San Diego a step closer to becoming MLS expansion team in 2024
The North American league continues with its expansion plans and talks for a new franchise in San Diego, California are underway.
There have been multiple new franchises entering MLS, some of them, such as Charlotte FC, Austin FC, Nashville SC, FC Cincinnati and LAFC, made their entrance with a bang and put themselves firmly under the spotlight. And now, it has emerged that a new team is aiming to be part the highest category of North America football.
The new team would be based in San Diego, California and, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, it would go hand in hand with an investment group led by an Egyptian billionaire. Mohamed Mansour, chairman of the Mansour Group, together with the Sycuan Casino Resort have plans to create their own soccer franchise in a state that already boasts three teams: LAFC, LA Galaxy and San José Earthquakes.
Mansour’s family already have experience in football - his son is behind Right To Dream, a project that includes Danish Super League outfit FC Nordsjaelland football academies in Egypt, United States, Denmark and Ghana - so his arrival in MLS would not be unexpected.
St. Louis CITY SC is the team which is set to make its MLS debut 2023 but the following year, San Diego would be competing with Las Vegas to be the next American city to host a men’s team. In Las Vegas, American billionaire Wes Edens is reportedly in talks to make the Villains the league’s 30th franchise.
Should Mohamed Mansour’s plan be executed, the plan would be for his team to play its home games at Snapdragon Stadium, home of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, the University of San Diego and San Diego Rugby League Legion. The building was inaugurated in August 2022 and has a capacity for 35,000 fans.