San Diego to split with Chucky Lozano after fall-out

Just one year into his four-year contract, San Diego FC have confirmed that they will be moving on from Mexican international Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano.

The news was announced on Friday, with SDFC sporting director Tyler Heaps confirming that he is not in the club’s plans for 2026. Heaps described the decision as a mixture of sporting reasons and the player’s desire for playing time.

Lozano’s premature departure comes after just one year with San Diego, a year that finished with the team topping the Western Conference and making it to the Western Conference final of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The former PSV and Napoli star was a statement signing for the ambitious expansion team ahead of the 2025 season. Lozano had extensive experience in Europe and the first-year club paid a $12 million transfer fee to secure his services.

Lozano made contributions across the season, with 11 goals and 9 assists in 31 MLS appearances. However he fell out of favor with head coach Mikey Varas and a locker room confrontation left him out of the starting XI for key games. Varas said of the incident: “We had a situation that we are dealing with internally.”

Given the form of MVP candidate Anders Dreyer and midseason arrival Amahl Pellegrino, Lozano struggled to regain his place in the team and was on the bench for San Diego’s Western Conference final against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Now 30 years old, Lozano’s $7.6 million annual salary was the fifth-highest in MLS, an enormous outlay for a player who is no longer a guaranteed starter for San Diego. Varas has already bolstered his attacking options with the arrival of Lewis Morgan from New York Red Bulls and he will be confident that the team can build again for 2026.

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