There are currently 28 franchises in Major League Soccer (MLS); we take a look at the owners of each team.
MLS owners: team by team (information on net worth provided where available)
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United: Arthur Blank
The co-founder of the home improvement retailer Home Depot, Blank is also the owner of NFL franchise the Atlanta Falcons. The 79-year-old has been at the helm of the 2018 MLS champions since the franchise’s inception in 2014.
Arthur Blank's reported net worth: $8.2bn
Charlotte FC: David Tepper
A former trader at Goldman Sachs, Tepper is the founder and president of hedge fund Appaloosa Management, which manages nearly $13bn. The 64-year-old, who led Charlotte FC into MLS in 2019, also owns NFL team the Carolina Panthers.
David Tepper's reported net worth: $15.8bn
Chicago Fire: Joe Mansueto
Chicago Fire owner and chairman Mansueto is the founder and executive chairman of financial services firm Morningstar, Inc. He purchased the franchise in September 2019.
Joe Mansueto's reported net worth: $7.1bn
FC Cincinnati: Carl Lindner III
Lindner is the co-CEO and co-president of insurance and investments company American Financial Group. He has been FC Cincinnati’s controlling owner throughout its so far three-season run as an MLS franchise.
Lindner family's reported net worth: $2bn
Columbus Crew: Dee and Jimmy Haslam
Jimmy Haslam is the chairman of truck stop company Pilot Flying J, founded by his father in 1958. Wife Dee is the founder of production company RIVR Media. The couple, who took control of Columbus Crew in 2019, also own NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns.
Jimmy Haslam's reported net worth: $3.8bn
DC United: Jason Levien and Stephen Kaplan
Levien is a former lawyer and sports agent who also co-owns Welsh soccer club Swansea City with Kaplan, the founder of asset management firm Oaktree Capital Management. Levien is also the co-owner of Australian basketball team the Brisbane Bullets. Levien joined DC United's ownership group in 2012; Kaplan, in 2018.
Inter Miami CF: David Beckham, and Jorge and Jose Mas
Former soccer star Beckham, whose clubs included Manchester United and Real Madrid, owns the 2020 expansion franchise alongside Jorge and Jose Mas, the chairman and CEO, respectively, of engineering and construction company Mastec, Inc.
David Beckham's reported net worth: $450m
Jorge Mas' reported net worth: $1.2bn
CF Montréal: Joey Saputo
Saputo is the son of Lino Saputo, the founder of Canadian dairy products company Saputo Inc. The 57-year-old businessman has been at the helm of CF Montréal, previously known as Montreal Impact, since its founding in 2010. He is also the chairman of Italian soccer club Bologna.
Saputo family's net worth: $5.2bn
New England Revolution: Robert Kraft
Kraft is the chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, which focuses on sports, manufacturing and real estate development. The group is the founding investor of the Revolution, which has played in MLS since its 1996 inception. Among the other teams owned by Kraft is NFL franchise the New England Patriots.
Robert Kraft's reported net worth: $8.3bn
New York City FC: City Football Group
The holding company City Football Group, which founded New York City FC in 2013, also owns clubs including Premier League champions Manchester City. The group is in turn chiefly owned by the investment fund Abu Dhabi United Group, which belongs to Emirati sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mansour's reported net worth: $22bn
New York Red Bulls: Red Bull GmbH
Founded by Dietrich Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya, the energy drink company took over the franchise, previously known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, in 2006. Red Bull also owns soccer clubs such as Bundesliga side Red Bull Leipzig, and other sports teams including Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.
Dietrich Mateschitz's reported net worth: $25.7bn
Chalerm Yoovidhya's reported net worth: $24.5bn
Orlando City: Zygi, Leonard and Mark Wilf
Brothers Zygi, Leonard and Mark Wilf are real-estate developers whose parents, Joseph and Elizabeth, took the Wilf family to the United States in the mid-20th century after surviving the Holocaust. They bought Orlando City from majority owner Flavio Augusto da Silva in 2021.
Wilf family's reported net worth: $5bn
Philadelphia Union: Jay Sugarman
The chairman and CEO of real estate investment company iStar, Sugarman is the chairman and principal owner of the Philadelphia Union. NBA star Kevin Durant is among the franchise's minority investors.
Toronto FC: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
A company that describes itself as “Canada’s preeminent leader in delivering top quality sport and entertainment experiences”, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) also owns the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. MLSE has owned Toronto FC since its founding in 2005.
