The excitement – and expectations – are finally starting to build for San Diego FC, the newest Major League Soccer franchise that debuts its start-up season in 2025.
Announced as an expansion team in May 2023, SDFC — the 11th MLS franchise with FC suffix as part of its name — unveiled its formal name, crest and team colors last October and broke ground a month later on its state-of-the art Right to Dream Academy and training center on the Sycuan Reservation east of El Cajon.
The club, whose ownership group includes Sir Mohamed Mansour of the London-based Man Capital firm, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and Padres’ star Manny Machado, Zephyr Partners’ Brad Termini and Right to Dream Group founder Tom Vernon and CEO Dan Dickinson, announced its first designated player signing on June 6.
Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, who has earned 70 caps for the Mexican National Team and has played for top clubs in Europe, has the honor of being the first face of the San Diego franchise.
“Signing a player of the international stature of ‘Chucky’ Lozano is the biggest possible endorsement of our project in San Diego,” SDFC owner and chairman Mansour said in a statement. “His journey from Pachuca, Mexico, to the world stage resonates with how Right to Dream provides the opportunities for talent everywhere, and we hope the story can inspire and motivate the next generation of talent in San Diego and around the world.”
Lozano, 28, a Mexico City native and graduate of Mexico’s Right to Dream Academy in Pachuca, signed a four-year contract with the San Diego MLS club through the 2028 season with two option years.
ESPN reported a proposed salary between $7 and $9 million, which would make him one of the highest plaid players in the league.
He certainly comes to SDFC steeped in accolades.
Lozano made his Mexican National Team debut in 2016 and has scored 18 goals and recorded 12 assists for El Tricolor. He represented his country in both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups with one goal and one assist to his credit. He played in 152 games for Mexican League team C.F. Pachuca, scoring 44 goals, while winning the 2016 Clausura and 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League.
Lozano also has started to develop an international pedigree. He has collected one Serie A trophy in Italy with Napoli (2022-23) and two Eredivisie titles in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven.
Napoli paid a reported $46.5 million transfer fee for Lozano in 2019 to make him the most expensive Mexican player in history.
Lozano will officially come under contract to SDFC on Jan. 1, 2025. He will continue to play for his current European club, PSV Eindhoven, through the end of the 2024 calendar year.
“It’s an honor to join San Diego FC as the club’s first Designated Player,” Lozano said in a news release. “It’s exciting to be part of history as we build a club that will compete for championships in MLS. In every country I have played, I always strive to leave a mark, and making an impact for San Diego and in MLS is very important to me.”
MLS’s “designated player” rule allows clubs to sign up to three players whose total compensation and acquisition costs exceed the maximum salary of $683,750. Only the $683K counts toward a team’s salary cap.
Lozano was officially introduced to the San Diego soccer community at a June 13 press conference at Snapdragon Stadium, followed by a fan celebration that evening at the Rady Shell downtown waterfront venue.
Still to come is an announcement on the first head coach in club history. That will be another chapter in club history.
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is the first Native American tribe to be part of an ownership group of a professional soccer team in the United States. Tribal land will serve as a home operating base for the MLS entry, making San Diego FC an ambassador for East County.
The 28-acre site on the northwest portion of the reservation will include training facilities shared by the first team and its associated Right to Dream Academy San Diego youth teams. Cost of the project is $150 million. It’s designed as a pathway to the future for youth on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Right to Dream Academy San Diego is part of the club’s overall 125,000-square-foot campus that will be shared by the club’s first team and academy teams. Besides a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot sports performance center, the sprawling campus will include five full-sizedfields (three natural grass and two synthetic).
“Right to Dream San Diego will also offer several firsts in the U.S. and MLS footballing landscapes, including a fully funded school, residences, and football academy that offers pathways for young talent to flourish both on and off the field,” Vernon said. “As we have in Ghana, Denmark and Egypt, we will provide opportunities to student-athletes to reach their academic potential, affect positive change in their communities and become world-class football players.”
The San Diego residential academy is something in particular that attracted Lozano, a graduate of the Right to Dream Academy in Pachuca, to sign with the San Diego club.
“The club’s project and plans for San Diego’s Right to Dream Academy resonated deeply with the career path I’ve had in this sport,” he said. “I identified with the project immediately and I am confident we will be able to help a lot of youth players from both sides of the border. I am beyond excited and look forward to finishing the year strong with PSV Eindhoven and joining San Diego FC at the start of 2025.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber called the development of young players, boys and girls “a big part of the DNA of our league.”
“To see this project come to life is incredible,” Machado said. “It’s important for me to leave a lasting legacy in San Diego, which has been so supportive. Our San Diego FC vision for the youth development academy means there will be more opportunities for young San Diego athletes, boys and girls, who may not have otherwise had them.”
Local themes highlight the soccer team’s mantra.
The club’s brand identity, which includes recognition of the 18 cities that comprise the county, has been co-created with fans and supporters, according to San Diego FC CEO Tom Penn.
“We believe our crest truly reflects the essence and spirit of San Diego,” Penn said. “Our club strives to become the epicenter of football excellence and innovation in North America.”
Much like the San Diego Loyal of the USL Championship accomplished during its love relationship with fans during its four-year stay in the region (2020-23), San Diego FC is reaching out to embrace aficionados throughout its territory.
SDFC is celebrating the 18 cities in San Diego County via its Chrome Ball Tour to recognize diverse neighborhoods through a blend of soccer, arts, vibrant cultures and overall friendship and goodwill.
The tour kicked off with a party Jan. 13 in Mission Valley and continued with stops Jan. 27 in Oceanside, Feb. 3 in Escondido, Feb. 17 in Poway, March 2 in Santee, May 4 in Chula Vista and May 25 in Vista and is set to continue July 27 in Solana Beach, Aug. 3 in Carlsbad and Aug. 25 in Encinitas. Additional stops are planned in Coronado in July, El Cajon, National City and San Marcos in September, La Mesa and Imperial Beach in October, Lemon Grove and Del Mar in November, and San Diego in December.
The Santee tour stop at Town Center Park East featured a daylong celebration that that included an adult 11-versus-11 format, youth 7-versus-7 format, knockout tournaments, merchandise prizes and food trucks.
Each tour stop features collector’s edition swag, including posters and patches designed by local artists. Attendees who collect all 18 city badges throughout the year-long tour will be entered to win special prizes.
“San Diego FC’s Chrome Ball Tour underscores how football thrives throughout San Diego, fostering unity, creativity, and a shared passion that transcends the boundaries of sport,” Penn said. “The tour not only celebrates the beautiful game but also seamlessly weaves together football, art, and San Diego’s rich cultural fabric. We are excited for fans to celebrate with us and demonstrate how the spirit of the game resonates with the soul of our city.”
