Major League Soccer is adding an expansion franchise in San Diego, commissioner Don Garber announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The club, which CEO Tom Penn said will either be called San Diego Football Club or Football Club of San Diego, is co-owned by Egyptian billionaire and former politician Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. Padres star Manny Machado is also joining the investor group, per the league.
- Team ownership is paying a reported $500 million expansion fee.
- The club is set to play at Snapdragon Stadium, which is also the home to the NWSL’s San Diego Wave FC.
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MLS in San Diego: The history, context and next steps
Backstory
The reported expansion fee is $175 million more than Charlotte FC owner David Tepper paid when he purchased an MLS franchise in 2019. It’s also 67 times larger than the $7.5 million fee Real Salt Lake paid to enter the league in 2005.
With St. Louis City SC starting this season, 2023 marks the seventh straight year the league has expanded, adding nine new teams since 2019.
Garber previously said the hope was that MLS would be able to announce its 30th expansion team by the end of the year. Garber has also said he’s open to the possibility of MLS expansion beyond 30 teams. MLS could target two…
