Soccer hotbed San Diego to join MLS in 2025
After many months of speculation, MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed Thursday that San Diego will join Major League Soccer as the league's 30th franchise.
"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," Garber said, per the league's website.
San Diego's MLS franchise brings several interesting storylines to the league. It's a joint venture between Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, making it the first American soccer franchise to be owned by an indigenous tribe.
San Diego will also be a part of the Right to Dream Academy system, one of the biggest networks of youth soccer development programs in the world. RTD runs national academies in Ghana, Egypt and Denmark and hopes to leverage San Diego to nurture Mexican and American talent for the national teams of Mexico and the U.S.
"We expect to be the youngest team in MLS," RTD owner Tom Vernon told the San Diego Tribune. "We want to be part of the next chapter of the U. S. men's national team. We've done that in Ghana. We've done it in Denmark. We want to do that here.
"As a result, we'll give the fan base here [in San Diego] the ability to see some of the absolute most talented teenagers in the world playing in MLS."
The as-yet-unnamed San Diego franchise will play at Snapdragon Stadium, the home of the National Women's Soccer League's San Diego Wave FC. The Wave has shattered NWSL attendance records at Snapdragon and hosted the biggest NWSL crowd in history there in its debut season.
San Diego's entrance is a blow to Las Vegas. Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris fought for Vegas to receive San Diego's MLS spot and may have to wait years for the next entrance opportunity.
But even Edens and Sawiris can't argue with San Diego's credentials. It has been an American soccer hub for generations.
"San Diego is a community with a rich sporting history and long considered the heart of soccer development in North America," future San Diego CEO Tom Penn said. "With the addition of MLS, we will inspire lasting change through the sport in San Diego and unite soccer fans throughout the region."
More must-reads: