The 2025 season will see San Diego FC take the field as the newest Major League Soccer team.

In a league announcement made on October 20, the proprietors of the organization revealed which Californian squad would debut in the North American competition.

The group had previously announced that they would go under one of two names. One option was Football Club San Diego, and the other was San Diego Football Club. To highlight the city’s name initially, they settled on San Diego FC.

Chrome and azul, a shade of blue, will serve as a tribute to the great Pacific. Subtle shades of orange, yellow, and red will make up the crest. What’s more, this new club will join the other 14 teams in the Western Conference of MLS.

Their owner is Mohamed Mansour, a British-Egyptian businessman who is friends with Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres. So far, three players have been officially announced. In addition to the two Danes from Nordsjaelland, Marcus Ingvartsen, and Jeppe Tverskov, there is also American goalkeeper Duran Ferree.

San Diego plan to start strong in MLS

The club reportedly plan to make a splash in MLS even though they won’t be playing until next year. As an expansion franchise, reports say they are looking to add Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to their roster. They also want technical director Hugo Sanchez to join their executive staff

“The new MLS club for 2025, San Diego FC, owned by Egyptian-Englishman Sir Mohamed Mansour and Padres baseball player Manny Machado, is thinking about this combination: Hugo Sanchez as coach and Guillermo Ochoa as the first captain”, Marca say.

Interestingly, Hugo Sanchez has not coached a club since 2012, while Ochoa will be a free agent next season. This has led to speculation about a potential agreement with San Diego FC.

San Diego FC are planning their squad ahead of the 2025 season
San Diego FC are planning their squad ahead of the 2025 season

‘La Jugada’ star Hugo enjoyed a fantastic run as a Televisa commentator from 2000-2006. He covered the World Cup, the Liga MX playoffs, and more. He never passed up an opportunity to be considered for a position with Real Madrid, Pumas, or Cruz Azul while working as a sports pundit.

But the MLS newcomers are keeping tabs on Neymar as well, POSTA Deportes claims. By June 30, 2025, his contract with Al-Hilal will have expired. The Brazilian is currently recovering from cruciate ligament damage that he sustained in October of last year.

Neymar has other plans though

But recently, there have been more and more rumors that he is returning to Brazil. The winger is considering Santos as a potential club to play for in the near future as he seeks to return to his roots.

After the Paulista Championship final between Santos and Palmeiras, Neymar reportedly made his way to the locker room to address the whole team. Even more importantly, he assured the players that he would be back with Santos next summer, UOL report.

In fact, further reports from Brazil claim that the 32-year-old’s plan is more forward. Not only does he want to play for his dream club again, but he also dreams of owning a stake in them.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport