FC San Diego or San Diego FC will join the league in 2025
The newest MLS franchise will use one of the oldest name templates in the books.
At Thursday’s official unveiling of San Diego as the league’s 30th team, club CEO Tom Penn said that it would either be named FC San Diego or San Diego FC.
“We want to be either be San Diego Football Club, so San Diego FC, or should we put the football first? Should it be Football Club of San Diego, like FC San Diego?” Penn told reporters.
“So we had to pick one to start, and we’ll see which way it goes. But that’s the fundamental question right out of the block: Should we put the football first or put San Diego first? We’re going to listen to everybody on that. And then we’ll come up with our crest and our colors. And I would say sometime summer or early fall, we’ll do another big announcement to show our real brand.”
For those wondering what the team name will be for San Diego’s new @MLS squad. CEO Tom Penn let us know early!
The naming convention would put San Diego alongside eight current teams whose names are a variation of their city plus the “FC” abbrevation: Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati, New York City FC, Toronto FC, Austin FC, FC Dallas, and Los Angeles FC.
In other words, when San Diego enters MLS in 2025, those teams will make up nearly one-third of the league.
The club could have really gone on a limb if it just tweaked one letter: Nashville SC is the only MLS team to use the aforementioned naming convention, but with a SC instead of an FC.
Red Bulls players voted to allow Vanzeir to rejoin the group
Dante Vanzeir is back training with the New York Red Bulls after the conclusion of a six-game suspension for using a racial epithet.
Following accusations from San Jose Earthquakes players, Vanzeir eventually admitted that he had called a Black player a “monkey” during a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Arena on April 8.
“Dante Vanzeir began a comprehensive program, including emotional accountability, restorative practice and cultural sensitivity sessions in mid-April with the outside firm. He continues to have sessions now and moving forward,” said the Red Bulls’ statement.
“We have held restorative process sessions with our players, sporting and front office staff, academy players and their parents or guardians. Vanzeir met with the team as he re-entered training and was unanimously approved to be able to return to the team in an anonymous player vote.”
Significant fallout for Red Bulls
Vanzeir returns to a club that has significantly changed since he used racist language. Former head coach Gerhard Struber’s disastrous handling of the situation — he refused calls to substitute Vanzeir from the San Jose Earthquakes, and possibly from some Red Bulls players, a choice he eventually admitted was a mistake — sparked fury among fans, who staged a walkout of their home match against the Houston Dynamo on April 15.
Between the fan outrage and a poor start to the season, Struber was dismissed on May 8.
Interim head coach Troy Lesesne addressed Vanzeir’s return to training on Friday, confirming the team statement’s assertion that the player vote for Vanzeir’s return to training was unanimous.
Lesense speaks for 5+ minutes on Vanzeir’s return to the team, talks about process Vanzeir has taken over the last six weeks. Talks about the team’s unanimous vote for his return. Adds: “While Dante used a hateful word, we have learned that Dante is not a hateful person.” #RBNY
Vanzeir’s suspension drew intense criticism from former MLS/USMNT forward Charlie Davies. The ban ended following Wednesday night’s scoreless draw at Toronto FC, meaning Vanzeir is eligible to play in Saturday’s home game against CF Montréal. It is unclear whether he will take part, especially after not training with the club for over a month.
Over the last eight years, MLS has really upped its game in terms of stadiums.
Between new expansion teams coming into the league and existing clubs building new homes, MLS has found itself in 12 new venues over that time period. Of that group, 11 are soccer-specific, meaning the league has never had better conditions on gameday than it has right now.
If anything, MLS’s pace in terms of building stadiums has accelerated of late, with five new arenas opening since the start of 2021. That push will continue in the years to come, with projects in Miami and New York City in progress and expansion in San Diego bringing another new venue into the league.
The league announced on Thursday that it will launch an expansion team in San Diego, with the new side beginning play starting with the 2025 season.
The expansion side will play at Snapdragon Stadium, which is also home to the San Diego Wave of the NWSL and San Diego State football. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour — whose Mansour Group already owns Danish top-flight club FC Nordsjaelland — will lead the new team’s ownership group, which includes the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, and other local investors.
“We are thrilled to welcome San Diego to Major League Soccer as our 30th team,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber. “For many years we have believed San Diego would be a terrific MLS market due to its youthful energy, great diversity, and the fact that soccer is an essential part of everyday life for so many people. Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Tribe have an incredible vision for building a club that will inspire and unite soccer fans throughout the city and region.”
The team does not have any links with the city’s existing men’s pro team, the USL Championship’s San Diego Loyal. On May 10, that club’s owner Andrew Vassiliadis released a statement saying that the Loyal “aren’t going anywhere.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the expansion fee required to join MLS is “in the $500 million neighborhood,” which would by some distance constitute a new league record. In 2020, Charlotte FC was widely reported to have put $325 million up to become MLS’s 28th team.
MLS has figured out a lot about expansion best practices. Every league newcomer from 2015 onward has, from an attendance, exposure, and business perspective, been a healthy addition at worst. Los Angeles FC and Atlanta United in particular stand out as two of the best expansion teams in league history.
The 17-month runway San Diego has before they’ll have to start doing things like making draft picks and conducting a preseason is enough time for them to build a club infrastructure. That is undoubtedly the hard part, as expansion teams like FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC have discovered.
There are other potential stumbling blocks. Snapdragon Stadium’s full dance card (they also host pro rugby) will be particularly difficult in the fall, when the college football season begins. As D.C. United and the Washington Spirit have found while sharing Audi Field with the XFL’s D.C. Defenders, football is very rough on a soccer playing surface, and unlike that groundsharing situation, the San Diego State Aztecs are the stadium’s primary tenant.
Beyond the competition for soccer fans existing with the new MLS side, the Wave, and the Loyal, there is also at least some history of San Diego having affinity for Liga MX. To some extent, locals have adopted Club Tijuana, whose Estadio Caliente is just 24 miles south of Snapdragon Stadium.
That said, between MLS’s ability to bring new teams online in recent years and the deep pockets behind this San Diego expansion franchise, it stands to reason that the new team will enjoy a launch similar to that of the Wave, who despite being in only their second season hold the top two spots for single-game attendance in NWSL history.
Xherdan Shaqiri tops the list, with Lorenzo Insigne not far behind
The MLS Players Association has unveiled its latest salary guide, which details how much every MLS player is making in the 2023 campaign.
Foreign imports dominate the top earners, as Jozy Altidore at the 18th spot is the only American or Canadian among the top 25.
However, Mexico internationals Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and Héctor Herrera come in at third and sixth, respectively, with Carlos Vela and Rodolfo Pizarro also among the top 13.
Toronto FC and the LA Galaxy, the two teams who have the largest collective spends on players, each have two players in the top seven earners in the league. So far, that expenditure has not translated into results on the pitch.
Here, we rank the top 25 MLS earners in the 2023 season, with each salary listed in guaranteed compensation.
There is more than just a philosophical change happening with the Red Bulls under Lesesne
HANOVER, N.J. and HARRISON, N.J. — With “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing in the background, the culture shift around the New York Red Bulls over the past week couldn’t be any clearer. From a drab, at times stoic approach that has dominated the Red Bulls playing style over the past three years, the last eight days under Troy Lesesne have certainly been very different.
It is an outlook that bears a striking resemblance to the successful spell Jesse Marsch had with the club.
Lesesne, named the Red Bulls interim head coach eight days ago, takes over from Gerhard Struber, who wasn’t very popular among many fans. Struber came to MLS with no small amount of fanfare given his pedigree in the Championship with Barnsley and his successful managerial stints prior to that in Austria. Struber’s outlook on the game emphasized a maniacal level of fitness and a direct approach that could lack creativity.
A string of early playoff exits coupled with a style of soccer that didn’t resemble the beautiful game was enough to make Struber unpopular with fans. But after he admitted he fell short in his handling of the Dante Vanzeir situation, there was a complete breakdown between the coach and many fans.
The Red Bulls went winless in the four games after Vanzeir’s incident, and won just once in their first 11 matches to start the season. The decision was made and Struber left the club.
Enter Lesesne.
With his boyish looks, topped off by a head of hair that would make the perfectly coifed Marsch jealous, there is more than a passing resemblance between Lesesne and the man who is the frontrunner for the United States national team head coaching job. Both Lesesne and Marsch have a charismatic presence that exudes a certain confidence — not a cockiness, but a certain assured quality that the Red Bulls desperately need right now.
Even on the sidelines, Lesesne seemed to channel a Marsch quality. In his tailored suit with a narrow tie, the Red Bulls interim head coach is a ball of energy, constantly clapping and encouraging along the bench area.
“I think resetting our cultural values and being really clear about what those are,” Lesesne told Pro Soccer Wire on Tuesday about his message to his team.
“So that that gives us a really good foundation moving forward of the tactics and everything [that is] going to come if we are on the same page about what we value individually and collectively as a team. Then we can start to move forward in a positive way.”
