From Voice of San Diego today --
The Two Popes of San Diego Soccer
San Diegans have been told a Major League Soccer franchise is around the corner for decades. But Charlie Brown may finally be kicking that ball.
Representatives from SDSU (whose Snapdragon Stadium could host a team), the investment partners (which includes the Sycuan tribe and an investment group helmed by an Egyptian billionaire) and MLS officials are set to meet in San Diego this week. The U-T reported that an announcement of a deal could come later this month. The partners may have to pay an expansion fee of as much as $500 million.
How it works: People don’t own MLS teams. They pay the fee to own a piece of the MLS itself, a company.
Not so loyal: The news seems to have left out San Diego’s existing professional soccer team, San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, which plays in the USL, the United Soccer League. The USL is the Division II league, the lower level below MLS. It’s long been speculated Loyal’s leadership hoped to eventually buy into the MLS and promote the team to that level.
The new investment group appears to not be interested in partnering with Loyal, however. And that has left some local soccer fans pretty salty.
MLS is undoubtedly exciting to soccer fans but some have spent a lot of time building a community around Loyal.
“They’ve spent the last 4+ years of their lives dedicated to San Diego Loyal and you’ll have to give them some reason that they’re gonna leave the club that they’ve really fallen in love with,” said Darren Smith, a sports talk show host with San Diego Sports 760.
This isn’t Europe: In other parts of the world, soccer teams can move into higher leagues by performing well. But USL teams can’t move into the MLS. It has happened before, but only after major investments.
A statement tweeted out on Wednesday by the Loyal seems to confirm that dream is in jeopardy. “We have become aware of an independent ownership group that intends to launch their own club in San Diego,” the tweet read, referencing the investment group in talks with the MLS.
Still, as the name would suggest, the team wrote that that isn’t giving up on San Diego. “Our unwavering commitment is to the vision of growing soccer in this city … We aren’t going anywhere.”
The Two Popes of San Diego Soccer
San Diegans have been told a Major League Soccer franchise is around the corner for decades. But Charlie Brown may finally be kicking that ball.
Representatives from SDSU (whose Snapdragon Stadium could host a team), the investment partners (which includes the Sycuan tribe and an investment group helmed by an Egyptian billionaire) and MLS officials are set to meet in San Diego this week. The U-T reported that an announcement of a deal could come later this month. The partners may have to pay an expansion fee of as much as $500 million.
How it works: People don’t own MLS teams. They pay the fee to own a piece of the MLS itself, a company.
Not so loyal: The news seems to have left out San Diego’s existing professional soccer team, San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, which plays in the USL, the United Soccer League. The USL is the Division II league, the lower level below MLS. It’s long been speculated Loyal’s leadership hoped to eventually buy into the MLS and promote the team to that level.
The new investment group appears to not be interested in partnering with Loyal, however. And that has left some local soccer fans pretty salty.
MLS is undoubtedly exciting to soccer fans but some have spent a lot of time building a community around Loyal.
“They’ve spent the last 4+ years of their lives dedicated to San Diego Loyal and you’ll have to give them some reason that they’re gonna leave the club that they’ve really fallen in love with,” said Darren Smith, a sports talk show host with San Diego Sports 760.
This isn’t Europe: In other parts of the world, soccer teams can move into higher leagues by performing well. But USL teams can’t move into the MLS. It has happened before, but only after major investments.
A statement tweeted out on Wednesday by the Loyal seems to confirm that dream is in jeopardy. “We have become aware of an independent ownership group that intends to launch their own club in San Diego,” the tweet read, referencing the investment group in talks with the MLS.
Still, as the name would suggest, the team wrote that that isn’t giving up on San Diego. “Our unwavering commitment is to the vision of growing soccer in this city … We aren’t going anywhere.”
