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With the World Cup just around the corner, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 810 players competing in the league that will represent two of the three host nations: Major League Soccer. There has been some movement at the very top. Josh Sargent, who missed out on the World Cup, saw his market value downgraded by €2m from €18m to €16m. The Toronto FC striker now shares the top spot with FC Cincinnati’s Brazilian attacking midfielder Evander (unchanged). Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi, in the meantime, remains unchanged at €15m.
“A year ago, Sargent could have moved to a top-five league by joining Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg; that move, however, fell apart, and instead he pushed for a move to Major League Soccer,” Area Manager North America, Manuel Veth, said. “His desire to return home and join Canadian club Toronto FC was a baffling decision at the time. There was some hope that he would make the World Cup squad, but Sargent was left out by Mauricio Pochettino. Three goals and two assists in eight MLS games are also disappointing, and all those factors had to lead to a downgrade.”
Also downgraded despite heading to the World Cup is the LAFC’s star forward, Heung-min Son. The 33-year-old Korean saw his market value drop by €2m, from €17m to €15m, matching Messi's level. “Son’s market value downgrade is age-related,” Veth said. “Sure, at first glance, his numbers this season haven’t been impressive, as he still hasn’t scored in a league game. But two goals and 16 assists in 22 games across all competitions are still a pretty good output. Furthermore, his star power rivals Messi's. Wherever Son goes, the stadiums are full, plus he is headed to the World Cup, where he will be one of the biggest marketing vehicles for MLS.”
MLS market value updates: Musa up by €4m – Berhalter profits from USMNT callup
Another player headed to the World Cup is Petar Musa from FC Dallas. The striker will be one of two MLS players to represent Croatia at the tournament, the other being Marco Pašalić (unchanged at €6.5m) from Orlando City. “Musa has been stellar this season and has earned his call-up,” Veth said. “The 28-year-old has scored 12 goals in 13 MLS regular season games, which is the same amount as Messi and just one goal behind goalscoring leader Hugo Cuypers (+€1m to €10m) from Chicago Fire. There are some rumours that Dallas might be looking to sell the player after this season, and in current form, a transfer back to Europe isn’t unrealistic.”
Also headed to the World Cup is Vancouver Whitecaps’ midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. “He has been one of the best midfielders in MLS over the last two seasons,” Veth said. “An argument, in fact, could be made that Berhalter is the main reason why the Whitecaps have become one of the best clubs not just in MLS, but the entire Concacaf region. Berhalter is always consistent, has strong playmaking skills, is fantastic at set pieces, and has superb tactical understanding. There is a chance he could be a key player for Mauricio Pochettino at the World Cup as well, and if he performs well there, a transfer to one of Europe’s top five leagues is only a matter of time.” Berhalter saw his market value increase by 60% from €5m to €8m, which puts him in a group of three players that make up the most valuable US men’s national team eligible players in MLS.
The other two are Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna (unchanged) and Julian Hall (+€3m to €8m) from Red Bull New York. Both were left out of the World Cup squad. “In Luna’s case, that was a shocking decision by Pochettino, and it has impacted his market value,” Veth said. “A call-up and we would have had to consider an upgrade.” Teenage sensation Hall, in the meantime, did see his market value go up. “Hall has scored 12 goals and four assists in 18 games as an 18-year-old across all competitions this season,” Veth said. “Perhaps you could have made an argument that he should have been included in the squad, especially as Poland, who he can also represent, have been showing interest. But without a doubt, his time will come after the World Cup.”
MLS market values: Downgrades at Atlanta United – Thomas Müller drops by €1m
At Atlanta United, three star players were downgraded: Miguel Almirón (-€2m to €7m), Aleksey Miranchuk (-€500,000 to €7.5m), and Emmanuel Latte Lath (-€5m to €10m). “In the case of Almirón and Miranchuk, these are age-related downgrades,” Veth said. “Almirón will represent Paraguay at the World Cup this summer, and his MLS affiliation will mean he is a player who will be in the spotlight. Still, at 32, it was time to downgrade him.” Not age-related is Latte Lath’s downgrade. “He might go down as the worst signing in MLS history at this rate,” Veth said. “Atlanta paid €21.25m for him at the time, and he has scored just 11 goals and four assists in 47 games across all competitions. That’s very disappointing.”
Also downgraded is a World Cup winner, who will be front and centre at the tournament even though he won’t be playing: Vancouver’s Thomas Müller. “Müller has been a huge success for the Whitecaps on and off the field,” Veth said. “Unlike Messi and Son, Müller actually is a big part of the community and communicates well with the local press. He will also be part of the World Cup coverage on German television, which also helps the Whitecaps’ brand. This season, he has scored four goals and two assists in 12 MLS games. That’s not bad, but injuries are starting to slow him down a bit. Plus, he will turn 37 this season, a downgrade by €1m to €4m was unavoidable at this stage.”
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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.
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