Major League Soccer’s hunt for Don Garber’s successor is down to three familiar power players: LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe, and veteran media executive David Nathanson. If owners pick from that trio, the league’s next commissioner could be a Bay Area dealmaker, an LA club boss, or a West Coast media operator who has already helped reshape how fans watch the sport.
The three-name shortlist surfaced Friday via a Field Level Media report carried by WTAQ. That coverage noted that MLS’ Board of Governors has been running a formal succession-planning process to identify Garber’s eventual replacement.
Why Owners Want A Quick Handoff
Team owners set up a succession committee in 2025 and hired executive-search firm Korn Ferry to quarterback the search, aiming for a smooth transition ahead of a packed commercial and competitive calendar. ESPN reported that MLS brought in the outside firm and pointed out that Garber’s current contract runs through the end of the 2027 season, a timeline that gives the league room for overlap between the outgoing and incoming commissioner.
Whoever gets the job will be expected to help steer high-stakes talks on media rights and roster rules while MLS continues to tweak its calendar and broader commercial strategy.
What The Finalists Would Bring
Larry Berg sits among LAFC’s co-managing owners and arrives with a serious private-equity resume. His senior roles at Apollo and other finance firms make him the candidate most steeped in the league’s owner-operator model. LAFC lists Berg as a central figure in the club’s ownership group.
Paraag Marathe, meanwhile, is president of 49ers Enterprises and also serves as chair of Leeds United, giving him a blend of NFL front-office experience and direct exposure to European club soccer. Leeds United highlights his long tenure with the 49ers organization and his leadership role with the English side.
David Nathanson rounds out the list as a longtime media executive credited with helping Fox secure multiple World Cup rights and more recently joining the Seattle Sounders’ ownership group. His track record in negotiating and managing rights deals is what observers suggest could matter most when the next TV and streaming cycle hits. His media background is detailed by the U.S. Soccer Foundation, while his addition to the Sounders’ ownership group was outlined in a club announcement republished by SoccerWire.
Local Stakes
The choice will ripple through several markets, especially where these finalists already hold key roles. A Marathe appointment could mean the 49ers lose a long-serving executive who helps oversee their sports and investment arm. A Berg selection would elevate an LAFC owner into a leaguewide leadership seat and prompt questions about how MLS manages club ties when the commissioner comes from within an ownership group.
MLSSoccer has chronicled how much the league has grown during Garber’s tenure, which helps explain why the successor decision carries both local consequences and national stakes.
What Comes Next
Reporters following the search say owners are moving with purpose, and a decision could arrive as soon as next month, based on coverage that has cited league insiders and sports-business reporting. Heavy pulled together early timing expectations drawn from those insiders, while league sources previously told ESPN that Korn Ferry had been retained to oversee the recruitment.
Whoever emerges from the final three will be expected to work alongside Garber through any transition period and then step directly into the thicket of media-rights talks and governance calls that will shape MLS’ next era.