It has certainly been a positive start for Lesesne ahead of his team’s midweek match at Toronto FC. In his first match leading the Red Bulls, his side churned out a 1-0 win over D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup. Then on Saturday night, they beat New York City FC by the same scoreline in a derby match that was simply a war of attrition.
Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Two wins over two rivals is certainly an impressive statement from Lesesne, who came to MLS in 2022 to be an assistant coach under Struber. Prior to that, he was head coach of USL club New Mexico United after spending several seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Independence and the Charleston Battery.
His current task is to first stabilize his players, both on and off the pitch. Under Struber, the Red Bulls never seemed like a settled club.
Things were always chaotic on the pitch, with the team pressing and counter-pressing. There was no flow, no rhythm to the team. Individuality was pigeonholed into a greater team construct that may have worked defensively, but limited the team to hopeful long balls pinged forward in a desperate, quixotic zeal to find a target forward.
Goals seemed almost haphazard and often came off turnovers.
On Saturday night, the Red Bulls held possession for just a shade under 32 percent of the match, a number not atypical of the club since their change in philosophy in 2015. Red Bull clubs across the globe don’t value possession, choosing to be more dangerous without the ball, pressing and challenging to create turnovers in transition moments.
It may be an unfair criticism of Struber, an accomplished coach prior to his time in New York, but it seemed at times that all his MLS side was able to do was press. Under Lesesne, there is hope that can be turned around.
The derby match, and to a lesser extent the win over D.C. United just days before, showed that when the Red Bulls had the ball, there was a willingness to take chances. Players switched field with purpose, not merely pumping the ball up the field. Central midfielder Cristian Cásseres Jr. played balls through the lines, attempting to spring runners.
In wide spaces, left back John Tolkin took his marker on in an effort to drive towards goal.
All little moments for sure. But little moments that showed that under Lesesne, the players have been freed within the club’s philosophy to be creative. The Red Bulls will always be a team defined by their global philosophy and style of play, but within that greater framework, Lesesne is willing to unshackle the players in the final third.
“I think the Red Bull identity has to be there. First and foremost, we have to be aggressive against the ball, make teams feel uncomfortable, and then try to create chances out of that,” Lesesne said.
“And then how can we create chances in other phases of play? With the ball in particular, can we evolve that idea a little bit more? It is something that I’ve said often, but that’s what we’re working on right now.”
But while the tactical shift is important and will take time, especially given the lack of training time due to fixture congestion over the next two weeks, the most important and subtle change for the Red Bulls is being played over the team’s loudspeaker prior to training on Tuesday.
***
There was smiling and laughing. Players joked around before training and hung around afterward prior to their flight to Toronto. Lesesne too stayed on the pitch, talking with a young player and milling around.
The training session itself was focused but the atmosphere around the club has shifted in just eight days under their interim coach.
Change is the one constant for the Red Bulls, a team that values young legs for all the hard work that their style imposes on players.
Only one player, goalkeeper Ryan Meara, remains from Marsch’s 2015 team that won the Supporters’ Shield. That team remains very much the model for this franchise, a group that collectively pressed the opposition into submission but had a dynamism in the final third that made them dangerous with the ball.
But there was also a collective will and freedom from that group. So perhaps it isn’t a surprise that little changes, such as music before training, are being blended into the atmosphere of the club.
That was Marsch’s first year with the Red Bulls as the team and the entire organization pivoted following the retirement of Thierry Henry. New York went through not just a youth movement but also a change in philosophy that changed their very model to its core.
Lesesne’s task isn’t quite as monumental, but it is clear that the current locker room was in need of a rebuild.
“I think he brings his own energy,” midfielder Omir Fernandez said after Saturday’s derby win over New York City FC.
“I think he’s trying to rally us up and be more together in moments like this. I think we’ve got to give credit to the players and Troy as well for coming together in such a quick notice and being able to get results.”
New York Red Bulls midfielder Omir Fernandez (21) celebrates his goal against New York City FC with teammates during the second half at Red Bull Arena. Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
When Lesesne talks with his team, he does so in a clear and decisive manner. But there is always a buoyancy in his message, mixing clarity of tactics with a boyish enthusiasm. So perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that the 39-year-old Lesesne is a keen admirer of Marsch.
After all, Marsch’s playing career saw him suit up for Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, the two most accomplished coaches in American soccer history. But Marsch took that tactical acumen and mixed it with an upbeat dose of encouragement and vision, which took him to Europe and most recently the Premier League.
