One person of color served as chief operating officer or president of a Major League Soccer team this year: Brazilian Orlando City CEO Alex Leitão.
While he's held that distinction the past two years, the league as a whole moved in a positive direction in its racial and gender hiring practices in 2016.
MLS slightly improved in both categories this year, resulting in a B+ overall grade in the 2016 MLS Racial and Gender Report Card released Wednesday by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.
MLS joins the NBA as the only professional leagues with a gender grade of B or better, according Richard Lapchick, principal author of the study and director of the institute.