President of MLS NEXT Pro and Executive Vice President of MLS Sporting Development
Named President of MLS NEXT Pro in September 2025, Ali Curtis leads all business and sporting operations for the league, furthering its mission to develop top-tier talent and create new opportunities for clubs, players, and communities.
A seasoned executive with experience at both the league and club levels, Curtis also serves as EVP of Sporting Development at MLS, where he leads all aspects of MLS NEXT and directs On-Field Innovation initiatives that help advance the game across the MLS ecosystem. He is also part of the leadership of MLS ADVANCE, the League’s initiative to increase representation of underrepresented candidates in sporting leadership roles across the MLS ecosystem.
Before joining MLS NEXT Pro in 2022 as Senior Vice President of Competition and Operations, Curtis served as General Manager of Toronto FC (2019-2021). During his tenure, the club won the Eastern Conference Championship and advanced to MLS Cup in 2019.
Hired by the New York Red Bulls in 2014, Curtis became the first Black General Manager in MLS history. Under his leadership as Sporting Director, the club won the 2015 Supporters’ Shield and achieved back-to-back first place finishes in the Eastern Conference.
Prior to his executive roles at MLS clubs, Curtis worked in the MLS League Office in the Player Relations and Competition Departments (2007-2014). Before working in pro soccer, Curtis was an analyst at JP Morgan in Chicago and Los Angeles.
An accomplished player who spent four years in MLS, Curtis was a two-time NCAA National Player of the Year (Hermann Award – 1999, M.A.C. Award – 2000) and three-time All-American at Duke University, where he was inducted into the Blue Devils’ Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. Curtis remains the all-time leading goal scorer in Duke history. Selected second overall in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Curtis also went on to play for D.C. United and FC Dallas.
Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Curtis resides in New Jersey with his wife and two children.
