Exactly 27 years to the day that Don Garber was introduced as Major League Soccer's second commissioner in 1999, LAFC co-managing owner Larry Berg pledged to improve on his predecessor's success upon taking over MLS' leading role on Jan. 1, 2027.
"My responsibility is to work with our clubs, our owners and everyone across this league to build on that foundation to help Major League Soccer reach its full potential," Berg, 60, told media members and hundreds of league employees Tuesday afternoon at the league's Manhattan headquarters.
Garber helped build MLS from a fledgling operation fighting to stay afloat and relevant to a 30-team behemoth with soccer-specific stadiums, youth academies and developmental leagues where the average franchise is valued at $767 million, a 39% increase since 2021. Of the 30 most valuable global soccer clubs, seven of them are MLS teams, led by Inter Miami, which stars Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player in the sport's history. Sponsorship revenue in 2025 was an estimated $716 million, up 8% year over year.
But there are plenty of growth areas Berg, a former senior partner at Apollo Global Management and 26 North, wants to utilize as commissioner. The co-chair of MLS' sporting and competition committee, Berg has the full backing of league owners — who unanimously approved his appointment over the other finalist, former Fox executive David Nathanson — to enact meaningful changes to supercharge the league's growth. Garber already spearheaded a change in the league's calendar, which will switch to a fall-to-spring season starting in 2027 to align with the European leagues. That, Berg said, will greatly help the quality on the field, but so will changing the league's roster investment model so teams are able to acquire better players and build deeper rosters.
MLS currently has a $6.4 million salary cap, but various roster exceptions enable the majority of 2026 payrolls to be in the $12-21 million range. Owners have agreed that the current system is too restrictive. Berg said his No. 1 job is enhancing the roster investment model so teams can have more freedom to construct teams that work best for their markets.
#berg #teams #roster
"My responsibility is to work with our clubs, our owners and everyone across this league to build on that foundation to help Major League Soccer reach its full potential," Berg, 60, told media members and hundreds of league employees Tuesday afternoon at the league's Manhattan headquarters.
Garber helped build MLS from a fledgling operation fighting to stay afloat and relevant to a 30-team behemoth with soccer-specific stadiums, youth academies and developmental leagues where the average franchise is valued at $767 million, a 39% increase since 2021. Of the 30 most valuable global soccer clubs, seven of them are MLS teams, led by Inter Miami, which stars Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player in the sport's history. Sponsorship revenue in 2025 was an estimated $716 million, up 8% year over year.
But there are plenty of growth areas Berg, a former senior partner at Apollo Global Management and 26 North, wants to utilize as commissioner. The co-chair of MLS' sporting and competition committee, Berg has the full backing of league owners — who unanimously approved his appointment over the other finalist, former Fox executive David Nathanson — to enact meaningful changes to supercharge the league's growth. Garber already spearheaded a change in the league's calendar, which will switch to a fall-to-spring season starting in 2027 to align with the European leagues. That, Berg said, will greatly help the quality on the field, but so will changing the league's roster investment model so teams are able to acquire better players and build deeper rosters.
MLS currently has a $6.4 million salary cap, but various roster exceptions enable the majority of 2026 payrolls to be in the $12-21 million range. Owners have agreed that the current system is too restrictive. Berg said his No. 1 job is enhancing the roster investment model so teams can have more freedom to construct teams that work best for their markets.
#berg #teams #roster
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