Major League Soccer owners identified three leading candidates to replace league commissioner Don Garber, but that list is now down to two.
The Athletic reported Friday that Los Angeles FC co-owner Larry Berg, former Fox executive David Nathanson and San Francisco 49ers and Leeds United executive Paraag Marathe have all been discussed as potential replacements for the longtime MLS boss, but Sportico later reported that Marathe has removed himself from the running.
Garber has served as MLS commissioner since 1999, three years after the league kicked off in 1996. Garber’s contract ends following the 2027 season, but he has said he could leave the job early if there is a succession plan in place that owners are happy with. The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association ends in January 2028, after Garber leaves office and during the middle of the first winter MLS season in 2027-28, so ideally the replacement is already in charge well before that.
Another LAFC co-owner, Bennett Rosenthal, has worked with Columbus Crew owner Jimmy Haslam as well as consultancy firms Korn Ferry and The Miles Group to find potential candidates, with other MLS owners unaware of them until momentum picked up this week and they were formally presented.
MLS owners are expected to hold a vote in early August to confirm their selection, per the report, after a league board of governors meeting around the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte on July 29. A vote is expected to occur after that meeting, before owners meet again to ratify the final decision of the vote.
“Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors has been engaged in a comprehensive succession planning process,” a league spokesperson said to Tenorio. “As part of that effort, a number of highly qualified individuals have been considered. The MLS Succession Committee is working with the Commissioner and the Board on this ongoing process.”
The two remaining candidates present unique traits that could make them the best candidate for the job, with Berg believed to be the frontrunner. He is active member of the board of directors, and and co-chairs the sporting and competition committee, which is responsible for things like roster rules and competition format — including the switch to the winter calendar.
With a new TV deal to be negotiated in the coming years with the Apple TV agreement coming to an end in 2029, Nathanson’s experience at Fox is seen as promising, and possibly election-winning. He oversaw the network’s successful bid to win the rights to the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups, and also has experience within MLS as a minority owner in the Seattle Sounders and a director of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
The transition comes at an important time for MLS north of the border as well.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are looking for a new owner and stadium solution to avoid relocation to Las Vegas, while CF Montreal are looking to move into the Olympic Stadium and secure their long-term future in the city over the winter months.