San Diego Loyal SC

Last updated

San Diego Loyal SC
San Diego Loyal SC logo.svg
Full nameSan Diego Loyal Soccer Club
FoundedJune 20, 2019;5 years ago (2019-06-20)
DissolvedOctober 22, 2023;9 months ago (2023-10-22)
Stadium Torero Stadium
Capacity6,000 [1]
OwnerAndrew 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 Club website

San Diego Loyal Soccer Club was an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the USL Championship. The team shut down following the 2023 season after failing to find a long-term home venue.

Contents

History

On June 20, 2019, San Diego was awarded an expansion team in the USL Championship to debut in 2020 or 2021. [4] [5] Warren Smith, one of the co-founders of Sacramento Republic, 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 at their home stadium, Torero Stadium. [9]

The Loyal forfeited a league match against LA Galaxy II on September 25, 2020, following an 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. [10] A week later, the team forfeited another match against Phoenix Rising by walking out after halftime following the alleged use of a homophobic slur against Collin Martin, an openly gay player, by Junior 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 assistant Nate 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 to Santa Barbara was also considered. The announcement came three months after Major League Soccer announced a San Diego expansion team that would begin play in 2025 as San Diego FC. [14] The club qualified for the USLC Playoffs and played their final match in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on October 22 at Torero Stadium. Loyal lost 4–3 in extra time to Phoenix Rising, who eventually became the champions of the USLC Playoffs. [17]

Stadium

The team signed a three-year letter of commitment to play at Torero 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 prospective San Diego State University Snapdragon Stadium, at a 35,000 capacity, as a potential site for future years if they could have cultivated the fan support for it. [18]

Supporters

The officially recognized supporter groups were The Locals and the Chavos de Loyal. [19]

Sponsorship

PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
2020–2021 Adidas [20] Stone Brewing
2022 Charly [21] Rocket League
2023BluPeak Credit Union [22]

Players and staff

Final roster

As of July 27, 2023 [23]
No.Pos.PlayerNation
2 MF Morgan Hackworth Flag of the United States.svg  United States
3 DF Elijah Martin Flag of the United States.svg  United States
5 DF Grant Stoneman Flag of the United States.svg  United States
6 MF Charlie Adams Flag of England.svg  England
7 MF Blake Bodily Flag of the United States.svg  United States
8 FW Ronaldo Damus (on loan from GIF Sundsvall)Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti
9 FW Evan Conway Flag of the United States.svg  United States
10 MF Alejandro Guido Flag of the United States.svg  United States
11 MF Tumi Moshobane Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
13 DF Camden Riley Flag of the United States.svg  United States
14 FW Adrien Perez Flag of the United States.svg  United States
15 MF Joe Corona Flag of the United States.svg  United States
16 DF Jackson Kasanzu Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
17 MF Collin Martin Flag of the United States.svg  United States
18 FW Elliot Collier Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
20 MF Nick Moon Flag of the United States.svg  United States
21 DF Ebenezer Ackon Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana
23 DF Michael Chilaka Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
25 GK Koke Vegas Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
60 GK Duran Ferree Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Management and staff

As of December 2, 2022 [24] [25]
Technical Staff
EVP of soccer operations Landon Donovan
Head coach Nate Miller
Assistant coachTim Daniels
Goalkeeping coachMatt Hall
Senior advisor Paul Buckle
Senior advisor Shannon MacMillan
Front office staff
ChairmanAndrew Vassiliadis
President & CEOWarren Smith

Team records

Year-by-year

As of October 23, 2022
San Diego Loyal SC
Season USL Championship Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top Scorer 1 Head CoachTeam Captain(s)
PWLDGFGAPtsPosPlayerGoals
2020 166551718234th, Western
Group B		Did not qualify Cancelled Flag of the United States.svg Rubio Rubin 7 Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan Flag of the United States.svg Sal Zizzo
2021 32141265143483rd, Pacific Conference Quarterfinals Cancelled Flag of South Africa.svg Tumi Moshobane 10 Flag of England.svg Charlie Adams
Flag of the United States.svg Sal Zizzo
2022 34181066855602nd, Western Conference Quarterfinals 3rd Round Ulster Banner.svg Kyle Vassell 14 Flag of England.svg Charlie Adams
2023 3416996143573rd,

Western

 Conference Quarterfinals 3rd Round Flag of Haiti.svg Ronaldo Damus 15 Flag of the United States.svg Nate Miller

^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches

CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinLossDrawWin %
Landon Donovan Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States November 14, 2019December 2, 202286393017045.35
Nate Miller [26] Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States December 2, 2022October 22, 20233717119045.95

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landon Donovan</span> American soccer player (born 1982)

Landon Timothy Donovan is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan was co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship club San Diego Loyal. Widely regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time, Donovan holds the world record for the man with the most international assists (58), and is tied with Clint Dempsey for the most international goals scored by an American player (57).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torero Stadium</span> Stadium in San Diego, CA, US

Torero Stadium is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of the University of San Diego. The stadium is home of the San Diego Toreros football and men's and women's soccer teams. The Toreros compete in NCAA Division I (FCS) as a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL) for football and the West Coast Conference (WCC) for soccer. The stadium is also home of the California Redwoods of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL Championship</span> Professional soccer league in the United States

The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Hertzog</span> American soccer player

Corey Hertzog is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in San Diego</span>

Sports in San Diego includes major professional league teams, other highest-level professional league teams, minor league teams, and college athletics. The San Diego Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB). San Diego FC begins play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2025. The San Diego State Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS). The Farmers Insurance Open, a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, is played annually at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Kempin</span> American soccer player

Jonathan Kempin is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He previously appeared for Sporting Kansas City (SKC), LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew SC, and D.C. United and spent time on loan with Orlando City, OKC Energy, San Antonio Scorpions, Swope Park Rangers, LA Galaxy II, Hartford Athletic, San Diego Loyal, and Loudoun United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Rising FC</span> American soccer team

Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. They won the league championship in 2023, defeating the Charleston Battery 3–2 on penalty kicks after a 1–1 draw in regulation time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collin Martin</span> American professional soccer player

Collin Martin is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina FC in the USL Championship. He has played for D.C. United and Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer, and for Richmond Kickers and Hartford Athletic in the United Soccer League. He came out as gay in June 2018, making him at the time the only out man in any of the big five American sports leagues or any top-division professional men's national soccer leagues.

