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MLS commissioner Don Garber diagnosed with prostate cancer

Don Garber has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999. (Bloomberg via Getty Images) Major League Soccer announced Saturday that its
Liviu Bird|
MLS commissioner Don Garber diagnosed with prostate cancer
MLS commissioner Don Garber diagnosed with prostate cancer

Don Garber has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Major League Soccer announced Saturday that its commissioner, Don Garber, will continue running the league despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer. His treatment at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York will be followed by surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

"Obviously, no one wants to hear that they have cancer," Garber, 56, said in a statement published on the league website. “However, I am being treated by exceptional doctors at two of the top hospitals in the world and am confident, as are they, that the prostate cancer will be successfully treated with a full recovery."

According to the league release and Garber's comments, the cancer has not spread. His doctors believe they caught it early enough to ensure a full recovery.

“Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. It will affect one in seven men during their lifetime," Garber said. “I hope through my experience that I will be able to create awareness of prostate cancer and encourage men to get regular testing, the surest way to ensure a successful outcome for those who get the disease."

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Liviu Bird
LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).

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