Major League Soccer market values: Lionel Messi down to 2nd place - Hirving Lozano drops by €2m

In Inter Miami CF, the Seattle Sounders, and Los Angeles FC, three Major League Soccer clubs will participate in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. With the tournament in mind, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 801 players playing in MLS, and there has been a significant change at the top. The league’s biggest star, Lionel Messi, no longer shares first place with the currently injured LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig. 

Dropping by €2 million to €18m, Messi now shares second place in the market value rankings with  Atlanta United star striker Emmanuel Latte Lath (unchanged). "Despite his age, Messi continues to perform consistently well this season,” Transfermarkt Data Administrator North America Dominic Becker said. “But of course you can't ignore the fact that he is getting older. With a market value of €18m, he is still by far the most expensive player of his age despite his downgrade." Among players aged 34 or older, Messi is now second behind the three-year-younger Antoine Griezmann and just ahead of Robert Lewandowski (overview).

Indeed, Inter Miami haven’t been as consistently strong as last year. Currently trailing in third place in the Eastern Conference, the Beckham-owned club were also smashed by the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-1 on aggregate in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. As a result, Federico Redondo (-€1.5m to €5m), Luis Suárez (-€200,000 to €1.8m), Jordi Alba (-€300,000 to €1.5m), David Martínez (-€300,000 to €1.2m), Fafà Picault (-€100,000 to €400,000), Rocco Ríos Novo and Leo Afonso (both -€100,000 to €300,000) also saw their market value reduced. 

MLS market value update: Vancouver Whitecaps benefit from Concacaf run

Although it ended in tears, with the Vancouver Whitecaps getting smashed 5-0 by Cruz Azul in the final, the Concacaf Champions Cup run with impressive performances against Miami positively impacted the club’s market values. One name that stood out was Brian White. "White is currently playing a really strong season,” Becker said. “His goals so far have ensured that the Whitecaps have made it to the CCL final and are undisputedly in first place in the MLS' Western Conference. These performances have also seen him make it back to the USMNT."

After seeing his market value increase from €3.5m to €4.5m in March, the 29-year-old striker saw his market value rise once again in June by another €500,000 to now €5m, consequently, given the fact that White has scored 15 goals in 22 games this season, including five goals in nine Concacaf Champions Cup games. 

White isn’t the only Whitecaps player with a significant increase in market value. Ranko Veselinović (+€1m to €3m), Tristan Blackmon (+€800,000 to €2.8m), Jayden Nelson (+€500,000 to €2.5m),  Sebastian Berhalter (+€1m to €2m), Édier Ocampo (+€200,000 to €2m), Tate Johnson (+€400,000 to €800,000), and J.C. Ngando (+€150,000 to €500,000) also saw their market values increase significantly. The Whitecaps might not have won the Concacaf Champions Cup this season, but the run has undoubtedly increased the squad value of the club, and that is good news considering that the team is currently for sale. 

San Diego FC market values: Ups and downs for the MLS expansion club

In the Western Conference, just behind the high-flying Whitecaps are expansion side San Diego FC. The newest club in MLS has collected 30 points from the first 17 games to sit in second place behind Vancouver in the West. One of the main reasons for San Diego’s excellent start to the season is Danish winger Anders Dreyer. "It is absolutely remarkable how Dreyer managed to get settled in the MLS,” Becker said. “After we devalued him in April due to the relatively low transfer fee, we upgraded him this time around due to his strong performances. His 13 goals in 17 games for San Diego so far speak for themselves.”

Dreyer is up by 12.5% from €8m to €9m. Another star player at San Diego received a slight downgrade: Hirving Lozano. "Lozano's start to the season was unfortunately interrupted by yet another muscle injury,” Becker said. “However, he has been fit again since matchday six and has performed well since then. But Lozano will soon be 30, which is why we have decided to downgrade him due to his age." Lozano dropped by €2m from €12m to €10m. 

The Mexican isn’t the only star player in MLS to see his market value downgraded because of age. The same is also true for Atlanta United star Miguel Almirón. Almirón is down by €2m from €12m to €10m. Other notable downgrades include Los Angeles Galaxy stars Gabriel Pec (-€2m to €10m), Joseph Paintsiel (-€2m to €8m), and Marco Reus (-€500,000 to €2m). The downgrades at the Galaxy were unavoidable given the club’s catastrophic start to the regular season with just seven points from 17 games.

How Transfermarkt market values work

The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees. 

The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).