Where would the MLS and the USL Championship, fit within the English football pyramid?
In this analysis, I aim to compare these leagues across four key categories. Firstly, we’ll delve into data-driven metrics using power rankings. Next, we’ll examine salary structures, transfer market values, and fan attendance.
Power Index
According to globalfootballrankings.com, the Premier League holds the top spot globally.
Just based on the data, they have the Premier League at the number one spot for the best league in the world. The best team in the league is with a score of around 90 points, and the worst sitting with a score of 50. If we move one step lower on the pyramid, we have the Championship, and they have it sitting at the 11th best league in the world. They have the best team in the Championship at 55, and the worst team with a score of around 30.
Moving down to the third tier of English football, League One, we have the best team sitting at 40 points, and then the very low end with a score of around 10. Then, if we move down to the fourth tier of English football, League Two, with 15 points, all the way down to 5 points.
Now, the question is, where does Global Football Rankings have the USL Championship and the MLS? Interestingly enough, they actually have the MLS above League One, with a top team with over 55 points, all the way down to around 30 points. Then, they have the USL Championship as the 30th best league in the world, with teams sitting at 30 to 4 points.
Salaries
First, if we look at the EPL, the highest-paid player in this league takes home 400,000 pounds a week. Now, you can expect the average player in the Prem to be taking home around 70,000 pounds a week, with the median player expected to take home around 55,000 pounds a week.
If you drop down to the Championship, the highest-paid player here takes home around 110,000 pounds a week, with the average player taking home around 8,000 pounds a week and the median player taking home around 5,000 pounds a week.
Dropping down to League One, the highest-paid player here takes home 19,000 pounds a week. The average top earner at a club takes home just under 5,000 pounds a week, the average player takes home around 1,700 to 2,500 pounds a week, and the median player takes home around two thousand pounds a week.
Dropping down to the fourth tier of English football, League Two, the highest-paid player in this league is expected to be making around 12,000 pounds a week. However, the average player is making somewhere between 1,300 and 1,500 pounds a week, with the median player expected to be earning around 1,250 pounds a week. So, that’s what professional footballers make in the top four leagues in England.
Now, how does that compare to the MLS and the USL Championship? Well, the highest-paid player in the MLS makes 14 million dollars a year. If we look at the average player in the MLS, they’re making around 514 thousand dollars, and the median player is taking home 248 thousand dollars a year.
If we take a look at the second tier of the U.S. football pyramid, the USL Championship, the highest-paid players here typically make over a hundred thousand dollars a season. The average footballer is expected to make between 40 and 50 thousand dollars a year in total compensation, with the median sitting around 35 thousand dollars a year.
Total Market Values
Premier League teams command billion-dollar valuations, with values decreasing as we move down the pyramid. The MLS teams hold substantial values, albeit lower than their English counterparts, while the USL Championship teams have comparatively lower valuations.
In the Premier League, the best teams in this league is worth around 1 billion euros. The average team in this league is worth about 500 million euros, and the lowest market value team sits at only 200 million euros. Dropping down to the Championship, we have the best team worth 125 million euros, the average team worth about 50 million euros, and the bottom team at 20 million. Dropping out of League One, the best team here is worth about 20 million euros, the average team is 10 million, and the bottom team is just 5 million euros. And finally, with League Two, we have the top team worth 9 million euros, the average team 3.5 million euros, and the bottom team worth only 1.5 million euros.
Looking on the American side, in the first tier, the MLS, the top team here is worth 50 million euros, the average team in this league is worth around 40 million euros, and the bottom team in this league is worth 20 million euros. Dropping down to the second tier, the USL Championship, the top team here is worth 6 million euros, with the average team sitting at 4 million euros, and the bottom team in this league is worth 2.5 million euros.
Fan Attendance
Premier League stadiums attract impressive crowds, followed by the Championship, League One, and League Two. In the United States, the MLS garners substantial attendance figures, while the USL Championship draws a smaller yet dedicated fanbase.
In the EPL, we see an average of 38,170 fans per game. The Championship is currently averaging 24,610 fans per game. League One is just above 10,000, with 10,469 fans per game, and League Two is 5,552 fans per game. Across the pond, we have the MLS averaging 20,962 fans for last season, and the USL Championship averaging just over 5,000, with 5,080 fans per game.
In conclusion, while data provides a framework, player perspectives and other factors contribute to a nuanced understanding. Overall, the Premier League remains the pinnacle, with distinctions between the MLS, Championship, and lower English leagues subject to interpretation.
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