Western Conference
Austin FC: Two Oak Ventures
Two Oak Ventures’ investors include Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey and are headed up by CEO Anthony Precourt, who previously owned fellow MLS franchise Columbus Crew. Austin FC has been under the control of Two Oaks Ventures, initially named Precourt Sports Ventures, since it was established in 2018.
Colorado Rapids: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
Founded by real estate and sports mogul Stan Kroenke in 1999, the company purchased the Colorado Rapids in 2004. It also owns the NFL’s Los Angles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and Premier League soccer club Arsenal.
Stan Kroenke's reported net worth: $10.7bn
FC Dallas: Clark and Dan Hunt
The Hunt family’s fortune stems from oil tycoon HL Hunt, Clark and Dan Hunt’s grandfather. Clark and Dan Hunt's father, Lamar Hunt, bought FC Dallas, then known as Dallas Burn, in 2003. Clark is also chairman and CEO of NFL team the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hunt family's reported net worth: $15.5bn
Houston Dynamo: Ted Segal
The founder and president of real estate development and financing company EJS Group, Segal bought a majority stake in the Houston Dynamo in 2021. The franchise's minority investors include former boxing world champion Oscar de la Hoya and NBA star James Harden.
Sporting Kansas City: Sporting Club
Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig, co-founders of the health information technology firm Cerner Corporation, were the chief investors when ownership group Sporting Club, previously OnGoal LLC, took over the franchise in 2006. Patterson died in 2017. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes became a part-owner in 2021.
Neal Patterson's reported net worth (2017): $1.5bn
Cliff Illig's reported net worth (2015): $1.15bn
Los Angeles Galaxy: Anschutz Entertainment Group
A subsidiary of Anschutz Corporation, a Denver-based holding company owned by billionaire businessman Philip Anschutz, Anschutz Entertainment Group bought the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1998. The company also owns sports teams including NHL franchise the Los Angeles Kings.
Philip Anschutz's reported net worth: $11bn
Los Angeles FC: Larry Berg, Brandon Beck and Bennett Rosenthal
The trio of managing owners, who took over Los Angeles FC in 2016, is led by Berg, a partner at investment management firm Apollo Global Management. Beck is the co-founder of video game developer Riot Games, and Rosenthal is co-founder of asset management company Ares Management.
Minnesota United: Bill McGuire
McGuire is the former CEO of healthcare and insurance company UnitedHealth Group. He bought the franchise in 2012, five years before its MLS debut, when it was still competing as the Minnesota Stars in the now-defunct North American Soccer League.
Nashville SC: John Ingram
Ingram is the chairman of Ingram Industries, a marine transportation and book distribution company founded by his father, E. Bronson Ingram II. He acquired a majority stake in Nashville SC in 2017, three years before the franchise made its MLS debut.
Ingram family's reported net worth: $4bn
Portland Timbers: Merritt Paulson
A former broadcasting executive and the son of ex-US Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson, Merritt Paulson became owner of the Portland Timbers in 2007, two years before the team joined MLS. He also owns Nation Women’s Soccer League team Portland Thorns.
Real Salt Lake: Dell Loy Hansen
The founder of the real estate firm Wasatch Group, Hansen assumed full ownership of Real Salt Lake in 2013. He is currently in the process of selling Utah Soccer Holdings, the company that also owns USL Championship soccer team the Real Monarchs.
Dell Loy Hansen's reported net worth: $1.3 billion
San Jose Earthquakes: John Fisher
Managing partner Fisher, who is the son of Gap founders Donald and Doris Fisher, is president of Pisces Inc and a founding partner of Sansome Partners, both of which are investment firms. He also has a stake in Scottish soccer club Celtic, and is the owner of MLB franchise the Oakland Athletics.
John Fisher's reported net worth: $2.6bn
Seattle Sounders: Adrian Hanauer
Majority owner Hanauer is a tech investor and the former co-chairman of bedding company Pacific Coast Feather Co, a family firm that he and brother Nick sold in 2017. The 55-year-old, who also has a minority stake in NHL franchise the Seattle Kraken, has been in charge of the Sounders throughout their 14 seasons in MLS.
Vancouver Whitecaps: Greg Kerfoot
Businessman Kerfoot is the majority shareholder in an ownership group that also includes tech executive Steve Luzco, ex-Yahoo! director Jeff Mallet, and NBA coach and former player Steve Nash. The group secured the Vancouver Whitecaps' place in MLS in 2009, two years before the franchise's debut in the league.