San Diego’s MLS expansion team doesn’t even have an official name yet, but the club is already making plans for a state-of-the-art practice facility as major construction projects continue around the league.
Spread across 28 acres, San Diego’s 125,000 square-foot campus will include a 50,000- square-foot sports performance center and five soccer fields. Total costs are reportedly expected to reach $150 million.
The team is set to begin MLS play in 2025, at which point it will become the league’s 30th club. San Diego will play home matches at Snapdragon Stadium, the $310 million, 35,000-seat stadium that opened in 2022 and is home to the NWSL’s San Diego Wave and the San Diego State Aztecs football team.
Coast-To-Coast Projects
Across MLS, game and practice venues have become a top priority for new and longtime clubs alike.
Inter Miami is building a $350 million stadium as part of a $1 billion development project it hopes to complete while Lionel Messi is still on the team. The Seattle Sounders say they’re interested in moving out of Lumen Field — the Seahawks’ 68,000-seat stadium — and into their own soccer-specific venue. NYCFC, which currently plays at Yankees Stadium, is on track to open a $780 million stadium by 2027.
Charlotte FC has a new practice center opening this fall, while the Colorado Rapids are eyeing new development around their home stadium. In addition, recent expansion teams in St. Louis and Austin have coincided with new stadiums in those markets.
