Victoria L. Anderson New NASL Commissioner

The North American Soccer League (NASL) has elected Victoria L. Anderson as its new Commissioner, effective September 1, 2024.  Anderson replaces Rishi Sehgal, who stepped away from his 7-year tenure as Interim Commissioner of the NASL in August.  A historic move, Anderson becomes the first female to serve as chief executive, also known as Commissioner, of a men’s professional sports league and only the second African American to serve as Commissioner of a US professional sports league.  

A lawyer by training, Anderson steps into the role of Commissioner just as NASL prepares for trial against the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) and Major League Soccer (MLS).  In 2017, NASL filed an antitrust lawsuit against U.S. Soccer and MLS, alleging anticompetitive acts that led to the NASL suspending league play in 2018.  A jury trial in New York federal court is scheduled for January 2025. 

Anderson is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School.  She began her legal career as a mergers & acquisitions attorney at Dewey Ballantine in New York and spent the majority of her legal career as an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles.  Anderson joined Mediacom Communications Corporation in 2016, just 6 months prior to its CEO, cable magnate Rocco B. Commisso, purchasing the New York Cosmos.  Commisso appointed Anderson Interim General Counsel for the Cosmos and she also served as Special Counsel to the Chairman of the League.