the chances of the Reds slipping in late isn’t completely out of the question.

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Plus, getting back into the Champions League rests in the hands of the Canadian Championship Final. TFC face a very tough Vancouver Whitecaps squad led by young sensation Alphonso Davies, so Greg Vanney will need to put a lot of cards in place over the course of two legs to set up potential for next season.

Overall, winning sets up a lot of the other determining factors on Forbes’ list. More followers on social media were taken into account, and more attention on all platforms comes as a result of gaining results.

To extend further, positive results could mean more money from all competitions. That is the MLS, Champions League and virtually any form of competition the Reds participate in. It’s all the more reason to keep an eye on the Campeones Cup fixture against Tigres in September.

More money from winning means more cash flow into areas such as BMO Field or the quality of the brand. Football is controlled by spending.

Take Guadalajara as an example, after they won the Copa-Liga double and the Champions League. According to Perez, the Mexican giants spent $30 million in order to earn the results.

It’s a cycle that every club towards the top of the list understands. Toronto has a great chance to move up the list because of their location as well. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Orlando City both rank towards the top due in part to their prime settings in high-populated areas.

The big takeaway from Forbes’ value list is that TFC need results now more than ever. It sparks a host of different areas that can see Toronto skyrocket in terms of value over the course of the next few years.

Toronto made history last season, and MLS put the club on the forefront of every type of branding as a result. The Reds need to take advantage of this, in order to be one of the top clubs in the two continents.

What are your thoughts of Forbes’ ranking of Toronto FC on their list of the most valuable clubs in the Americas? Give your take in the comments section below.