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Major League Soccer (MLS) will be welcoming its 30th team with the announcement that San Diego is set to become the home of the league’s newest franchise. The team is expected to be launched by Egyptian billionaire and UK Tory treasurer, Mohamed Mansour, who is rumored to have paid a staggering fee of $500 million to secure the expansion slot.
The San Diego Tribune reports that this record-breaking amount will surpass the previous MLS expansion fee record of $325 million held by Charlotte FC in 2019. The Kumeyaay Nation’s Sycuan Tribe, whose 12,000-year history in the area is well-known, are also believed to join the team’s ownership group.
This new San Diego soccer team is expected to begin playing in the MLS in 2025 and will share the 35,000-capacity Snapdragon Stadium with the National Women’s Soccer League’s San Diego Wave. This stadium, which opened only last year, will also be shared with the Aztecs football team of San Diego State and the American Professional Rugby Union’s San Diego Legion.
San Diego will become home to the fourth MLS team in California, along with the Los Angeles Galaxy, LA FC, and San Jose Earthquakes. Though not part of the MLS, the San Diego Loyal of the second-division USL Championship, headed by US national team legend Landon Donovan, have been playing in the city since 2019.
The addition of a new team to the MLS promises to bring added excitement, competition, and entertainment to the league in the coming years. Fans are already buzzing with anticipation for the arrival of the San Diego team and excited to see how they will fare against the already well-established California clubs. As the San Diego expansion moves forward, it will be interesting to see what other surprises the future has in store for this ever-expanding league.
Credit: frontofficesports.com
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