MLS is down to three names to replace Don Garber as commissioner — LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, former Fox executive David Nathanson, and San Francisco 49ers and Leeds United executive Paraag Marathe. Owners are expected to hold a vote in early August, with an in-person ratification meeting likely tied to the All-Star Game in Charlotte on July 29.
Berg is considered the frontrunner by some sources, but there's no consensus. He co-chairs the sporting and competition committee, meaning he's been deep in the weeds on roster rules and competition format changes — exactly the issues that will define the next era of the league. That's either a strength or a conflict, depending on which owner you ask.
Why the media rights question shapes everything
Nathanson's candidacy is harder to dismiss than it might first appear. He oversaw Fox's successful bids for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups. In a league where the Apple TV deal — already renegotiated and now ending in 2029 instead of 2032 — has underdelivered on national visibility, a commissioner who knows how to close a broadcast rights deal is not a luxury. It's arguably the most important qualification on the list.
MLS is being squeezed on television. Premier League, Champions League, Liga MX, Bundesliga, La Liga — all competing for the same American eyeballs. The league has solid local and stadium culture. Converting that into a national TV product is the problem nobody has cracked. Nathanson's pitch essentially is: I've done this at the highest level. That carries weight.
Marathe brings something different. Twenty-five years with the 49ers, a stint as Leeds chairman since the 49ers took majority ownership in 2023, and a board room comfort level with the NFL families — Hunt, Kraft, Haslam, Kroenke, Blank — who hold serious influence in MLS governance. Garber himself came from the NFL. There's clearly a template these owners trust.
What's actually at stake in this decision
The timing of this transition matters more than the usual executive shuffle. Whoever takes over will immediately face:
- A CBA negotiation with the MLS Players Association, with the current deal expiring in January 2028 — right in the middle of the league's first summer-to-spring season
- A media rights negotiation that will define MLS's financial ceiling for the next decade
- Major roster rule changes already in progress, including how much teams can spend on senior rosters
- A competition format overhaul affecting both the regular season and postseason
Garber's contract runs through 2027, but the owners clearly don't want a lame-duck commissioner steering through all of that. Starting the handover now, even if it's gradual, gives whoever wins the vote time to get up to speed before the real pressure arrives.
The vote is expected after the July 29 board meeting. Berg may be the favorite, but on a board that sources describe as increasingly split on key issues, "favorite" is a thin margin to carry into a room full of NFL owners with their own strong opinions.