When studying for his most recent coaching license, Lesesne’s project was on Marsch. The two spoke frequently on the phone for the project, giving the Red Bulls coach a rare glimpse into not just the mind of the accomplished Marsch, but also his heart.
Calling Marsch a “mentor,” Lesesne details a burgeoning relationship with the ex-Leeds coach.
“He’s someone that allowed me to understand how he works. I did an entire project on him, because I have so much respect for the path that he’s paved for himself and now hopefully more American coaches in Europe,” Lesesne said.
“And then he’s someone that I’ve leaned on when I was considering coming here when I was offered the [assistant’s] job. I spoke to him throughout this time. I’ve spoken to him and he’s always available, and he’s given me great advice. He is the standard and I have a long way to go to measure up to a guy like that.”
The Swiss star tops the list, with Lorenzo Insigne in second place
The MLS Players Association has unveiled its 2023 salary guide, releasing the salaries for every player in the league.
With a guaranteed compensation of $8.2 million, Chicago Fire winger Xherdan Shaqiri has regained his position atop the list of the league’s highest-paid players. The Swiss star is followed by Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne at $7.5 million.
Shaqiri topped the list last spring, before Insigne surpassed him with a $14 million salary after joining at midseason. But the Italy international has seen his salary reduced in his second MLS season, moving him back to second place.
Though he’s the league’s highest earner, Shaqiri has put up respectable but unspectacular statistics: seven goals and 12 assists in 36 matches over two seasons while playing for one of the league’s worst teams.
Shaqiri and Insigne are followed by LA Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández ($7.4 million), TFC forward Federico Bernardeschi ($6.3 million) and Austin FC playmaker Sebastián Driussi ($6 million) in the top five.
Among teams TFC and the Galaxy lead the way, with CF Montréal and St. Louis City at the bottom for collective spending on player salaries.
Top 5 salary spend in MLS:
1. Toronto FC — $25.7m 2. LA Galaxy — $23.5m 3. Atlanta United — $21.3m 4. DC United — $20m 5. Austin — $19.9m
Bottom 5:
29. CF Montréal — $10.5m 28. St. Louis City — $10.9m 27. NY Red Bulls — $11.2m 26. Orlando City — $11.23m 25. RSL — $12.2m pic.twitter.com/cndIN9NHVH
The 19-year-old made just three senior appearances for the club during his loan
Justin Che will return to FC Dallas after Hoffenheim confirmed it has declined its purchase option on the U.S. Under-20 defender.
“Justin and Eduardo [Quaresma] are talented guys with great character who have both repeatedly shown promise,” Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen told the club’s website.
“However, we agree with the players that they need regular playing time at this stage of their careers to develop continuously. We can’t guarantee them that with us.”
The 19-year-old came up through the FC Dallas academy before he joined Bayern Munich on a brief loan in 2021. After returning to Dallas, where he made 15 MLS appearances in the 2021 season, Che joined Hoffenheim in January 2022 on a year-and-a-half loan.
The defender mostly featured for Hoffenheim’s reserves during his time with the German club, making just three senior appearances over a season and a half.
After he was promoted to Hoffenheim’s senior team permanently in January, Che suffered a muscle injury in February that would spell the end of his time with the club.
Through the new Apple media rights deal, most of the league’s games take place simultaneously
One of the major talking points in the early part of the 2023 MLS campaign has been the consistent Saturday 7:30 p.m. local kickoff times across the league.
The buffet of MLS matches played at the same time every week has garnered varying reactions from coaches, players, and fans.
On one hand, games are easy to plan around. Fans who don’t want to miss a goal have the option to watch the MLS 360 whip-around show on Apple TV. Supporters that want to go to an MLS match can also plan accordingly each week, allowing them to get in a routine.
But having 7:30 on Saturday night locked in as the prime kickoff time makes it challenging to watch multiple matches on any given weekend. Having matches spread throughout the day on Saturday and scheduling more on Sunday, as they were in past years, reduces the pile-up.
Why did the league choose to stack so many games at the same time? MLS executive vice president of media Seth Bacon says it was the product of plenty of research.
“We have years of fan, ticketing, and viewership data that we analyzed internally and with our clubs and media partners to identify the right window for our matches,” Bacon told Pro Soccer Wire. “We know that Saturday nights can deliver an outstanding environment for fans — in stadium and via our live match coverage.”
Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. national team midfielder Julian Gressel appreciates the new schedule’s consistency, but admitted that he missed having the chance to see more MLS games.
