Major League Soccer set out its next leadership change on August 3 by selecting Los Angeles FC executive Larry Berg to become commissioner at the start of 2027, ending Don Garber's long spell running the league and handing the transition to a figure already embedded in MLS decision-making.

AP reported that Berg is 60 and must dispose of his LAFC ownership interest before taking the post. The league said he would begin on January 1, 2027 and would be presented formally in New York the next day. The Guardian added that Berg was chosen by the board of governors during a meeting in Manhattan after owners also heard from another finalist, sports-media investor David Nathanson.

Garber's successor matters because his tenure reshaped the modern league. AP said Garber has been commissioner since 1999 and will stay in place for the remainder of the 2026 campaign before moving into the chairman's office. Under his watch, MLS grew from 12 clubs to 30, created Soccer United Marketing, pushed stadium development tailored to the sport and expanded youth development systems. AP also said the league wanted to build on momentum created by the 2026 World Cup.

Berg arrives with credentials drawn from both finance and team building. AP said LAFC captured the league championship in 2022 and collected the Supporters' Shield in 2019 during his ownership era. The Guardian described him as a senior partner at 26North and noted earlier positions at Apollo Global Management and McGraw-Hill Education. It also said he serves as co-chair of the league's sporting and competition committee, giving him direct exposure to league policy questions before taking the top executive role.

The handover comes just ahead of a scheduling overhaul. AP reported that MLS plans a brief 14-match sprint season in early 2027 and then a move to a summer-to-spring calendar beginning in July, with the championship to be played in May 2028. That means Berg will step in as the competition changes its timing in an effort to align more closely with many overseas leagues.

The Guardian said Berg would become only the third commissioner in MLS history. It also framed his experience in a major market as potentially useful as MLS tries to deepen its presence in places such as New York and Chicago while balancing the interests of owners from smaller markets.

The confirmed news from August 3 was therefore twofold: MLS chose a successor from within its ownership ranks, and it paired that decision with a requirement that he sever club ties before assuming a league office that will shape expansion, scheduling and the next phase of the sport's business growth in North America.