Major League Soccer officially unveiled its 30th team on Thursday in San Diego.
“We scouted the globe for the right opportunity with soccer, and San Diego ticked all the boxes,” said team chairman Mohamed Mansour. “Today feels to me in some ways like 1,000 birthdays have come together.”
The investment firm Mansour chairs, Man Capital — an early investor in Facebook, Uber, AirBnB, and owner of “one of the world’s largest logistic companies” in Long Beach — also owns Danish Superliga club Nordsjaelland.
Mansour will co-own the team with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
“We think seven generations in the future in Native American culture, and this is another effort in securing seven generations for the Sycuan Tribe,” said Sycuan chairman Cody Martinez. The tribe owns the Sycuan Casino Resort east of San Diego.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who is currently playing out a $350 million contract, will also own a part of the team.
The club will pay a $500 million expansion fee, shattering the $325 million MLS record set by Charlotte in 2019.
The team — which hasn’t been named as of Thursday — will begin play in 2025 at Snapdragon Stadium, which it will share with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave.
