There are more and more signs that soccer is on the rise in the U.S., and the latest evidence comes from a stake sale for the Seattle Sounders.

The MLS team was reportedly valued at $680 million in a sale of 3% to 5% of the team to an unknown buyer, according to Forbes. 

• The stake was likely sold at a discount because it brings no controlling interest in the club. A controlling stake sale may have brought a higher valuation. 
• The buyer joins notable names such as Seattle Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr., longtime Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, the singer Ciara, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the rapper Macklemore, and comedian Drew Carey.
• The team is majority-owned by businessman Adrian Hanauer, also a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken.

The $680 million valuation would put the Sounders at a level equivalent to a middle-of-the-pack NHL team. The Calgary Flames were valued at the same figure by Forbes last December, placing them 18th among 32 NHL teams.

Stream Team

Earlier this month, Apple showed its long-term confidence in MLS with a 10-year, $2.5 billion streaming deal beginning next year. The league is still in talks regarding its linear streaming rights.

It is widely predicted that soccer will see a surge in popularity in the U.S. when it hosts the World Cup in 2026. Seattle was selected as one of the 16 host cities in North America.

Despite reports that claimed the Cleveland Browns were looking to build a new $1 billion stadium, the team has said that it plans to renovate its current home, FirstEnergy Stadium. 

Speculation of a new home field for the Browns has increased after the team denied a report that said its majority owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam wanted a publicly funded, domed stadium. 

• The team is currently conducting a study that focuses on stadium renovations.
• No price tag has been determined for potential repairs.
• The Browns’ current lease at the stadium’s site runs through 2028. 

The Browns have a head start in renovating FirstEnergy Stadium after Cleveland’s city council approved $10 million in subsidies to repair pedestrian ramps and other fixes earlier this month. 

This latest development comes amid controversy around FirstEnergy — which acquired naming rights in 2013 for $107 million in a deal that runs through 2030. 

Earlier this month, the city council passed a nonbinding resolution 16-1 that the team should remove the FirstEnergy name from its stadium after the company admitted its role in a bribery scandal. 

League of Their Own 

The Browns could potentially join a growing list of NFL teams renovating or building new stadiums. 

In May, the Tennessee Titans announced plans to build a domed stadium for up to $2.2 billion. The same month, the Buffalo Bills secured $250 million toward a $1.4 billion stadium project.

The New England Patriots recently broke ground on renovations at Gillette Stadium that are expected to cost $225 million.

Foster Gillett was reportedly set to take over Olympique Lyonnais in early June, but the Ligue 1 team is now in exclusive talks with a different U.S. investor: John Textor.

The co-owner of Crystal Palace FC is in discussions to take over around 66% of the club for $846 million, according to Forbes. Of that figure, $91 million will go toward acquiring players.

• The transaction will reportedly include a recapitalization of the holding company OL Groupe SA with the firm Holnest, which is owned by chairman Jean-Michel Aulas. It includes other OL Groupe sports teams, including NWSL club OL Reign.
• Under French takeover rules, Textor’s stake could end up larger than the original negotiations, as he will be required to make a tender offer to other shareholders.
• The investment will go toward shares from IDG Capital Partners and Pathé, both of which have less than a 20% stake in the club, as well as Aulas’ shares.

Aulas, who has owned the club since 1987 and currently has a 28% stake, will stay on as CEO and keep the current management team, according to Holnest, Pathé, and IDG.

Textor also recently purchased stakes in Belgian club RWD Molenbeek and Brazil’s Botafogo.

The Competition

Gillett, the son of former Liverpool FC co-owner George Gillett, was reportedly set to acquire Lyon for around $636 million, including a $106 million injection into the team, but talks stalled.

The team reportedly also had a third bidder.