Major League Soccer is coming to San Diego. On Thursday, May 18, the Major League Soccer commissioner announced San Diego as the 30th MLS team.
San Diego will be the newest team in MLS which will start to play in 2025, an announcement made during a ceremony at Snapdragon Stadium. Commissioner Don Garber had a few words to say while at the ceremony,
"We are thrilled to welcome Sand Diego to Major League Soccer as our 30th team. 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 club name and crest will be announced at a later date.
Where will the San Diego MLS team play?
The newest MLS team will be playing in Snapdragon Stadium, where the NWSL team, San Diego Wave FC, currently plays. Snapdragon Stadium opened its doors in 2022, which is a 35,000-seat facility that is located on the San Diego State University campus. The stadium has a pitch that is natural grass and has held a Liga MX friendly between Club Tijuana and Club America.
A closer look at the San Diego MLS ownership
There are a few big names that have been welcomed as the ownership team for the new team. The club is owned by Mohamed Mansour, which is a distinguished entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. Mansour also has ties with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. Thanks to Mansour, the Sycuan Tribe will become the first Native American tribe to have any type of ownership stake in Major League Soccer in the United States.
Another founding partner in the ownership is Major League Baseball All-star, Manny Machado. Along with Mansour and Machado, Brad Termini (CO-founder, Zephyr Partners), Tom Vernon (Founder, Right to Dream) and Dan Dickinson (Board Member, Right to Dream) will also make up the ownership. Sports executive Tom Penn will be in the position of the club's CEO. Tom Penn also had some words to say at the ceremony.
"San Diego is a community with rich sporting history and long considered the heart of soccer development in North America. With the addition of MLS, we will inspire lasting change through the sport in San Diego and unite soccer fans throughout the region."
How to reserve season tickets
If you would like to be able to get season tickets to San Diego's inaugural MLS season, you can be able to go to www.SanDiegoFC.com and donate $18. All the proceeds of the season ticket sales go to the San Diego Foundation to help the development of youth soccer across San Diego County.