Cincinnati Wiretap

Inter Miami lead MLS in total guaranteed team compensation at $54.57 million, a new league record that surpasses the club's own benchmark set at this point last season by $7.7 million, according to figures released by the MLS Players Association.

Miami's payroll exceeds double the total of all but two other clubs. LAFC rank second at $32.65 million, followed by Atlanta United at $27.88 million, the LA Galaxy at $26.43 million and the Vancouver Whitecaps at $24.56 million. The Whitecaps are currently listed for sale and facing possible relocation.

At the other end of the spectrum, reigning Supporters' Shield holders Philadelphia Union are the league's most frugal spenders at $11.70 million, demonstrating that roster investment and on-field results do not always align in MLS.

Total Guaranteed Compensation By MLS Team

1. Inter Miami: $54.57 million
2. LAFC: $32.65 million
3. Atlanta United: $27.88 million
4. LA Galaxy: $26.43 million
5. Vancouver Whitecaps: $24.56 million
6. San Diego FC: $24.39 million
7. FC Cincinnati: $23.47 million
8. Nashville SC: $22.99 million
9. Columbus Crew: $22.34 million
10. Chicago Fire: $21.73 million
11. New York Red Bulls: $21.65 million
12. New York City FC: $21.54 million
13. Charlotte FC: $21.46 million
14. Toronto FC: $21.39 million
15. Houston Dynamo: $20.91 million
16. Austin FC: $19.89 million
17. New England Revolution: $19.41 million
18. Seattle Sounders: $19.09 million
19. St. Louis City: $18.81 million
20. Portland Timbers: $18.45 million
21. San Jose Earthquakes: $15.83 million
22. Minnesota United: $15.55 million
23. Real Salt Lake: $15.29 million
24. D.C. United: $14.55 million
25. FC Dallas: $14.54 million
26. Colorado Rapids: $14.13 million
27. Orlando City: $13.73 million
28. CF Montreal: $13.42 million
29. Sporting Kansas City: $12.36 million
30. Philadelphia Union: $11.70 million

Negotiations between FC Cincinnati and representatives for Neymar continue to advance, sources briefed on the situation told The Athletic, though significant roster and financial obstacles remain before any summer transfer could be completed.

Neymar, 34, has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of his last five Santos appearances, using the stretch to demonstrate his fitness ahead of a potential Brazil World Cup squad selection under coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The forward declined to confirm or deny the Cincinnati interest when asked directly by Brazilian media.

"I honestly don't know," Neymar said when questioned about FC Cincinnati and a possible summer departure.

Neymar has posted four goals and three assists across 854 minutes in all competitions this season, following 11 goals and four assists in just over 2,000 minutes last year. His Santos contract expires next winter.

A summer move would require Cincinnati to clear roster space by moving one of its three designated players, Evander, Kevin Denkey or Miles Robinson, all of whom are under contract and cannot have their salaries bought down below the designated player threshold.

Denkey has drawn the most concrete outside interest. European clubs pursued the striker this past winter, but Cincinnati would only engage in discussions if offers cleared $20 million, sources told The Athletic. Real Betis were among the clubs that made contact. Denkey arrived in Cincinnati ahead of the 2025 MLS season for a club-record $16.1 million fee.

Any deal structured for next winter, when Neymar's Santos contract expires naturally, would eliminate the roster complication entirely.

Neymar has stated his intention to fulfill his Santos contract through the end of 2026, cooling speculation over a potential move to MLS following reported interest from FC Cincinnati.

ESPN sources confirmed earlier this month that Cincinnati had initiated contact with Neymar's representatives to explore bringing the Brazilian forward to the United States this summer.

The 34-year-old addressed the reports directly.

"I honestly don't know [regarding the possibility to leave in the next transfer window]," Neymar said. "I have a contract with Santos until the end of the year and I intend to see it through."

A knee injury has restricted the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star to just eight appearances in 2026, during which he has recorded four goals and three assists for his boyhood club.

Neymar returned from injury Tuesday, scoring in a 1-1 home draw with Deportivo Recoleta, a result greeted with boos from the Santos crowd. The match ended with a confrontation between Neymar and a fan as the team left the field.

The forward responded on Instagram afterward.

"To lose, draw or win is part of football!" Neymar wrote. "We are going to continue working to improve...It's the only thing we can do."

Neymar remains in consideration for Brazil's World Cup squad, according to national team manager Carlo Ancelotti.

FC Cincinnati has begun preliminary discussions with representatives for Neymar about a potential move to MLS, sources briefed on the situation confirmed, though the talks remain in their earliest stages.

Cincinnati is gauging the Brazilian forward's interest and requirements while holding internal conversations about whether pursuing the global star makes financial and sporting sense. No formal offer has been made.

The 34-year-old is currently under contract with Santos, his boyhood club in Brazil, through the end of 2026. The Chicago Fire held serious negotiations with Neymar when he departed Saudi club Al Hilal in 2025, but he ultimately signed with Santos and has since extended for an additional season.

A significant structural obstacle exists for Cincinnati. The club does not currently hold an open designated player slot, with Kevin Denkey, Miles Robinson and Evander occupying all three allotted positions under long-term contracts. None can be bought down to create space, though Denkey attracted considerable European interest during the winter transfer window. The Togolese striker joined the club for a record $16.1 million fee ahead of the 2025 season.

Cincinnati believes its financial resources and new facilities position the club as a credible destination for elite global talent. The club has previously explored deals for USMNT players Weston McKennie and Josh Sargent.

Neymar has shown encouraging form at Santos this year, recording three goals and two assists across his first four league appearances after helping the club avoid relegation at the end of 2025. He is working to earn a place in Brazil's World Cup squad under head coach Carlo Ancelotti, having been left out of March friendlies.

