LAFC co-managing owner Larry Berg voted as next MLS commissioner

Major League Soccer is entering a structural transformation as league owners meeting in midtown Manhattan voted to name Larry Berg as the next commissioner to succeed Don Garber. Berg, a senior partner at private equity firm 26North and former executive at Apollo Global Management, emerged from a succession search led by an MLS committee that included team leaders such as Jimmy Haslam and Bennett Rosenthal, ultimately prevailing over fellow finalist and former Fox executive David Nathanson. Garber, who has guided the league since 1999 through an expansion from 10 to 30 clubs and the arrival of global icons like Lionel Messi, will transition to a new role as chairman starting in 2027 to ensure continuity.

The leadership handoff arrives at a critical juncture for North American soccer. Berg will formally assume the commissioner's office on January 1, 2027, following an official introduction at the league's new New York offices. His immediate portfolio will demand navigating massive systemic shifts, including the implementation of a new competition calendar for the 2027-28 season that aligns MLS with traditional European fall-to-spring schedules. This transition involves a transitional spring sprint season from February to May 2027, alongside ongoing evolution to club roster models, upcoming media rights discussions, and the finalization of a new collective bargaining agreement with players.

To comply with league governance and maintain complete impartiality across all thirty clubs, Berg is required to divest his ownership stake in LAFC through established league transition protocols. This global multi-club exposure complements a domestic soccer ecosystem where private equity investment has quietly surged, with roughly half of all MLS franchises now counting private equity backers among their investors following league rules changes enacted in 2020.

While Garber departs having built out a robust youth development pipeline featuring thirty club academies and five billion-dollar franchises, the incoming commissioner faces notable headwinds. Berg steps into the leadership post with monumental operational challenges ahead, balancing the financial maturation of single-entity club operations against the demands of a rapidly modernizing global sport.