Major League Soccer (MLS) found its next commissioner in LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, which was announced on Monday.
The move came after MLS owners voted on their next commissioner in New York on Monday. Don Garber is MLS’ active commissioner, a role he has held since 1999. But the league has been looking for Garber’s replacement after his contract expires in 2027, and eventually settled on Berg.
Berg was one of two finalists for the role, with the other being former Fox executive David Nathanson. He joined LAFC as a limited partner in 2014, became a managing owner in two years later, and then rose to be the franchise’s lead managing owner.
In the wake of this news, one of the first questions that came to mind was whether Berg would be allowed to remain as a co-owner of LAFC, as that seemed to constitute a conflict of interest with his current role. But Alex Silverman of Sports Business Journal reported on Monday that Berg is expected to be required to divest his stake in the team, which is currently valued at over $1 billion and has been one of the most successful franchises in league history.
Berg served as a senior partner at Apollo Global Management for 30 years, beginning in 1992. He then joined investment firm 26North as a partner in 2023, showing that his background is more in the business world than the realm sports, outside of his LAFC ownership.
There hasn’t been an official comment from Berg on his new role.
