Major League Soccer announced  the addition of a new club in San Diego, California owned by billionaire businessman Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation with San Diego Padres star Manny Machado also in the ownership group.
“We are thrilled to welcome San Diego to Major League Soccer as our 30th team,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “For many years we have believed San Diego would be a terrific MLS market due to its youthful energy, great diversity, and the fact that soccer is an essential part of everyday life for so many people.”
The Sycuan Tribe is the first Native American tribe to have ownership of a major professional soccer team in the U.S. “Sycuan continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to the San Diego region,” said Sycuan tribal chairman Cody Martinez.
“Our MLS team will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community through their passion for the game.”
Soccer reporter Paul Tenario of The Athletic believes that the presence of the San Diego Padres, currently the only major professional sports team in the region, might make San Diego an especially ideal market for the MLS.
“I think MLS does feel quite confident that there is an appetite“ for soccer in San Diego, Tenario said.
“They‘ve seen historically when they‘ve gone into markets where there is less competition for pro sports, that there has been kind of a welcoming committee of fans for Major League Soccer.” The new team is expected to begin competing as an expansion club in 2025 in the city‘s Snapdragon Stadium, which is already home to the National Women‘s Soccer League‘s Wave FC.
The 35,000–seat venue that opened in 2022 and is located on the San Diego State University campus has already hosted major soccer events, including the NWSL‘s most–attended match and a friendly match between Mexico‘s Club Tijuana and Club América. It is also going to be a host venue for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, according to MLS.
The organization‘s team name and crest will be released in the buildup to their debut season, the release said. Fans can begin reserving spots on the list for 2025 season tickets by donating $18 at SanDiegoFC.com, which will go towards the development of youth soccer programs in San Diego County.
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