Major League Soccer has announced during a news conference at Snapdragon Stadium that an MLS team will be coming to San Diego, and Padres star Manny Machado is part of the ownership team.
After weeks of speculation, Major League Soccer today made it official that the 30th club will be sited in San Diego starting in 2025. MLS Commissioner Don Garber, British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour and Cody Martinez, chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, joined San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria during the announcement. 75-year-old Mohamed Mansour, who is believed to be worth nearly $4 billion, purchased the franchise for a reported $500 million.
The yet-to-be named club will be owned by Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, an indigenous American tribe that has been sited in the San Diego region for more than 12,000 years. San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado is also part of the ownership team. Additional owners include the Zephyr Partners' Brad Termini and the Right to Dream's Tom Vernon and Dan Dickinson.
Tom Penn, former president of Los Angeles Football Club, has been named as CEO for the San Diego MLS franchise, with a name and crest to be revealed at a later date. The club will enter the MLS league starting in the 2025 season and will play at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego's new club is the ninth new team added to the MLS since 2019. San Diego beat out Las Vegas to get the new team.
San Diego currently has two professional soccer clubs sited in the city. The San Diego Wave is part of the National Women’s Soccer League, and the San Diego Loyal compete in the United Soccer League (USL).
