Atlanta co-CEO Garth Lagerwey takes leave after cancer diagnosis | MLS

Atlanta co-president and CEO Garth Lagerwey is undergoing cancer treatment and is taking indefinite leave.

The news was announced on Thursday, noting that “the prognosis of full recovery is encouraging.” Lagerwey’s return has no timetable.

“Garth’s resilience and optimism are part of what makes him such a great leader and I know he will play these advantages in the days to come,” co-owner and chairman Arthur M Blank said in a statement. “I have confidence in our leadership team and the players as we navigate this transition together.”

Co-Chief Football Officer Chris Henderson, Chief Business Officer Skate Noftsinger and Senior Vice President of Strategic Dimitrios Efstathiou will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of their respective departments while providing regular reports to Lagerwey and Amb Sports and Amb Sports and Entertainment CEO Rich McKay.

Lagerwey has served as Manchester United president and CEO since November 2022. He spent eight years in Seattle before heading to Atlanta, where he served as general manager and football president of Sounders.

“I made a difficult decision to step back from Atlanta United to address my cancer treatment head-on,” Ragway said in a statement. “I want to express my deep gratitude to Arthur Blank, not only for his support, but for everything I can to make the process as painful as possible for me and my family. I can’t work for a better organization than Ambse (Arthur M Blank M Blank Sports and Entertainment).

“Atlanta United has a high-performance leadership team in the club’s business and football. Chris, Skateboard and Dimitrios are experienced and talented leaders and I have the ability to lead our club in the absence. Meanwhile, I look forward to meeting our fans soon at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.