New boss Larry Berg wants to take MLS to 'next level'

Dating back to his childhood, before he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and paved a career in finance and private equity, Larry Berg says he has always been a massive soccer fan.

He took a step from fandom into equity when he became a co-owner of Los Angeles FC in 2018.

Now he leaps into a leadership role at a larger level as he's set to become Major League Soccer's third-ever commissioner on Jan. 1 2027, after he was chosen as Don Garber's successor by the MLS Board of Governors on Monday.

"To have this as the culmination of all those chapters, to play a leadership role across the league, it's something I'm really looking forward to," Berg said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday.

Berg takes over at perhaps the most interesting time in the league's 30-plus-year history. While MLS was founded in 1993, it didn't begin play until 1996, missing out on the strongest window of capitalization from the 1994 World Cup hosted in the United States.

That makes this aftermath of the 2026 World Cup hosted in North America a unique opportunity for the U.S. domestic league.

The league -- which has expanded to 30 teams as of the 2025 season with a discussed eventual cap of 32 -- has evolved into a prominent landing spot for aging international stars, with the likes of Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Son Heung-min (LAFC) and more recently Timo Werner (Vancouver) and Robert Lewandowski (Chicago) joining the league.

Garber, 68, has served as commissioner since August 1999. While he was originally under contract through the end of 2027, he'll now pivot into a chairman role when Berg takes over as commissioner for what will be a key year for MLS as the league will align its calendar with the major international soccer leagues and adopt a summer-to-spring wraparound format beginning in summer 2027.

"MLS has got such momentum and is on such a great trajectory, but now is the time to move in a new direction," Garber said. "And what better person to take the lead than somebody who's been an owner in the league, who's run our Sporting and Competition Committee for many years, who's lived the game, who's played the game and loves the game? Larry's perfect."

"Over the last 30 years, we've done a lot of things right," Berg added. "The infrastructure part was A-plus. We have the foundation. We have the stadiums, we have the training facilities, we have the academies, we have MLS NEXT Pro.

"If we can put on top of that some forward thinking and some other things that make us more exciting and more competitive, then I think we'll be in great shape.

" ... We have this great opportunity to get to that next level in MLS. To be leading that charge is a lifelong dream."

Berg will have to sell his stake in LAFC before transitioning into the commissioner role.

--Field Level Media