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MLS Owners Pick Larry Berg as Next Commissioner

He must divest his LAFC ownership before taking office and will lead the league through a 2027 calendar flip, new media-rights talks and collective-bargaining negotiations.

Overview

  • Owners voted in New York on Monday to appoint LAFC co-owner Larry Berg and the league announced he will take office on January 1, 2027.
  • Don Garber will remain commissioner through the end of 2026 and transition to the role of league chairman when Berg assumes the post.
  • MLS rules require Berg to sell his ownership stake in LAFC before becoming commissioner to avoid a conflict of interest.
  • Berg inherits a packed near-term agenda that includes running a shortened February–May 2027 ‘sprint’ season to enable a July–May calendar, negotiating new media-rights deals and addressing roster, salary rule changes and a forthcoming CBA.
  • Berg is a private-equity veteran and LAFC co-managing owner who emerged from an owners-led succession process that shortlisted him and media executive David Nathanson and was advised by Korn Ferry and The Miles Group.