Larry Berg named MLS's third-ever commissioner
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- Larry Berg was chosen by MLS owners meeting in New York on Monday to become the league's third-ever commissioner, succeeding Don Garber after a process that came down to Berg and David Nathansen.
- Don Garber will stay on as commissioner through 2026 and shift to a chairman role in 2027, with Berg officially taking the commissioner role on January 1, 2027.
- Berg must divest his LAFC ownership shares as part of the deal; he has been part of the club's ownership group since it joined MLS as an expansion team and also brings experience from Apollo Global Management and McGraw-Hill Education.
- Berg already co-chairs MLS' Sporting & Competition Committee, including involvement in the league's planned move to a European calendar in late 2027, which will follow a sprint season running February to May 2027.
- The MLS Succession Committee was co-chaired by Jimmy Haslam and Bennett Rosenthal, with members Cliff Illig, Johh Ingram, Jonathan Kraft, Joe Mansueto and Oliver Mintzlaff, working alongside advisory firm Korn Ferry.
- Under Garber's 27-year tenure, MLS grew from 10 to 30 clubs and the league oversaw the development of 26 soccer stadiums, entering the post-2026 World Cup era in a position the article characterizes as stable.
Why it matters: Berg takes over a league at a genuine inflection point: an expiring CBA, a looming TV deal, a calendar switch to align with global soccer by late 2027, and open questions like the Whitecaps' BC Place lease and future expansion. His existing role on the Sporting & Competition Committee — and prior work at Apollo Global Management — are positioned by the owners' committee as the bridge between Garber's 27-year run of stability and whatever comes next.
