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| Full name | San Diego Loyal Soccer Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | June 20, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-06-20) | |||
| Dissolved | October 22, 2023; 17 months ago (2023-10-22) | |||
| Stadium | Torero Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,000[1] | |||
| Owner | Andrew Vassiliadis[2] Warren Smith Landon Donovan DeAndre Yedlin[3] | |||
| Executive VP | Landon Donovan | |||
| League | USL Championship (2020–2023) | |||
| 2023 | 3rd, Western Conference Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals | |||
| Website | https://www.sdloyal.com/ | |||
San Diego Loyal Soccer Club was an American professionalsoccer team based inSan Diego, California, that competed in theUSL Championship. The team was founded by Warren Smith andLandon Donovan; it made its debut in 2020 as anexpansion team. The team played its home games atTorero Stadium. The Loyal shut down following the 2023 season after failing to find a long-term home venue.
On June 20, 2019, San Diego was awarded an expansion team in theUSL Championship to debut in 2020 or 2021.[4][5] Warren Smith, one of the co-founders ofSacramento Republic, was named the president of the new club.[6][7] FormerUSMNT,LA Galaxy andSan Jose Earthquakes playerLandon 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 againstLas Vegas Lights at their home stadium, Torero Stadium.[9]
The Loyal forfeited a league match againstLA Galaxy II on September 25, 2020, following an alleged use of a racial slur byOmar Ontiveros againstElijah 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.[10] A week later, the team forfeited another match againstPhoenix Rising by walking out after halftime following the alleged use of a homophobic slur againstCollin Martin, an openly gay player, byJunior Flemmings.[11][12] As a result of the two forfeits, the Loyal failed to qualify for the USL playoffs.[13]
The team reached the playoffs in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but never advanced beyond the first round. Donovan was later replaced as head coach by former assistantNate Miller in December 2022.[14][15]
On August 24, 2023, owner Andrew Vassilanis released a statement that he would shut down the team,[14] and the USL announced that it would transfer the franchise rights of the Loyal due to an inability to find a "viable near- and long-term stadium solution", with the 2023 season set to be the club's last.[16] The team had searched for a venue to replace Torero Stadium but were unable to find suitable facilities in San Diego County; a plan to relocate toSanta Barbara was also considered. The announcement came three months afterMajor League Soccer announced a San Diego expansion team that would begin play in 2025 asSan Diego FC.[14] The club qualified for theUSLC Playoffs and played their final match in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on October 22 atTorero Stadium. Loyal lost 4–3 in extra time toPhoenix Rising, who eventually became the champions of the USLC Playoffs.[17]
The team signed a three-year letter of commitment to play atTorero Stadium, with a series of one-year options for the following four years.[7] The team initially focused on building a fan base and brand at Torero, noting that the stadium could be expanded to a capacity of 8,000.[18] Moreover, the team noted the possibility of sharing the prospectiveSnapdragon Stadium, at a 35,000 capacity, as a potential site for future years if they could have cultivated the fan support for it.[18] Snapdragon Stadium would eventually become the home of San Diego FC in 2025.
The officially recognized supporter groups were The Locals and the Chavos de Loyal.[19]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Adidas[20] | Stone Brewing |
| 2022 | Charly[21] | Rocket League |
| 2023 | BluPeak Credit Union[22] |
| Technical Staff | |
|---|---|
| EVP of soccer operations | Landon Donovan |
| Head coach | Nate Miller |
| Assistant coach | Tim Daniels |
| Goalkeeping coach | Matt Hall |
| Senior advisor | Paul Buckle |
| Senior advisor | Shannon MacMillan |
| Front office staff | |
| Chairman | Andrew Vassiliadis |
| President & CEO | Warren Smith |
| San Diego Loyal SC | ||||||||||||||
| Season | USL Championship | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top Scorer1 | 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 |  Rubio Rubin | 7 | Landon Donovan | Sal Zizzo |
| 2021 | 32 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 51 | 43 | 48 | 3rd, Pacific | Conference Quarterfinals | Cancelled |  Tumi Moshobane | 10 |  Charlie AdamsSal Zizzo | |
| 2022 | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 68 | 55 | 60 | 2nd, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | 3rd Round |  Kyle Vassell | 14 | Charlie Adams | |
| 2023 | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 61 | 43 | 57 | 3rd, Western | Conference Quarterfinals | 3rd Round |  Ronaldo Damus | 15 | Nate Miller | |
^ 1.Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landon Donovan |  United States | November 14, 2019 | December 2, 2022 | 86 | 39 | 30 | 17 | 045.35 |
| Nate Miller[26] | United States | December 2, 2022 | October 22, 2023 | 37 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 045.95 |
