MLS announces 2025 Mark Abbott MLS Club Business Awards winners
NEW YORK, NY – Major League Soccer announced on Monday the winners of its year-end awards recognizing clubs and executives for outstanding contributions throughout the 2025 season.
Axel Schuster, Vancouver Whitecaps FC CEO and Sporting Director, has been named Sporting Executive of the Year. Under his direction, the club reached 2025 MLS Cup for the first time in its history. This followed a strong regular season, where the club finished second in the Western Conference, reached the final of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, and won the Canadian Championship title for the fourth year in a row. Schuster has been instrumental in the club’s success by overseeing the acquisition, retention and development of its players. Notably in 2025, Schuster was pivotal in signing German legend and World Cup winner, Thomas Müller. The signing of Müller has already helped propel the club to new heights, but this strategic transfer came alongside Schuster’s appointment of Jesper Sørensen as head coach. Together with the strong core of players he has assembled and retained, these moves have been equally vital to the club's rise.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC is the sole club with three award winners, with Atlanta United and St. Louis CITY SC each capturing two awards. Chicago Fire FC, Columbus Crew, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United, and San Diego FC each received one award. Furthermore, Whitecaps FC had three additional finalists for the awards in Digital Activation of the Year, Ticket Sales Initiative of the Year, as well as Engagement and Inclusion Club of the Year.
The winners of the Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year and Sporting Executive of the Year awards are selected by League stakeholders based on pre-defined quantitative and qualitative criteria. The winners of all remaining awards were selected through a voting process across their respective peers inclusive of MLS clubs and the League office.
2025 Mark Abbott MLS Club Business Awards Winners
- Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year – Shari Ballard, Minnesota United
- Sporting Executive of the Year – Axel Schuster, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Business Intelligence Project of the Year – Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Communications Department of the Year – Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Consumer Products Initiative of the Year – San Diego FC
- Digital Activation of the Year – Atlanta United
- Engagement and Inclusion Club of the Year – St. Louis CITY SC
- Marisa Colaiano Community Impact Club of the Year – LA Galaxy
- Marketing Initiative of the Year – Columbus Crew
- Sponsorship Activation of the Year – LAFC
- Stadium Business Initiative of the Year – Chicago Fire FC
- Ticket Sales Initiative of the Year – Atlanta United
- Youth Fan Engagement Initiative of the Year – St. Louis CITY SC
