May 18, 2023
California is about to get a fourth Major League Soccer team.
MLS announced plans Thursday to expand its league once again and add a 30th team in San Diego. The team, first reported by the London Times, will be owned by Mohamed Mansour, a British-Egyptian billionaire and Conservative Party treasurer. He's reportedly set to buy the franchise for $500 million.
The club is set to be owned by Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, which is an indigenous American tribe that has been based in the San Diego area for more than 12,000 years. San Diego Padres star Manny Machado will also have an ownership stake. The total investment into the organization could top $700 million.
The club will enter the league for the 2025 season. The move will bring Mansour closer to purchasing a soccer club in England. He currently owns a Danish Superliga team, and has “definitely” had an English team on his radar in recent years. According to the report, the 75-year-old is worth about $3.6 billion.
Source: Yahoo Sports