Soccer Club based out of Torero Stadium announces it will shut down

Lukas Blankenstein / Contributor

     The San Diego Loyal Soccer Club announced that this season would be their last season.

     On Aug. 24, the San Diego Loyal Twitter account uploaded a three-minute video from their chairman Andrew Vassiliadis explaining the status of the San Diego soccer team.

     “Four years ago, Landon Donovan, myself and our group of investors started on a journey to bring professional soccer back to San Diego,’’ a visibly distraught Vassiliadis began.

     “Over the last six months, myself, Ricardo Campos and a small part of my team have been looking at all viable options,” Vassiliadis continued, with tears in his eyes. “Unfortunately, after looking at all that, I have come to the conclusion that this will be the last season for San Diego Loyal,” Vassiliadis said.

     The San Diego Loyal currently play in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship, the second division of U.S. soccer.

     The USL gave the following press release after the announcement made by Vassiliadis:

     “The United Soccer League announced today that it will transition the franchise rights held by USL Championship Club, San Diego Loyal SC’s ownership group, after a viable near and long-term stadium solution in the market did not materialize.” The press release affirmed, “the club has announced that 2023 will be its last season in the league.”

     The declaration makes clear what Andrew had already stated, the current iteration of the San Diego Loyal will cease to exist after this season. There remains the possibility of the rights being transferred and the Loyal returning in the future, but for now, Loyal is going out of business.

     The Loyal have their home games at USD in the Torero Stadium, but have been searching for a more permanent stadium to house their games.

     USL Deputy CEO Justin Papadakis talked about the importance of USL clubs having their own stadiums in a press release.

     “Having a modern, commercially viable stadium solution is vital to our clubs’ long-term success and is a pillar of the USL’s growth strategy,” Papadakis said. “Despite collectively pursuing multiple potential options with SD Loyal’s leadership in the San Diego area, an appropriate stadium solution has not materialized.”

     The USL stated that in the coming month, they will provide more information about the transfer of franchise rights. Vassiliadis also confirmed that in the coming weeks, there will be a question-and-answer session about the future of the club.

     The announcement of the dissolution of the Loyal came three months after the announcement of a new Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in San Diego. The city of San Diego has always been seen as a potential destination for MLS expansion. It was speculated that the Loyal might be part of the new MLS franchise. This was spurred on in part because they were co-owned by the U.S. men’s national team former player Landon Donovan. However, the MLS elected to go with a joint ownership between Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a tribe located in Southern California.

     According to LaJolla.com in an article entitled “San Diego Loyal SC Shutting Down At End of Current Season,” the article theorized that the announcement of MLS club was related to the dissolution of the Loyal club, stating that San Diego is getting a Major League Soccer franchise, which is slated to arrive in the city sometime in 2025.”

     With similar stories taking place in Austin and St. Louis, San Diego offers another example of the struggles of running a USL club in the same city as the MLS.

     Many fans have argued that the MLS creation of clubs as corporate entities rather than fan-driven efforts is potentially detrimental to the long-term growth and success of U.S. soccer. At the Loyal’s first home match after the announcement of their disbandment, a banner was displayed that stated, “a community is built, not bought,” implying their support of the USL’s grassroots soccer club over the MLS corporate soccer clubs.

     The announcement of the club’s dissolution was also met with sadness from fans of the club. The Locals, one of the largest fan groups for the Loyal, posted this message to their Twitter account the day of the announcement. “Today’s announcement is nothing short of devastating… From dreaming of a team that would represent us, to the pride of building that club, to the joy of our inclusive community, to the hope of hearing that the Loyal ‘aren’t going anywhere,’ to today’s devastating finality, this has been an emotional journey,” the post said.

     It was not, however, all doom and gloom. Vassilidas’s messaging also encouraged people to continue to show pride for their club. 

     Vassilidas implored people to “come and celebrate, and not mourn what we have done over the past four years.” 

     The Locals echoed this sentiment. “Our passionate support has not waivered and will continue until the last minute of SD Loyal soccer has been played. We will not let sadness quiet us, we choose to stand and sing louder than ever.”

     The Loyal have three remaining home games in the regular season: Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. against Las Vegas, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. against Monterey and Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. against Oakland.

     They are also currently fourth in the Western Conference, which would give them an additional home playoff game. The Locals confirmed that for the last two regular season home games, they will have a pre-game party at “Bum’s Barking Lot” (the parking lot behind the JCP).

     It’s clear from the continued support for the club that fans care for this club. People showed up to their first home game after the announcement with a new vigor and continued support for the club they helped grow. What the future holds for the Loyal is unknown, but what many do know is the impact they had on their fans and the community.