MLS Team Coming to San Diego, with Padres Star Machado as Owner
San Diego will be home to a new Major League Soccer team in 2025, the league announced on May 18, 2023. The 30th MLS club will be owned by British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, and a group of additional owners including San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado.
At a news conference, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Mansour, and Cody Martinez, chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, revealed that San Diego beat out Las Vegas for the new team. The transaction was estimated to cost $500 million, with Mansour purchasing the franchise for the lion share. Mansour is a 75-year-old billionaire who is believed to be worth nearly $4 billion.
Tom Penn, the former president of Los Angeles Football Club, will be the CEO of the San Diego MLS franchise. The team name and crest will be revealed at a later date, but the team will begin playing at Snapdragon Stadium starting in 2025.
San Diego already has two professional soccer teams, one playing in the National Women’s Soccer League and another in the United Soccer League. The addition of the MLS team is expected to generate even greater enthusiasm for soccer in the city.
With this announcement, San Diego becomes the ninth team to join the MLS since 2019, indicating the sport’s growth and popularity in the US. The arrival of a team in San Diego, with strong and supportive ownership, promises to boost the league’s visibility and reach.