"Obviously I'm upset and sad not to have been selected," Neymar said via ESPN Brazil. "But the focus remains the same, day after day, training session after training session, match after match. The dream lives on."

The potential pursuit fits a broader MLS trend. Clubs across the league have aggressively targeted global names following the commercial success of Lionel Messi's arrival, with an eye toward growing audiences ahead of a media rights negotiation covering the 2028-29 cycle. Recent arrivals include Marco Reus at LA Galaxy, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris at LAFC, Thomas Muller at Vancouver and Antoine Griezmann, who is set to join Orlando City.

Major League Soccer's pending calendar shift to a European-style schedule is being viewed inside the league as more than a structural change. Sporting executives say the move could finally position MLS to capitalize on television revenue in a meaningful way.

"For so long, MLS has just been a gameday experience type of league," one chief soccer officer told The Athletic. "Media rights are where the money is, and hopefully that's what happens. We're putting the playoffs in a part of the calendar that has a lot less high-level competition, and it is hopefully going to get a boost to the TV money overall."

Beginning in July 2027, MLS will align its schedule with European leagues, syncing transfer windows and creating postseason slots that avoid direct competition with other major sports properties.

Sporting directors pointed to several additional benefits from the alignment. Synchronized transfer windows would open access to the European player market, increase loan possibilities from top clubs and raise the transfer value of outgoing MLS players.

Cold weather concerns drew acknowledgment as a genuine challenge. "You're going to have a lot of unwatchable games," one executive conceded, while maintaining the long-term benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Despite near-unanimous support for the direction, some executives urged faster action. "There's so much opportunity to improve this league faster than we do," one sporting director said. "It feels like at least we're having the right conversations that we probably haven't had in a number of years."

Inter Miami leads Major League Soccer franchise valuations at $1.45 billion, up 22% from last year, as the league prepares for transformational changes ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The average MLS team is worth $767 million, according to Sportico, representing a 6% increase from 2024. However, gains remain concentrated among top clubs, with the bottom 12 franchises rising just 2% on average.

LAFC ranks second at $1.4 billion, up 9%, followed by LA Galaxy ($1.17 billion), Atlanta United ($1.14 billion) and New York City FC ($1.12 billion). Three teams declined in value: San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montreal.

The 30 MLS franchises are collectively worth $23 billion, including real estate and team-related businesses. MLS teams generated an estimated $2.5 billion last season, averaging $83 million per club from game days, sponsorships and non-MLS events.

Inter Miami's local revenues surpassed $200 million, boosted by Lionel Messi's impact and the franchise's first MLS Cup title. A record seven teams exceeded $100 million in revenue, up from four in 2024, while several clubs including Vancouver, Montreal and Colorado generated only $35 million to $40 million.

The financial disparity has grown more pronounced than other major leagues. Inter Miami ($1.45 billion) is worth 3.4 times more than Montreal ($430 million), compared to gaps of 2.8 in the NBA and 2.3 in the NFL.

MLS faces limited national media revenue compared to other leagues. Teams currently receive approximately $5 million annually from the Apple deal after production costs, while NHL clubs average $40 million from television agreements.

The league will shift to a FIFA-aligned calendar starting summer 2027, moving the MLS Cup playoffs from fall to May to avoid competing with football season.

FC Cincinnati has completed the signing of Cercle Brugge forward Kevin Denkey for an MLS record transfer fee of $16.2 million.

Denkey, 23, was the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League during the 2023-24 campaign with 27 goals. He has scored 11 goals in 23 league and cup appearances this season.

FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta has been named the 2023 MLS MVP.

Acosta, 29, received 60.37% of the vote among players, media and technical staff to easily beat LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, who received 14.97%.

Acosta led the league with 31 goal contributions during the regular season, with 17 goals and 14 assists, and helped Cincinnati to their first Supporters Shield.

"I'm very proud of this team," Acosta said in a video produced by the team that was shot when he was told he had won the award.

"I think everybody deserves something this year. We deserve more. We have to give it our all. Let's go."

He later joked, "I don't want to go to practice. I won the MVP."

The average MLS franchise is worth $582 million, according to data compiled by Sportico.

Los Angeles FC ranks first at $900 million, while CF Montreal ranks last at $390 million.

Collectively, the 28 franchises are worth $16.3 billion.

1. LAFC: $900 million
2. LA Galaxy: $865 million
3. Atlanta United: $855 million
4. Seattle Sounders FC: $725 million
5. Toronto FC: $705 million
6. D.C. United: $700 million
7. New York City FC: $690 million
8. Portland Timbers: $685 million
9. Austin FC: $630 million
10. Inter Miami CF: $585 million
11. Sporting Kansas City: $575 million
12. Charlotte FC: $570 million
13. Minnesota United FC: $565 million
14. Columbus Crew: $560 million
15. Philadelphia Union: $555 million
16. FC Cincinnati: $550 million
17. Chicago Fire FC: $535 million
18. New York Red Bulls: $525 million
19. Nashville SC: $520 million
20. San Jose Earthquakes: $515 million
21. New England Revolution: $495 million
22. Houston Dynamo FC: $474 million
23. FC Dallas: $470 million
24. Real Salt Lake: $430 million
25. Orlando City SC: $420 million
26. Vancouver Whitecaps FC: $415 million
27. Colorado Rapids: $400 million
28. CF Montreal: $390 million

MLS will restart its season in home markets on August 12th.

The league also announced that 18 teams will make the playoffs this season.

The MLS Cup final will take place on December 12th.

Each side will play 18 more matches for a 23-game regular season.

A "majority" of matches will be held without fans, though the league is working with local governments to have limited capacity for certain games.