MLS commissioner search narrows to three finalists
Larry Berg, Paraag Marathe and David Nathanson are finalists to succeed Don Garber, ESPN reported, with the All-Star Game looming.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Major League Soccer’s hunt for Don Garber’s successor is down to three names: LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe and former Fox executive David Nathanson, ESPN reported, citing a person familiar with the process.
The person told ESPN that all three are expected to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the MLS All-Star Game on July 29. The same person said the league is not expected to announce Garber’s replacement at that event.
Sportico and Puck were first to report the finalists, according to ESPN.
Garber era nears its final stretch
Garber, 68, has run MLS since August 1999. During his tenure, the league grew from 12 clubs to 30, and Forbes now puts the average team valuation at $731 million, according to ESPN.
MLS told ESPN that its Board of Governors has been working through succession planning and has reviewed multiple qualified candidates. The league said its Succession Committee is working with Garber and the board on the continuing process.
The search took a formal step in February, when MLS announced that Korn Ferry would help find the next commissioner. ESPN reported that Korn Ferry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Garber’s contract runs through the end of 2027. ESPN noted that timing could be tricky because MLS is shifting to a summer-to-spring calendar, meaning the deal would expire during the first season played under the new format.
The three names in the room
Berg has been part of LAFC’s ownership group since the club joined MLS in 2018, according to ESPN. He also spent four years as the club’s managing owner.
Marathe has spent 25 years with the 49ers organization, ESPN reported. He has been chairman of Leeds United since last year, after the 49ers first invested in the English club in 2018. Leeds is owned by the 49ers.
Nathanson’s résumé runs through television, soccer ownership and the wider U.S. game. ESPN reported that he spent eight years at Fox, including five years as executive vice president and general manager of Fox Soccer.
Nathanson is also a board member of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, a founding investor in Angel City FC of the NWSL and a co-owner of MLS club Seattle Sounders FC, according to ESPN.
Big calls waiting for the next commissioner
The next MLS commissioner will inherit two major deadlines. ESPN reported that the league’s Apple television deal expires at the end of 2029, while the collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association runs out on Jan. 31, 2028.
The search is unfolding as MLS resumes its season. The league returned to play on July 16 after an extended pause during the 2026 World Cup, which is being staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.