Building a Legacy in the MLS: Dimitrios Efstathiou '96

Alumni Office (A): Can you introduce yourself?

Dimitrios Efstathiou (D): So, I’m Dimitrios Efstathiou, Class of 1996. I was at Breck from grades nine to 12.

A: What did you do after graduation from Breck?

D: After Breck, I went to Vassar College for my undergraduate degree, where I majored in International Relations and Italian with the intent to continue my graduate studies in international conflict resolution. I finished college and knew I needed to make money before graduate school. I used my degree plus skills in Italian to join the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Before hiring me, the DA’s Office tested my Italian language skills and were like, “Hey, this is great, you really know Italian.” On my first day working in the Rackets Bureau, they had me listen to wiretap recordings so I could transcribe them for relevant investigations. I put on my headphones, only to find out that the recordings were all of people speaking in a Sicilian dialect. I had to go to my boss and politely explain, “Sorry, I know you hired me for my Italian, but… I don’t understand a word of what they are saying!” Thankfully they kept me on at the DA’s Office, and I figured out the Sicilian dialect with the help of Italian American NYPD detectives! I ended up working at the DA’s Office for two years, where my mentor encouraged me to pursue law school where I could study international criminal law and conflict resolution. 

I attended Harvard Law School and The Fletcher School at Tufts University for a joint program created for diplomats and foreign relations professionals, and prepared to take the U.S. Foreign Service Officer Assessment. In the midst of that application process, I realized the Foreign Service wasn’t for me, and I found myself asking what else could I do that had law with a global perspective embedded into it. I quickly gravitated to international sport, and specifically soccer. This was not simply because I enjoyed the sport but because soccer is a lingua franca for all cultures across the world, and it is a tool that can build toward conflict resolution on an international scale. During law school, I was able to secure an internship at Major League Soccer (MLS), the first division professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada. 

At MLS, I learned quite a bit about the business of sport, but I also found out that there wasn’t a full-time job available at the time. My supervisor encouraged me to look for another position but to keep in touch in case an opportunity opens up in the future. As I was finishing law school, my family was splitting time between Minnesota and Greece. In order to be closer to my parents, I sought out legal positions in Europe, specifically London, where I could leverage my U.S. law qualifications. 

I landed an associate position at a very large London law firm, Allen & Overy, working within the equity capital markets practice. It wasn’t what I was necessarily interested in, but I got to pay off a good chunk of my student loans and I learned a lot about corporate finance. Equally important, the job exposed me to a variety of cultures across Europe and Africa. I worked on projects with Icelandic banks, Polish coal mines, Egyptian fertilizer companies, Greek recycling and mining, and even a Nigerian conglomerate that had cement, sugar and pasta factories (a fascinating combination). Throughout my time at the firm, I continued to work on getting back to soccer. I’d have a cup of coffee with someone from Arsenal FC or take a phone call with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), but nothing ever materialized. In my fifth year as a corporate lawyer, my old boss from MLS asked me if I was interested in applying to join their in-house legal team to work on commercial deals and the expansion of the league. 

I held three roles at Major League Soccer in the almost 11 years I was there. From 2011 to 2017 I was Senior Council and then the Vice President for Business and Legal Affairs. The legal team worked on league expansion, sponsorship agreements, media deals, and intellectual property matters. In 2017, I joined the sporting side of MLS as the Senior Vice President for Player Relations and Competition. The sporting side worked to create and maintain a competitive balance and integrity among the clubs, principally through league roster and budget rules. Since the MLS is a single-entity league, the Player Relations Department negotiated the agreements for each of the +800 players. As the league grew from 16 clubs to 29 clubs while I was at MLS, we also experienced incredible growth in the size, stature, and complexity of player deals.

In 2021, Atlanta United FC recruited me to join them as Vice President of Soccer Operations and Strategy. I was recently promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategy, and I have really enjoyed the move to the club side of the sport.

A: What motivates you in your role?

D: What motivates me is the broad concept of bringing us, and when I say us, I mean the sports fans of the United States and Canada, closer to the rest of the world. There are other sports we share with different countries, but soccer is a sport where you will have a connection anywhere you go. I want us to be a part of the larger fabric of the world, and I believe we can do that through a sport like soccer. Working in the soccer world does so much for our culture and community, and that is what drives me.

A: What legacy do you want to leave on soccer in the United States?

D: The lasting impact I would love to make on soccer in the United States is for everything from Apple TV to ESPN Top 10 to KARE 11 News or work conversations around the water cooler to be about soccer. Of course, MLS would be great, but I want soccer in general to be known.

A: What do you feel are your major work accomplishments?

D: The growth of the MLS is a meaningful accomplishment that I was a part of. At its beginning, only 16 clubs were in the MLS. Last year the league announced its 30th club, which will call San Diego home. The creation of the clubs, from my experience, has been and will continue to be deliberate and strategic. Expanding in ways that I’m proud of because we filled the map with real, local investment in professional sports. Now, you are seeing the rebirth and continued growth of women’s professional soccer in the USA, too. I find that playing a role in soccer in the USA is very meaningful.

A: Okay, past or present, with an unlimited budget and no salary caps, what footballer would you sign today?

D: I would sign Adam Davis ’96, the star captain of Breck’s Varsity Soccer team from 1994-95. He was a wall as a goalie and quite the leader. I’d bring him in for one game and be the happiest guy around! My second choice is to sign a promising local academy teenager. Atlanta United has an incredible academy system, and one of our club’s key goals is to develop homegrown talent. Caleb Wiley was an Atlanta United academy player that signed a professional contract before he turned 17. He is now 19 and is performing at an incredible level, a regular starter on our first team and has already appeared for the US Men’s National Team. I like to say our club plans for and talks in generations instead of short-term thinking, and our academy is at the core of that strategy.

A: Are there any lessons you learned at Breck that you use today?

D: I had a rough transition to Breck from my previous school. I had friends right away, so that wasn’t it. Breck was just really hard academically, and I needed to learn how to study when I arrived. Ms. Dulcinee Walsh stepped in after my first semester and told me, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Dimitrios, you have the capabilities, strength, and fortitude that I don’t think you are aware of right now. If you sit down, commit to the work, and trust the process, you can do it!” She taught me to love history, how to be comfortable asking for help, and how to approach academic challenges in a smarter way. She made a huge impact on me as a 14-year-old freshman. 

A: Do you get out on the pitch anymore?

D: Well, I ruptured my hamstring in my early 30s, so my glory days are well behind me.  But I do get out occasionally for Atlanta United staff pickup games. I always know my role in those games, though. When you play with former pros like Carlos Bocanegra (captain of the US Men’s National Team), Jonathan Spector (USA) and Gonzalo Pineda (Mexico), you are just happy to pass the ball to them. I am making sure I don’t go home injured! 

A: Thank you for your time, Dimitrios! We will be cheering for you and the team (except if you play against MNUFC). 

Dimitrios lives in Atlanta with his wife Misa, daughter Emi, and son Cadmus.