The Official John J. Fisher ownership thread

Just under a billion dollar valuation for Austin FC

Austin FC Adds Borgen Family as Investors at $912 Million Valuation

Unlike the overly online folks who have been claiming for years that MLS is a ponzi scheme on the verge of collapse, investors actually get to look at the league's books before putting in their money...

 

The Borgen family, investors in the NWSL’s Denver Summit expansion team, are part of the group that recently invested in Austin FC at an enterprise value of $912 million.

FirstTracks Sports Ventures, which is managed by Jon-Erik Borgen, closed its investment earlier this month. The group is part of the series of transactions mostly announced back in July that brought new investors Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer, the co-founders of PEAK6 Investments and prior backers of a few European soccer teams; billionaire Tench Coxe, a Nvidia board member; Dave Snyderman, Magnetar Capital managing partner; and Tanuj Gulati, co-founder and former CTO of Securonix.

Sportico reported at that time that the enterprise value—team equity plus debt—in the deals was “more than $900 million.” The specific number is about $912 million, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, who were granted anonymity because the details are private.

While it’s unclear exactly who sold the equity, or how much was purchased, all seven of Austin FC’s prior backers remain owners in some capacity, Sportico previously reported. Anthony Precourt remains the club’s majority shareholder and primary governor.

Sportico’s MLS valuations, which are calculated as the price a control stake might sell for, put Austin FC at $865 million. That ranks No. 6 in the league. Club revenue in 2024 was estimated at $96 million, which was fifth in the league.

 

Nvidia board member Tench Coxe should inform Jensen Huang that there is a MLS team for sale in his backyard....

 

Sounders fans are not happy about a potential move to the middle of nowhere...

Sounders Tap Moelis to Explore First Major Stake Sale Since 2009

The Seattle Sounders are seeking outside investors for the first time since the club joined MLS in 2009.

The team has retained Moelis & Co. to explore a “strategic capital raise,” according to a statement shared with Sportico. More specifically, the Sounders are looking for a large minority partner that can lend capital and expertise to the club’s big project ambitions, including real estate aspirations that could include a new soccer-specific stadium at its Longacres development.

The mandate relates just to the Sounders and does not include the Seattle Reign, the NWSL team that the Sounders bought last year in a $58 million deal. There is no individual partner selling his or her equity; this will be a capital raise, agreed to by the whole ownership group.

The Sounders are just the latest MLS team to openly court investors on the eve of the 2026 men’s World Cup, which will be held across North America. Both the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes are currently on the market, and Real Salt Lake sold earlier this year. The Columbus Crew and Austin FC are among teams that have raised money in the last 12 months.

 

pasting my comment from the offseason thread:


That would be great except he's 81, would prefer a younger owner (Jensen Huang is 62 btw)... but at least he's 1) a multi-billionaire and 2) local and 3) into sports. Those are the three most important requirements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasso_Plattner

Known for Founder of SAP SE
Majority owner of the San Jose Sharks

Hasso Plattner (born 21 January 1944)[1] is a German businessman who is the co-founder of SAP SE software company. From 2003 to 2024, he served as the chairman of the company's supervisory board.[2] As of August 2020, Forbes reported that he possessed a net worth of US$17.9 billion.[3]

Plattner lives in San Jose, California, which he considers his 'adopted home'. Since his retirement from SAP he hasn't visited Germany.[40]

 

[Posting this because the Quakes are for sale... if you're one of the three people here who are convinced MLS is a ponzi scheme or on the verge of collapse or will soon be overtaken by USL, please ignore for your own sanity]

If the floundering small market MLS team in Kansas City Kansas just sold at a valuation of $700 million, it will be interesting to see what the Quakes sell for as the only MLS team in the Bay Area (Quakes valuation was lower than SKC though, see below)...

The Illig family, which has owned Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City since 2006, has agreed to sell a majority stake in the team to one of the club’s existing limited partners at an enterprise value of roughly $700 million, multiple league sources tell Forbes.… pic.twitter.com/YeoNfs8rCb

— Forbes (@Forbes) January 17, 2026

BREAKING: The Illig family has agreed to sell their majority stake in MLS club Sporting Kansas City to one of the club’s existing limited partners at an enterprise value of roughly $700 million 💰

The price is believed to be the highest for a majority stake in MLS’s history 😯 pic.twitter.com/ZWzx3UWhLF

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) January 18, 2026

SKC "enterprise value of roughly $700 million... is believed to be the highest for a majority stake in MLS’s history"

The new owner:
‘Big, big financial commitment.’ New SKC owner Peter Mallouk shares plan for team

“I really would say 99.5% of the metric I’m going to care about is winning,” Mallouk said. “And 0.5% will be everything else.”

And the best way to accomplish that?

“What you’re going to see next season is a big, big financial commitment,” he said, “to do whatever it takes to build upon what we’re building upon this season.”​

Imagine having an owner who talks like that publicly...

Some people insist that Sportico and Forbes valuations are meaningless (way too high) when it comes to MLS teams, despite all evidence to the contrary (DC, RSL, expansions etc etc)... Well BOTHG the Forbes and Sportico 2025 valuations had Sporting Kansas City at $650 million and they just sold at a $700 million valuation in early 2026. I'm not expecting that to register with those folks but it is worth noting for the reality-based people.

https://www.sportico.com/feature/soccer-teams-football-club-ranking-list-1234721408/





Quakes: