Los Angeles Football Club co-managing owner Larry Berg will succeed Don Garber as the third MLS commissioner beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
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A closed-door vote among league owners Monday at Major League Soccer headquarters in New York City confirmed Berg’s ascension.
“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg said in a statement. “Thanks to the vision and commitment of so many people, Major League Soccer has achieved tremendous success, but I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead.”
Presentations by the two finalists for the position – Berg and founding Angel City FC investor David Nathanson, a former Fox executive – preceded a vote from MLS owners that required a two-thirds supermajority.
In elevating Berg, on top of his soccer bona fides they chose a person who spent more than three decades in private equity.
“Larry Berg is the right leader for Major League Soccer’s next chapter,” Jimmy Haslam, CEO and Chairman of Haslam Sports Group and Co-Chair of the MLS Succession Committee, said in a statement. “Throughout our process it became clear that Larry is uniquely qualified to lead MLS through one of the most significant periods in its history. His deep understanding of our league, lifelong connection to the game, global perspective, and proven leadership make him the right person to build on MLS’ momentum and guide the league into its next era of growth.”
Berg, currently a senior partner at the investment management firm 26North, was previously a senior partner at Apollo Global Management and the former chairman of McGraw-Hill Education. He joined LAFC in 2014 as a limited partner, and in 2016 took a prominent role operating alongside Brandon Beck and Bennett Rosenthal as co-managing owners. He also served on the board of the LAFC Foundation.
“Since the earliest days of LAFC, building the club alongside Larry has been a privilege,” Rosenthal and Beck said in a joint statement. “He has been a pivotal partner to us both, deeply influencing the trajectory of our club and the development of the broader soccer landscape in North America.
“His strategic foresight, from the vision behind BMO Stadium to the cultivation of a championship-caliber culture, has been fundamental to our identity. While his absence from our daily operations will be widely felt, the foundation we built together ensures continued success and seamless continuity for LAFC.”
Berg served a four-year term as lead managing owner starting in 2016. He must divest his ownership stake in LAFC prior to replacing Garber, who was commissioner since 1999 and transitions to chairman in 2027.
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“Having worked closely with Larry over the past decade, I’ve seen firsthand the qualities that make him an exceptional leader, and I have complete confidence he is the right person to serve as Major League Soccer’s next commissioner,” Garber said in a statement. “His integrity, judgment, collaborative leadership, and unwavering commitment to building LAFC and the league have made him an invaluable partner. I look forward to working alongside Larry during this transition and supporting him as he leads MLS into its next chapter.”
Supplanting Garber, whose tenure saw the league grow from 10 to 30 teams, Berg called it a dream to participate in the growth of MLS and participate in the sport’s global ecosystem prior to LAFC’s lone MLS Cup victory in 2022.
“MLS allows you to come in and make a splash immediately,” Berg, a self-described soccer fanatic since the age of 8, said to the Daily News in 2022. “There is a salary cap but there are enough mechanisms to allow you to recruit and hit the ground running.
“If you’re going to compete in a global market, it does come down to money.”
Raised in Cherry Hill, N.J., Berg earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Berg has lived in Los Angeles since 1998.
LAFC’s MLS Cup victory over the Philadelphia Union in 2022 was the high point of Berg’s time with the club, and one reason among many that recent estimates peg its valuation at more than a billion dollars, making the Black & Gold one of five MLS franchises to reach that mark, according to a list compiled by Sportico.
“We are trying to not only build a great club in LAFC, but we’re trying to elevate the league the best we can,” Berg said in 2022. “And I think most of the owners in the league certainly see that and support that and are happy about it, just like I am with others.”
In the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and MLS conforming to the fall-to-spring European soccer schedule starting next year, pondering the league’s cap-constrained budget reality along with its global media rights, which are up in 2029, are among the initial big-ticket items on Berg’s plate.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the quality of our competition, develop more world-class players, deepen our connection with supporters, and continue elevating Major League Soccer’s place in the global game,” Berg said. “Together with our owners, clubs, players, partners, supporters, and league staff, I could not be more excited for what comes next.”
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