For the better part of the past two months, the headhunters at Korn Ferry have been reaching out to sports business types—current and former league executives, team owners, media executives, etcetera, etcetera—amid a high-stakes search to find a replacement for MLS commissioner Don Garber. Garber has been the league’s commissioner since 1999, and while he hasn’t actually put a date on his retirement, his contract expires next year in the middle of the season. (Hence the urgency…)

During his tenure, which began just six years after MLS was founded, the league has evolved from a veritable sideshow into something closer to a main event in the U.S., although the league’s popularity is still dwarfed by the NFL, MLB, NBA, and even the NHL (not to mention international soccer leagues like the EPL and Liga MX.) In the early 2000s, MLS had only 10 teams; there are 30 today, and their valuations have continued to rise. Two decades ago, Toronto FC paid a relatively paltry $10 million expansion fee to join the league. Three years ago, San Diego FC’s expansion fee had reached $500 million. (Those figures, while eye-popping, probably say as much about the red-hot market for owning sports teams as they do about Major League Soccer’s cultural imprint.)

Garber’s replacement will inherit a league in growth mode—he has branded the next era “MLS 3.0”—focused, largely, on media revenue and improving the quality of play. That process began last fall, when league owners voted to change the season schedule to run from July to May to better align with bigger international leagues, in a bid to become more competitive with the European juggernauts. The next commissioner will also be tasked with securing a new round of blockbuster media deals, after Apple pulled the plug on its 10-year, $2.5 billion MLS partnership three years early. The World Cup, which will be staged in North America this summer, should also help fuel the next stage of growth.

There’s a lot of moving parts, which is why the headhunters have been prioritizing two types of executives: those with a ton of media experience (one executive in contact with Korn Ferry told me that “the future of that league is really dependent on getting a new media deal done”), and those who are steeped in the sports industry (or as another executive said, “somebody that understands how to build the brand further, and better understands the commercial side of the business”). Based on my conversations with more than a dozen sources, a handful of names have emerged as early targets.

Maybe the most pivotal reason to nail the hire is its potential scope. More and more it seems as though league commissionerships are something like lifetime appointments. Gary Bettman, who has led the NHL since 1993, is the only sports commissioner with a longer tenure than Garber. Goodell has been in his position since 2006, and Adam Silver replaced David Stern in 2014. Rob Manfred was named MLB commissioner just a year later.

Anyway, the initial phase of interviews will continue for another week or so, at which point Korn Ferry and a committee of owners, including Columbus Crew’s Jimmy Haslam, will decide on next steps. One lingering issue is that the owners themselves aren’t totally aligned on several upcoming issues that will weigh heavily on the future of the league, including what to do with the league’s media rights when the Apple TV deal ends after the 2028-29 season. The Apple deal has been polarizing in MLS circles; many believe that the league sacrificed reach for a gaudy rights fee.

The MLS faces other big issues as well. The league’s collective bargaining agreement ends in January 2028, just one month after Garber’s contract runs out. And then there’s the salary cap, which the league has occasionally relaxed to make way for blockbuster contracts for international stars, including David Beckham and Lionel Messi. Many owners want more regular flexibility to pay players, which they believe will increase the MLS talent pool and give the league a chance at competing internationally. The folks at Korn Ferry should prioritize political savvy, too.

On Amazon’s sports strategy: “Amazon is not bidding on a second NFL package anytime soon. The more likely move is defending what they already have, like Champions League U.K. rights, with their shorter-deal terms, or making a run at MLB in 2028, which offers better value and a league actively courting streamers. The bigger opportunity for Amazon is building a complementary portfolio of tier-one sports properties that fill different territories or seasons, not doubling down on NFL inventory.” —A media executive

On Inner Circle Thursdays: “Did you just get subtweeted by a WSJ reporter? Haha. I’m a proud Inner Circle member and would pay for an ADDITIONAL level for more Ourand copy each week! Don’t let the envious folks at WSJ muzzle Ourand!” —A sports media executive

Have a great weekend. See you Monday,
John