San Diego Wave have gone to Elland Road for their next CEO. Morrie Eisenberg, who spent the last three years as a senior executive at Leeds United, is leaving Yorkshire for California to take over as chief executive of the NWSL club.
It's a genuine loss for Leeds. Eisenberg arrived in October 2023 as chief operating officer, was promoted to chief business officer last May, and leaves fingerprints all over the club's most significant off-field project — the Elland Road stadium redevelopment, which secured full planning permission earlier this year. That kind of infrastructure work shapes a club's revenue ceiling for decades. He did it while Leeds were bouncing between the Championship and Premier League, which makes it even more impressive.
Leeds managing director Robbie Evans put it plainly: "Much as with players, when you employ excellent people who produce excellent results, sometimes the unfortunate effect is that they will attract interest elsewhere." Hard to argue with that.
What Eisenberg brings to San Diego
His CV before Leeds reads like a masterclass in scaling organizations: LinkedIn, Tesla, and the San Francisco 49ers. That last one matters — the 49ers Enterprises ownership group controls both Leeds and the Wave, so this isn't a cold hire. Eisenberg knows the people, the philosophy, and the American-style commercial expansion model they've deployed at Elland Road. He remained a senior advisor to 49ers Enterprises throughout his time in Leeds.
Wave governor Lauren Leichtman — who bought the club for a record $120 million in 2024, up from the $2 million Ron Burkle paid less than three years earlier — called him a "transformative leader." Given that valuation trajectory, the bar for transformation is already set extremely high.
The timing is interesting
The Wave are in a transitional 2025 season. Under second-year head coach Jonas Eidevall, they're hovering in the playoff picture but haven't locked in the consistency their talent base should produce. They've won the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 Challenge Cup, but the championship itself has stayed out of reach. A club that launched in 2022 and already commands nine-figure valuations needs its off-field infrastructure to match the ambition — and right now, there are gaps.
Eisenberg starts in August. If the reported arrival of Catarina Macario after the summer break materializes alongside a competent front office operation, the Wave's odds of finally adding championship hardware become a legitimate conversation rather than a hopeful projection.
For Leeds, the question is simpler and more uncomfortable: who fills the role Eisenberg carved out at a club still finding its footing in the Premier League?
