Los Angeles FC co-owner Larry Berg has been tapped to be the next commissioner of Major League Soccer. Richard Drew/AP

Major League Soccer owners voted Larry Berg to be the next commissioner of Major League Soccer on Monday afternoon. Berg will officially become the newest MLS commissioner in 27 years on Jan. 1, 2027, after a transition period with outgoing commissioner Don Garber. Berg is the co-owner of Los Angeles FC which debuted in 2018. Under his co ownership his team has won an MLS Cup and a U.S. Open Cup and has twice finished as the league’s best regular-season team. He also held ownership stakes in Serie A club AS Roma, as well as Swansea City AFC in Wales.

“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Larry Berg said in a statement. “Thanks to the vision and commitment of so many people, Major League Soccer has achieved tremendous success, but I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead. We have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the quality of our competition, develop more world-class players, deepen our connection with supporters, and continue elevating Major League Soccer’s place in the global game.

“Together with our owners, clubs, players, partners, supporters, and league staff, I could not be more excited for what comes next.”

Berg responsibility is to move the league forward and make it one of the top soccer leagues around the World. When Don Garber took over as commissioner of Major League Soccer in 1999 the league only had ten teams. Major League Soccer (MLS) nearly folder on in November 2001 after losing roughly $250 million in its first six seasons, the league office held a conference call where owners voted to cease operations and draft closure paperwork. However, investor Lamar Hunt stepped in, rallied fellow owners within 48 hours, and restructured the league to save it. Twenty-seven years later Garber leaves with full-sized, mature league with 23 soccer-specific stadiums, youth academies for every team and 30 teams.

Next year, Major League Soccer will shift its calendar to a summer-to-spring schedule to align with Europe’s professional leagues. The other challenge for the newly elected commissioner is the upcoming labor negotiations and the expiration of the current media rights deal with Apple TV in 2029. The one thing that won’t see anytime soon that soccer fans want is Promotion and Relegation.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for our league,” Berg said. “I think [outgoing commissioner] Don Garber has said before, ‘never say never,’ but I just don’t see it happening anytime soon.”