League One also updated
Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 642 USL Championship and 267 USL League One players. The update also includes one player now playing in Major League Soccer: Diego Luna. The 18-year-old recently joined MLS side Real Salt Lake City from El Paso Locomotive in what was the biggest deal ever between the two competitions. Luna, aside, younger players, in particular, stand out, including several players playing for Louisville City FC.
Luna was signed by RSL in a deal that could grow to up to $400,000—once you factor in the trade value to the San Jose Earthquakes. As a result, Transfermarkt has adjusted the market value of the 18-year-old playmaker from $303,000 to now $385,000. Luna has already made his debut for RSL and featured 84 minutes for the farm team in the MLS Next Pro. Luna is considered one of the brightest talents in US soccer and if he stays injury-free this latest upgrade will be just a brief milestone in his career.
Among the players still playing in the USL Championship, young Louisville City defender Joshua Wynder stood out. Louisville are considered one of the best-run clubs run in the country and has started to regularly move players to foreign leagues. Consequently, young Louisville players received a bump. Wynder increased his market value by 250% from 110,000 to now $275,000, his teammate Carlos Moguel Jr. saw his market value increase by 300% to now $110,000, and Louisville forward Wilson Harris moved from $220,000 to $385,000.
After the USL Championship update – The most valuable players at a glance
Karlsson, Iloski stand out – Foster targeted by German clubs?
Other USL Championship players to watch include Óttar Magnús Karlsson (Oakland Roots), Milan Iloski (Orange County SC), and Isaiah Foster (Colorado Switchbacks). Karlsson, who is currently on loan from Italian club Venezia leads the league with ten goals scored in 14 games. His market value is up from $165,000 to now $330,000, which is a new career-high for the Icelandic national team player. Iloski, in the meantime, has also been prolific for champions Orange County and the 22-year-old sees his market value increase by 71.4% to now $330,000.
Then there is Colorado Springs Switchbacks’ Isaiah Foster. The 18-year-old has managed nine games across all competitions for the Switchbacks. Although still a raw product, Foster has caught the eye of several German clubs and sources have told Transfermarkt that the left-back could be on the move when his contract expires at the end of November. Foster receives a starting market value of $330,000.
There was also some movement at the very top of the ranking. The top-ranked players like Birmingham Legion’s Juan Agudelo (from $660,000 to $550,000), Sacramento Republic’s Douglas Martínez ($660,000 to $495,000), Louisville City’s Ian Soler ($495,000 to $440,000), Miami FC’s Florian Valot ($550,000 to $440,000) and San Antonio FC’s Jordy Delem ($550,000 to $440,000) all saw their market value slightly adjusted downward to better reflect the standing of the league they are playing in.
Market values USL League One: Kazaiah Sterling drops significantly
A similar adjustment also took place one level below in the USL League One where Kazaiah Sterling from South Georgia Tormenta FC remains the most valuable player in the league. The former Tottenham academy product, however, sees his market value drop significantly from $880,000 to now $330,000. The Jamaican-English forward now shares the top spot in the ranking with Ukrainian center-forward Ilya Shevtsov (Charlotte Independence).
How Transfermarkt market values work
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.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
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