The last time Don Garber wasn’t in his current role, it was an entirely different millennium. Safe to say: He’s learned a thing or two over the two-plus decades he’s been leading MLS.
For the latest episode of Boardroom Talks, the league commissioner welcomes Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman (also a minority owner of MLS team Philadelphia Union) into MLS’ New York City office for a sit-down conversation. The two discuss everything from Garber’s early career days and how a job with the NFL jump-started his career to the nuances that come with managing sports owners, how the Apple TV streaming partnership paved the way for other sports teams to follow suit, and the impact of superstardom brought on by players like Lionel Messi and David Beckham, among other things.
“Even I didn’t realize the power, the influence, the awareness, that Leo has around the world,” Garber told Boardroom. “I see pink Messi jerseys wherever I go. We, in America, have so many great sports stars. They’re basketball stars and hockey stars and baseball stars. But there’s one Messi. If you were going to ask everybody — maybe not Cristiano Ronaldo — but you ask every coach, every player in the world, who the best player ever to play the game is? It’s Messi, and we’re living with him.”
Garber also shares insights on the scalability of MLS and the archetype of the modern fan, the health and safety of its players, and what fans can expect from the 2026 World Cup, where he likens the global event to the NFL’s Super Bowl and so much more.
Be sure to catch the full conversation between Garber and Boardroom.
