Major League Soccer's incoming commissioner, Larry Berg, has made clear that the promotion and relegation system common in football leagues worldwide has no place in the league's near-term future, even as MLS continues its rapid expansion.
Berg, who is set to take over as commissioner in 2027 and currently serves as a co-owner of Los Angeles FC, addressed the topic directly during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. While acknowledging the format's popularity among supporters, he argued it would not serve the league's broader development goals.
"I can understand the appeal for the fans, [but] I don't think it's a great way to build a league, I don't think it's a way to get stadiums built, get training facilities built, and to have owners invest in rosters and all the other things you need to do," Berg said. He suggested that other mechanisms could generate excitement without the risks associated with relegation. "So the great thing about promotion/relegation for fans is that the jeopardy is quite severe. But I think there are other ways to create jeopardy during the regular season, [and] again in the playoffs, during the playoffs to get to the next round. That's what we want to focus on."
MLS has long stood apart from the rest of the global football landscape due to its single-entity model, in which the league office retains ownership of all clubs and player contracts. That structure has historically been credited with limiting financial risk for investors and helping the league secure its initial wave of ownership groups when it launched in 1996. The absence of promotion and relegation has also been tied to the league's early lack of scale and the added exposure it would have created for owners who function as both club operators and league stakeholders.
While the United States does have a second-tier competition in the USL Championship, there has been little sign of cooperation between the two organizations in recent years. MLS clubs withdrew their reserve sides from USL competition following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, further distancing the two leagues.
MLS's growth—from just 10 clubs at the start of the millennium to 30 by 2026—has fueled speculation that the league could eventually introduce an internal tiered system, effectively creating an MLS1 and MLS2 structure. Berg, however, downplayed the likelihood of such a move materializing soon, though he left the door open for future reconsideration. "I don't think it's appropriate for our league," he said. "I think [outgoing commissioner] Don Garber has said before, 'never say never,' but I just don't see it happening anytime soon."
Berg's remarks were among the most substantive policy comments he offered during the appearance, held before a modest gathering of MLS staff and reporters. Garber attended alongside members of the succession committee, including Columbus Crew co-owner Jimmy Haslam and LAFC co-owner Bennett Rosenthal, who both helped lead the search for the league's next leader.
Berg was formally elected commissioner during a meeting of MLS owners on Monday, capping a lengthy selection process. Haslam noted that the search initially considered "125 different men and women" from varied professional backgrounds. "Some were in sports, some were in media, some were in technology, some were 'just in business,'" he said. The process eventually came down to Berg and David Nathanson, a former Fox Sports executive.
In addition to his LAFC ownership stake, Berg holds minority interests in Italian club Roma and Welsh side Swansea City. He spent three decades in private equity, including time at Apollo Global Management and, most recently, as a senior partner at 26North. Asked about how that background might shape his leadership, Berg said he believes the skills translate well to his new role, citing the importance of urgency and alignment among stakeholders. "It's about a sense of urgency. It's about rolling up the sleeves, being in terms of asking big questions, aligning people for a common goal … at the end of the day, this is a governance job with 30 owners and a lot of constituents," he said.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.