MLS lands a new boss
The league has its next leader. On 1 January 2027, Larry Berg becomes the third commissioner in MLS history. The board of governors made the call on Monday.
Berg knows the room well. Co-owner of Los Angeles FC since 2018, he has run the league’s sporting committee for years. He replaces Don Garber, in the chair since August 1999.
A Harvard graduate who built his career in finance and private equity, Berg will have to offload his LAFC stake before he starts.
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The timing, for once, works in the league’s favor
Berg arrives at a pivotal stretch. MLS sits at 30 clubs and wants to stop at 32. It keeps reeling in big names past their peak, from Lionel Messi to Son Heung-min, with Robert Lewandowski and Timo Werner circling too.
History hangs over this. The league missed the surge after the 1994 World Cup because it wasn’t ready to play. The window after 2026 hands it a second shot to get it right.
Something bigger is coming as well. From summer 2027, MLS switches to an autumn-to-spring calendar, falling in step with the major leagues abroad.
Garber steps aside
Garber, 68, moves up to a chairman role. “MLS has great momentum, but it’s time to move in a new direction,” he said. For Berg, the job is a “lifelong dream.”
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