MLS, Commissioner Don Garber Agree to Five-Year Extension Through 2023

Garber has been MLS commissioner since August 1999.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep him in his current role through the 2023 season, the league announced Thursday.

Garber has been commissioner of MLS since Aug. 4, 1999. The 61-year-old was set to have have his contract expire at the end of 2018, however the MLS Board of Governors recently approved the new deal.

MLS has grown considerably since Garber first stepped into his role with the league. When Garber assumed his post in 1999, there were 12 MLS clubs. Today, there are 27, with the announcement of a 28th franchise expected to be made.

Per Forbes, the average valuation of an MLS franchise is currently $240 million; it stood at $37 million in 2008.

According to ESPN, Garber's new extension is expected to be his last with MLS. He will be 66 when his current contract expires.