Which players could San Diego’s MLS franchise sign? Who could the star player be?

San Diego have been awarded with the 30th MLS franchise as football continues to spread and grow in the United States. The Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour is the man who has brought the sport to the city on the Pacific Coast, and Tom Penn is the new club director.

Apart from that, we don’t know much else. We don’t even know what the name of the team is going to be. “We feel like we want to be either San Diego Football Club, so San Diego FC,” Penn said as he deliberated the difficult question consisting of four words, “Or should we put the football first, should it be Football Club of San Diego, like FC San Diego?”

But that’s enough of the executive waffle, now it’s time for the good stuff. What about the players? Who are they going to sign? Well, we’ve had some fun working out who might be on the cards for the new team...

Guillermo Ochoa

The first name on the list is Mexican goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa. The shot stopper has performed excellently well for Salernitana this season and as such, has popped up on lists of potential transfers for big clubs in Italy. But the goalkeeper is now 37-years-old, and just look at those palm trees in the photo above. I’m sure you can get a nice pizza in San Diego, Guille.

Roberto Firmino

Now Firmino has been confirmed as leaving Liverpool, the speculation will be rife regarding where he will end up next. So let’s start here. Firmino could move on and become the star player in a side that will rely on him in the same way as with Liverpool a few years ago. His European experience could prove incredibly valuable for the newly hatched side. And if you can understand the scousers, there’ll be no trouble with the accent in The States.

Neymar

Neymar seems unhappy wherever he goes. He used to smile in Barcelona, when summers were nicer and policemen were taller and the world was a happy place to be. But not anymore. Even Lionel Messi can’t catch a break when it comes to taking hits from the PSG ultras, so perhaps Ney needs to experience a less-pressured environment and one in which he can go back to being the smiley winger we got used to seeing.

Henry Martín

Liga MX’s top scorer may have his sights set on switching clubs given that he is doing fantastically well to conquer Mexico. San Diego’s ownership structure should not have problems in securing a wage structure that might appeal to the forward, and the player could see the new franchise as the perfect stepping stone to an even bigger move in the future.

Jesse Lingard

A wild card, I admit, but Lingard seems the kind of personality that would suit MLS and it’s social-media friendly approach. The 30-year-old still has a lot of playing time left but a season at Nottingham Forest, in which the team has not performed to the ideal standard they would have liked, may leave the player seeking pastures new, especially since his contract is up at the end of the season.

What about a manager?

Who other than Jesse Marsch to get Neymar back-heeling round the corner for Lingard’s assist to a rampant Henry Martín? The American coach would be the perfect PR guy to get the ball rolling, albeit in the central spaces, at the San Diego stadium. Marsch is out of work after being sacked by Leeds and had said on LinkedIn that “I’m taking some time to consider the right next step but until then, I’ll be enjoying time with family & friends.”