LAFC announced today that Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington and Co-President & CBO Larry Freedman have signed multi-year contract extensions with the Club.
“Our senior leadership team of John and Larry continues to do an incredible job of leading our Club to unprecedented success both on and off the field,” LAFC Lead Managing Owner Bennett Rosenthal said. “In just five years, it is incredible to see how LAFC and our stadium have become leaders in the world of sports and entertainment.”
In five seasons leading LAFC, Thorrington has built one of the most successful and dynamic teams in North America. Originally named LAFC’s first EVP of Soccer Operations & General Manager in 2015, LAFC won the 2022 MLS Cup, two Supporters’ Shield trophies (2019, 2022) and leads MLS in wins, points and goals scored since joining the league in 2018 under Thorrington’s guidance, while also qualifying two times for the Concacaf Champions League and advancing to the Final in 2020.
Freedman has been with the Club since 2014 and was named the MLS 2019 Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year and was a finalist for the 2020 World Football Summit Best Executive Award. Under Freedman’s leadership, LAFC has sold out every MLS home match in its history and developed a stadium that is the premier sports, concert and entertainment venue in the Heart of Los Angeles. With Freedman at the helm, LAFC has been named one of the Best Employers in Sports by Front Office Sports and to Fast Company’s annual list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies.
The Club also announced that Rosenthal has taken over as the Club’s Lead Managing Owner beginning January 1, 2023. Rosenthal was previously LAFC’s Co-Managing Owner and replaces Larry Berg in a pre-planned rotation following the end of Berg’s term. Berg remains a Co-Managing Owner of the Club along with Co-Managing Owner Brandon Beck.
“Bennett, Brandon and I have always had a plan in place to periodically rotate the Lead Managing Owner position,” Berg said. “It was an incredible honor and thrill for me to serve as the Lead Managing Owner for LAFC during such a historic period, and I look forward to continuing to help lead the Club as a Co-Managing Owner just as Bennett and Brandon have done during my tenure.”
LAFC completed one of the most successful seasons in MLS history, winning the 2022 MLS Cup and the 2022 Supporters’ Shield, becoming one of just nine teams to ever accomplish the feat.
“I am excited to carry on our mission of uniting the World’s City through the World’s Game, bringing joy and being a force for good in Los Angeles,” Rosenthal said. “We will continue to be a source of pride for our supporters and fans as well as the entire L.A. community.”
