MLS has landed on its next leader, selecting LAFC co-owner Larry Berg as the league’s commissioner, the league announced Monday.
Berg was picked as part of a closed-door vote on Monday, winning the job over former Fox executive David Nathanson, who was the other finalist. Berg and Nathanson made final presentations to MLS owners, who then voted for Berg with a two-thirds supermajority, per multiple reports.
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Berg will succeed longtime commissioner Don Garber, who has been the MLS commissioner since 1999. Per the league, Garber will stay commissioner through the 2026 season and will become league chairman in 2027. Berg will officially take on the commissioner’s role on Jan. 1, 2027, per MLS.
Berg, who is listed as a “co-managing owner” of LAFC alongside Bennett Rosenthal and Brandon Beck, will reportedly be required to sell off his stake as part of taking the job. LAFC, which has a number of smaller owners in addition to the top trio, is valued at $1.32 billion, per Forbes. LAFC had its first season in 2018, and is one of the most successful clubs in the league, earning two Supports’ Shields and an MLS Championship in its short history.
Berg is a former senior partner at Apollo Global Management, spending 30 years at the private equity firm. He joined the Josh Harris-founded investment firm 26North in 2023, and was formerly the chairman of McGraw-Hill Education.
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Berg becomes the third commissioner in the league’s history: MLS, which was founded in 1996, was first overseen by Doug Logan. Garber took over the role in August 1999 after 16 years as an NFL executive.
In 27 years at the helm, Garber oversaw the growth of MLS from 10 teams to 30, as well as valuations ballooning to a collective $23 billion ahead of this season. Though the exact details of the commissioner transition are unclear, Garber told the Associated Press ahead of the MLS All-Star game last week that he plans to stay involved in MLS through the end of his current contract, which runs through 2027.
Berg will now take over the league, which has grown significantly in the past few decades but has still struggled to surpass some of the mid-tier men’s leagues in Europe. Along with other early duties, Berg will be overseeing MLS’s calendar flip, with his first season as commissioner coming during 2027’s shortened “sprint season,” which will help accommodate the change. MLS is also aiming to get a big payday for its next media rights deal, after its current deal with Apple TV expires in 2029.
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Other goals for Berg listed in MLS’s statement include opening new soccer-specific stadiums, “evolving (the league’s) roster model,” and negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, as the current CBA runs through January 2028.
