MLS Taps Private Equity Veteran As Next Commissioner

The 30 owners of Major League Soccer (MLS) have selected Larry Berg as their next commissioner. Berg, a co-owner of LAFC and a private equity executive, will take over the league in the coming year. During MLS meetings in New York City, Berg and ex-Fox executive David Nathanson were presented as the top candidates. Berg has been involved with LAFC since its founding in 2018 and has spent his career at Apollo Global Management, becoming a senior partner in 2023 at 26North.

While he will relinquish his ownership stake before assuming the commissioner role, Berg brings valuable experience to the league. The MLS owners approved the inclusion of private equity firms in club ownership in 2020, with 16 of the 30 teams now having at least one private equity investor. MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who has led the league since 1999, has overseen the expansion of soccer in the U.S., including the development of youth academies and a successful media deal with Apple.

However, the league has faced challenges such as limited viewership data releases and a transition to a fall-to-spring calendar. The end of the current media deal is set to occur earlier than initially planned, and recent Fox broadcasts have averaged over 500,000 viewers.