Hirving Lozano sends powerful message to San Diego FC ahead of 2025 MLS after leaving European soccer

As preparations for the 2025 MLS season ramp up, one team generating significant buzz is San Diego FC. The league’s newest franchise has Mexican star Hirving Lozano leading the charge on the field. With the season opener approaching, Lozano has set high expectations for the team and its fans.

Lozano has left a legacy at every club he’s played for, winning trophies with Pachuca, PSV Eindhoven, and Napoli, where he famously helped secure their first Serie A title in 30 years. Now with San Diego FC, Lozano is ready to guide the team to prominence. During MLS Media Day, the forward made his ambitions clear.

“Leaving a mark at the clubs I’ve been with is something very important and very special. I’m coming in with all the energy and the right attitude to make San Diego an important team in MLS. We want to win many titles—that’s my goal. It’s very difficult, but it can be done. That’s why we need to work hard to achieve it,” the Mexican star stated to the media.

While it’s San Diego’s debut season, Lozano remains confident in the team’s potential: “My goal is to make the playoffs. It might sound arrogant, but I’d like to be a champion. It’s going to be very difficult, and we’ll have to work extremely hard because it’s a new club with new teammates and new players.”

Lozano first moved to Europe in 2017, joining Dutch club PSV Eindhoven from Pachuca in a transfer worth around $20M. After eight successful years abroad, the 29-year-old returns to North America being the second highest paid in the league behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, not for a retirement plan, but for a fresh challenge.

“My choice to come here was because of the league. The league is growing a lot, bringing in important players from around the world, players who are competing in Europe. The San Diego project also caught my attention. I felt a very strong connection with the project… Being in that area, between Mexico and the United States, and helping young players grow within the Right to Dream project, is something very beautiful. It can help young people achieve their dreams.”

When does San Diego FC’s 2025 MLS season begin?

San Diego FC will make its MLS debut against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, February 23. The team’s home opener at Snapdragon Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, March 1, against St. Louis City SC.

As the newest addition to the league, San Diego FC increases MLS’s total to 30 teams. The 2025 season will feature each team playing 34 regular-season games: 17 at home and 17 on the road. Of those, 28 will be against conference opponents (home-and-away format), while the remaining six will be cross-conference matchups (three at home and three away).