🏆 Inside a Journey to the MLS Front Office

Together with

Tunde Oguntimein is the Vice President of the Club Performance Group at Major League Soccer (MLS). He previously served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Commissioner and helped develop the league’s recently created club support department. Before joining MLS, he built his foundation through consulting, sports research, and a flurry of internships that spanned the NBA, Devils, and Nets. Tunde holds a master’s degree from Clemson and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

From Nigeria to the Boardroom

Tunde was born in Nigeria and moved to Baltimore as a kid, where his love for soccer never left him. Growing up in a household where education was everything – his mom a special education teacher, his dad a professor, and his three older sisters each carving out their own professional success – Tunde initially leaned toward a traditional route. “I started college as a chemical engineering major thinking maybe I’d go to med school,” he says. “But after the first semester, I just knew it wasn’t for me.”

Thanks to a strong high school foundation in math and computer science, he shifted gears and double-majored in math and financial economics at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County. The turning point came in a sports economics class, where he wrote a paper analyzing whether college stats could predict NBA success. The paper was eventually published – and sparked a realization. “I didn’t know anyone in the industry. I just knew I wanted in.”

Leaving Comfort Behind

After grad school at Clemson, Tunde joined a consulting firm outside Washington, D.C., working with global clients like Exxon and BP. He gained hard skills, presented at major conferences, and rose through the ranks—but something felt off. “I remember thinking, if I stay here, I could be here for 20 years. I’d do well, move up, but I’d always wonder what it felt like to work on something I really cared about.”

He saw colleagues get excited about oil and gas models. “And I was jealous of that,” he says. “For me, it was always sports. That’s what I talked about outside of work. That’s what I read about. That’s what I wanted.” So he started cold emailing. He sent his NBA draft research paper to every team in the league and read sports business news religiously, tracking how people broke in. Eventually, he bet on himself and enrolled at Columbia Business School. “I told myself, if I’m going to make this career pivot, I need to give it a real shot. Business school was my bridge.”

Coffee Chats and a Twist of Fate

At Columbia, Tunde fully immersed himself into the sports business ecosystem. He interned at the Devils, the Nets, the NBA, and a startup called Global Sports Analytics. “Every minute I wasn’t in class, I was building relationships in the industry.” One of those relationships turned into the break he needed. Gary Stevenson, current MLS Deputy Commissioner and Soccer United Marketing President, had once visited Columbia to guest lecture. Tunde helped him find the right room. They talked briefly, and Stevenson later texted to thank him. Two years later, a Chief of Staff role opened up under Stevenson to which Tunde interviewed and secured the position, sparking an almost seven year run at MLS.

Inside the Club Performance Group

Today, Tunde leads the Club Performance Group at MLS. “We’re kind of the league’s version of TMBO or Club Services,” he explains. “Our job is to help clubs improve commercially. Ticketing, sponsorships, marketing, reporting, best practices – you name it.”

He talks daily with club presidents and chief business officers, helping them tackle problems and scale solutions. “Sometimes we’re the middle layer between the club and the league. Sometimes we’re the extra hands on deck. Our role is to raise the floor and push the ceiling across all clubs.”

People > Prestige & A Career With Purpose

If he could go back, he’d tell his younger self to prioritize working for great people over dream job titles. “You could get your dream job at a big league or team and be miserable under a bad manager. Or you could take a smaller role with a great leader who invests in you, builds you up, and helps you get to that dream role the right way.”

Tunde’s “why” has evolved. It started with honoring his parents’ sacrifices and chasing a dream he wasn’t sure was possible. Now, it’s also about being an example for others. “There are a lot of people like me who didn’t grow up knowing this industry was an option,” he says. “If I can be that example, that blueprint, that proof – it means something.”

And for those trying to follow his path? “Immerse yourself. Read, listen, learn, reach out. One coffee chat could change your life.”

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