San Diego is Getting a Major League Soccer Team
Major League Soccer will reportedly announce that its 30th team will be a San Diego soccer team at a press conference on Thursday.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, multiple sources have indicated that Major League Soccer’s official 30th team will be a San Diego soccer team. The league is expected to announce the news at a Snapdragon Stadium press conference on Thursday.
San Diego soccer has been rising in popularity in recent years. Still, an official entry into Major League Soccer will allow America’s Finest City to reach the highest levels of the sport in the United States.
Reportedly, British-Egyptian investor Mohamed Mansour partnered with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation to pay $500 million to establish the San Diego soccer team.
Although the announcement on Thursday will likely lack an unveiling of an official team name or crest, reports indicate that the team will begin playing soccer at the Mission Valley-based Snapdragon Stadium in February 2025.
Snapdragon Stadium, the official home of San Diego State Aztecs, has a 35,000-seat capacity. Once a lease agreement with SDSU is signed, the stadium will be home to both San Diego football and soccer.
It’s worth noting that San Diego’s existing Loyal Soccer Club, which has games you can attend, won’t be part of Thursday’s announcement. San Diego Loyal SC is in its fourth season of the USL Championship and plays at Torero Stadium at USD.
The Union-Tribune notes that Major League Soccer held discussions with San Diego Loyal but did not reach an agreement to merge. That means that Loyal will be an independent and separate San Diego soccer team.
San Diego was in direct competition with Las Vegas and Sacramento to score the 30th team spot but reportedly pulled ahead over the winter.
Mike Peterson is a writer, editor, and strategist based in San Diego. When he’s not writing and editing the La Jolla news, you can often find him practicing yoga, rock climbing, or exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog.
