San Diego’s bid for an MLS expansion team got a boost from one of the biggest names in American soccer last week, when Landon Donovan announced that he’s joined the ownership group attempting to bring an MLS team to the city.
Donovan, who announced the news last Friday on Facebook Live, came out of retirement last year to play for the LA Galaxy. The all-time leading scorer in MLS and US men’s national team history recently moved from the LA area to San Diego, where he and his wife are expecting their second baby.
San Diego was one of 12 cities to submit an expansion application to MLS in late January. The city’s bid is being led by Mike Stone, and calls for a privately-financed, 30,000-seat stadium to be built on the site of Qualcomm Stadium, the former home of the NFL’s Chargers, who are have moved to LA and will play at the StubHub Center.
MLS will name four new expansion teams in the coming years, with two scheduled to be announced in the second or third quarter of 2017.
