Elizabeth Cohen is the Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer at Major League Soccer (MLS), where she leads the league’s enterprise-wide strategy, analytics, fan insights, and long-term business planning. A trusted advisor to Commissioner Don Garber and Deputy Commissioner Gary Stevenson, Cohen has spent more than a decade helping shape MLS during one of the most transformative periods in its history as soccer’s popularity continues to accelerate across North America.
In 2021, Cohen founded MLS’ Strategy & Business Intelligence division, bringing together multiple business functions into a single integrated organization that aligns league priorities across commercial growth, competition strategy, fan engagement, digital innovation, and long-term planning. Today, she leads a 17-person team that is helping position MLS for unprecedented opportunities surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the league’s continued global expansion.
Throughout her career at MLS, Cohen has played a pivotal role in the league’s expansion to 30 clubs, led strategic planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, launched the MLS NEXT youth development platform in just two months, and helped develop the roadmap for the league’s transition to an international calendar beginning in 2027. Her leadership has also advanced next-generation fan analytics and data capabilities that enable more personalized engagement across league and club platforms.
Before joining MLS in 2014, Cohen built a diverse career in finance, having held positions at Citigroup and RBS before working as an investment professional supporting hedge funds with more than $1 billion in assets under management. Recognized as a rising sports industry leader, Cohen is also a Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, a Sports Business Journal Game Changers award recipient, and was selected for the 2023 alumna of the WISE Executive Leadership Institute. She is also an active mentor and advocate for the next generation of women in sports business and leadership.
