San Diego Loyal SC
San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California.[3] The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan.[4] San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the USL Championship.[5]
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Full name | San Diego Loyal Soccer Club | ||
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Founded | June 20, 2019 | ||
Stadium | Torero Stadium | ||
Capacity | 6,000[1] | ||
Owner | Andrew Vassiliadis[2] Warren Smith Landon Donovan | ||
Executive VP | Landon Donovan | ||
Manager | Landon Donovan | ||
League | USL Championship | ||
2020 | 4th, Western Conference Group B Playoffs: DNQ | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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History
On June 20, 2019, San Diego was awarded an expansion team in the USL Championship to debut in 2020 or 2021.[3] Warren Smith, one of the co-founders of Sacramento Republic FC, was named the President of the new club.[6][7] Former USMNT, LA Galaxy, and San Jose Earthquakes player Landon Donovan, was named the Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations.[6][7] He was named as the club's first manager on November 14.[8] The team's name and crest were developed through fan engagement to reflect the interests of the city.[7] On March 7, 2020, the team played their first competitive match, a 1–1 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC.
The Loyal forfeited a league match against LA Galaxy II on September 25, 2020, following the alleged use of a racial slur by Omar Ontiveros against Elijah Martin, one of the Loyal's Black players. The match had been played to a 1–1 draw and Ontiveros was later suspended for seven matches by the USL Championship.[9] A week later, the team forfeited another match against Phoenix Rising FC by walking out after halftime following the alleged use of a homophobic slur against Collin Martin, an openly gay player, by Junior Flemmings.[10][11] As a result of the two forfeits, the Loyal failed to qualify for the USL playoffs.[12]
Stadium
The team signed a three-year letter of commitment to play at Torero Stadium.[7] Moreover, the initial three-year commitment comes with a series of one-year options for the following four years.[13] The team will initially focus on building a fan base and brand at Torero, noting that the stadium could be expanded to a capacity of 8,000.[13] Moreover, the team noted the possibility of sharing the prospective San Diego State University West stadium, at a 35,000 capacity, as a potential site for future years if they can cultivate the fan support.[13]
Supporters
The first recognized supporters group established to support the team was The Locals Supporters Group.[14]
Sponsorship
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2020–present | Adidas[15] | Stone Brewing |
Players and staff
Roster
- As of February 2, 2021[16]
Management and staff
Technical Staff | |
---|---|
EVP of soccer operations, manager | Landon Donovan |
Associate head coach | Nate Miller |
Goalkeeping coach | Matt Hall |
Senior advisor | Paul Buckle |
Senior advisor | Shannon MacMillan |
Front office staff | |
Chairman | Andrew Vassiliadis |
President & CEO | Warren Smith |
Team records
Year-by-year
- As of September 30, 2020
San Diego Loyal SC | ||||||||||||||
Season | USL Championship | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top Scorer 1 | Head Coach | Team Captain(s) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | |||||
2020 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 4th, Western Group B |
Did not qualify | Cancelled | ![]() |
7 | ![]() |
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^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Managers
- Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Landon Donovan | ![]() |
November 14, 2019 | present | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 37.50 |
External links
References
- "Second-division USL team in San Diego prepares to start in 2020". San Diego Union-Tribune. September 17, 2019.
- Diego, USL San (October 1, 2019). "SAN DIEGO NATIVE ANDREW VASSILIADIS ANNOUNCED AS CHAIRMAN". San Diego Loyal SC.
- USLSoccer com Staff (June 19, 2019). "United Soccer League Awards USL Championship Franchise in San Diego Market". USL Championship. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- "Landon Donovan to bring pro soccer to San Diego". fox5sandiego.com. June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- Zeigler, Mark (September 16, 2019). "Second-division USL team in San Diego prepares to start in 2020". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- "Executives". www.uslsandiego.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- "Landon Donovan, Warren Smith bring USL to San Diego". SI.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- "San Diego Loyal Announces Landon Donovan as Manager". San Diego Loyal SC. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- Ziegler, Mark (September 25, 2020). "San Diego Loyal forfeit soccer game to protest racial incident". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Ziegler, Mark (October 1, 2020). "San Diego, Phoenix soccer teams trade accusations, denials in alleged homophobic incident". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Bumbaca, Chris (October 1, 2020). "San Diego Loyal forfeits match after opposing player allegedly directed homophobic slur at Collin Martin". USA Today. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Ziegler, Mark (September 30, 2020). "San Diego Loyal walks off field after alleged homophobic slur; Phoenix player issues denial". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- "Second-division USL soccer team coming to San Diego". San Diego Union-Tribune. June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- "SD Loyal Supporter Groups". San Diego Loyal SC. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- "KITTED OUT: SD Loyal Announces Partnership with Adidas". USLChampionship.com Staff. January 18, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- "2020 Roster". sdloyal.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- "Administration". San Diego Loyal SC. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- "Technical Staff". San Diego Loyal SC. Retrieved November 16, 2019.