Charles James Adams is an English professional footballer who plays for USL Championship club Las Vegas Lights. He is a product of the Brentford youth system and has played in England, the United States and Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Flemmings</span> Jamaican footballer (born 1996)

Junior Flemmings is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a winger and forward for Ligue 1 club Toulouse and the Jamaica national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego 1904 FC</span> Soccer club

San Diego 1904 FC was an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. In December 2021, the team was absorbed by Albion San Diego, which effectively took over 1904's membership in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).

Richard Lewis Schantz is an American soccer coach. He co-founded FC Tucson in 2010 and was its first head coach. He was also head coach of Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Miller (soccer)</span> American soccer coach (born 1986)

Nathan David Miller is an American soccer coach who is currently an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake. He is known for his distinct, attacking style of play.

The 2020 USL Championship season was the tenth season of the USL Championship and fourth under Division II sanctioning. This was the second season under the name "USL Championship", having used the name "United Soccer League" through 2018. Real Monarchs were the defending USL Cup champions. The 2020 season saw 35 teams participate in two conferences during the regular season.

Miguel Berry is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

Sergio Jordan Chavez is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for USL Championship side Orange County SC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavi Gnaulati</span> American soccer player (born 2005)

Xavi Milad Gnaulati is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Monterey Bay FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego FC</span> Major League Soccer club in San Diego, California

San Diego FC is an American professional soccer club based in San Diego, California, scheduled to enter Major League Soccer (MLS) as an expansion team in 2025. The team will play home matches at Snapdragon Stadium, a multi-use venue built in 2022.

Duran Ferree is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for USL Championship side Orange County SC, on loan from Major League Soccer club San Diego FC.

The 2023 San Diego Loyal SC season was San Diego Loyal SC's fourth, and last, season of existence and their fourth season in the USL Championship (USLC), the second division in the American soccer system.

References

  1. ↑ Zeigler, Mark (September 16, 2019). "Second-division USL team in San Diego prepares to start in 2020". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. ↑ "USL San Diego Announces Andrew Vassiliadis As Chairman" (Press release). USL Championship. October 2, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ "DeAndre Yedlin Joins San Diego Loyal SC Ownership Group" (Press release). San Diego Loyal. May 20, 2021. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ "United Soccer League Awards USL Championship Franchise in San Diego Market". USL Championship (Press release). June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Landon Donovan to bring pro soccer to San Diego". fox5sandiego.com. June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Executives". www.uslsandiego.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Landon Donovan, Warren Smith bring USL to San Diego". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  8. ↑ "San Diego Loyal Announces Landon Donovan as Manager". San Diego Loyal SC (Press release). Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  9. ↑ Loyal, S. D. (March 7, 2020). "Recap: San Diego Loyal Makes Debut with 1–1 Draw against Las Vegas Lights FC". San Diego Loyal SC. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ Ziegler, Mark (September 25, 2020). "San Diego Loyal forfeit soccer game to protest racial incident". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Ziegler, Mark (October 1, 2020). "San Diego, Phoenix soccer teams trade accusations, denials in alleged homophobic incident". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  12. ↑ Bumbaca, Chris (October 1, 2020). "San Diego Loyal forfeits match after opposing player allegedly directed homophobic slur at Collin Martin". USA Today . Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ Ziegler, Mark (September 30, 2020). "San Diego Loyal walks off field after alleged homophobic slur; Phoenix player issues denial". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 Ziegler, Mark (August 24, 2023). "San Diego Loyal to shut down; owner asks fans to 'celebrate and not mourn' pro soccer team over final games". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  15. ↑ Krasovic, Tom (December 2, 2022). "Landon Donovan is no longer SD Loyal's coach". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  16. ↑ "USL to Transfer San Diego Franchise Rights" (Press release). USL Championship. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ Zeigler, Mark (October 22, 2023). "Overtime goal sinks Loyal's season in playoffs, ends club's run in San Diego". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Second-division USL soccer team coming to San Diego". San Diego Union-Tribune. June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  19. ↑ Rico, Carlos (March 8, 2023). "8 of the most important things to know about San Diego Loyal SC in 2023". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Kitted Out: SD Loyal Announces Partnership with Adidas". USLChampionship.com Staff. January 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  21. ↑ SC, San Diego Loyal (January 18, 2022). "SD Loyal Announces Apparel Partnership with Charly". San Diego Loyal SC (Press release). Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  22. ↑ "SD Loyal Announces BluPeak Credit Union as Front-of-Kit Sponsor". San Diego Loyal SC (Press release). February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  23. ↑ "2021 Roster". sdloyal.com. San Diego Loyal SC. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Administration". San Diego Loyal SC. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Technical Staff". San Diego Loyal SC. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Landon Donovan Elevated to Full Time Role as Executive VP of Soccer Operations". SD Loyal Communications. December 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.