Larry Berg to succeed Don Garber as MLS commissioner
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- Larry Berg was chosen by MLS owners in New York on Monday to become the league's third commissioner, succeeding Don Garber, who has held the role since 1999 and is under contract through the end of the 2027 season, per multiple reports.
- Berg must divest his LAFC ownership shares as part of the deal; he co-founded the club's ownership group when LAFC joined MLS as an expansion side and helped build it into a league powerhouse.
- Berg brings a business resume spanning Apollo Global Management and McGraw-Hill Education, and currently serves as co-chair of MLS's Sporting & Competition Committee, where he's already helped shape league initiatives.
- MLS is set to transition to a European calendar in late 2027, with a sprint season running from February to May 2027 — a project Berg has been directly involved in designing.
- Berg inherits a heavy to-do list including an expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement, a looming TV deal, the Whitecaps' expiring BC Place lease, and decisions on future expansion.
Why it matters: MLS is handing the commissioner's office to a sitting club owner who must now sell his LAFC stake, trading Garber's 25-year tenure for a transition with no break in leadership. The pick places an ownership insider — already steeped in competition and calendar reform — at the helm for the league's most consequential commercial stretch, with the CBA and broadcast deal both up for renewal.