“It gives you consistency week in and week out,” Gressel said. “But I kind of miss the Sunday afternoon MLS game. Maybe the off-time ones where you can kind of watch, you get more soccer at more times. Especially us playing at 7:30 in the Pacific. We don’t really get to watch much of MLS before [games]. As a player, as a fan, I feel it would be cool to have time slots here and there thrown into the mix.”
It’s not just about the kickoff times for home matches. West coast teams like Vancouver have a hectic travel schedule that plays a part in how they prepare for road matches.
On early-season trips to Minnesota and Texas where kickoff was 7:30 pm local time, the Whitecaps returned home to Vancouver in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“I think a few of us would prefer to play some earlier games,” Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld told Pro Soccer Wire. “But that’s the schedule we’ve been given. It’s a little bit tougher when we play on the road because we don’t get back until like 3 a.m. It is what it is, and we’ve just got to deal with it.”
While an early kickoff time would help with travel back to Vancouver, there would also be a downside: The Whitecaps would potentially end up traveling to their destination a day earlier. Instead of flying on a Friday afternoon, travel would take place on a Thursday.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Vanni Sartini stands prior to the start of the game as the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host the Portland Timbers at BC Place. Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Having more Sunday matches would allow players and coaches who were part of a match on the previous night an opportunity to watch a live game. That might not be possible on a matchday, when teams are preparing for their own match or traveling home.
“I would love for a fan of MLS to have more games at different times,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said. “Instead of watching only one game in the west, you can watch three or four games. I really like that the LA game (El Tráfico) was on Sunday at 1 p.m. If not, it would have been impossible for me to watch it.”
The 7:30 kickoffs may also be challenging for fans with families, according to the president of the largest Whitecaps supporters group.
“It is very important to make the schedule accessible for all fans and supporters,” Vancouver Southsiders President Peter Czimmermann said in a statement to Pro Soccer Wire. “Being able to bring your kids of all ages to the match is just as important as being able to get home after the matches whether you live in the Lower Mainland or on Vancouver as a ‘Caps fan.”
All but two of the Whitecaps MLS home games will start at 7:30 p.m. this season.
Late games also mean more time for players to wait leading up to the matches, but not every player minds the extra free time.
“I do know a couple of guys who have been complaining about it just because it’s so late in the day. You kind of have to wait around in your house and do whatever for a long period of time, but personally I don’t mind it,” Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon told Pro Soccer Wire.
Do MLS and Apple have any plans for a greater variety of kickoff times and matchdays next season?
“We love our new Saturday night window and the consistency of matches and clarity of communication to fans,” Bacon said. “That said, we constantly analyze our schedule to make sure we are optimized on all levels.”
Ferreira might be the least popular person in Austin
Jesús Ferreira understands the stuff rivalries are made of.
The USMNT forward provided both a late winner and some heavy-duty trolling in FC Dallas’ 1-0 victory at Austin FC Saturday night.
Dallas had to work hard to break down their hosts, who spent the final 36 minutes playing with 10 after Rodney Redes was sent off in the 54th minute. Once the moment arrived, though, it more or less had to be Ferreira, who extended his team lead with a sixth goal on the season.
Tsiki Ntsabeleng’s inch-perfect through ball broke the Verde’s resolve in the 89th minute, with Ferreira knifing between the center backs to produce a one-touch finish past the onrushing Brad Stuver.
Ferreira then made it crystal clear who had done Austin in, taking off his jersey and holding it up with the “Ferreira No. 10” side facing the home supporters for a solid 20 seconds.
Ferreira kept the celebration going afterward, flashing a peace sign and then putting his fingers in his ears as he walked off towards an inevitable booking from referee Ismail Elfath.
Austin fans probably didn’t need the reminder. For one thing, the goal had just happened. More importantly though, no one has scored more goals against Austin than Ferreira, who now has five in seven meetings with Dallas’ in-state rival.
With his game-winning goal tonight, @FCDallas' Jesús Ferreira scored his fifth regular season goal against Austin FC, which is the most by a player against Los Verdes in league history. pic.twitter.com/zgR58C1Jtm
Unhappy Austin fans tossed a couple empty beer cups out onto the field, but all that succeeded in doing was add another opportunity for Dallas to show them up. Nkosi Tafari spotted the last of the cups to hit the pitch, sauntered over, and took a mock swig before heading back to his position.
The outcome also maintained the trend for both teams. Dallas kept pace in the Western Conference, sitting in fourth place on 18 points after the win. Austin, meanwhile, is a disappointing 13th with just 10 points, a troubling situation for a team that expected to compete for silverware this season.
