Major League Soccer (MLS) awarded its 30th team to San Diego on Thursday, with the club set to make their debut in 2025 under the ownership of entrepreneur and investor Mohamed Mansour.
San Diego, which was a well-publicised front-runner to be awarded the expansion franchise, follows several other recent additions to the top-flight North American league, including St Louis City SC, which debuted this year.
In a word, forgettable. Following one of the most exciting matchdays of the MLS season, the league’s first foray into midweek play definitely did not live up to the billing, but there were still a few moments that caught our attention. Despite MLS Matchday 13 being promoted as a continuation of Rivalry Week, there were few games that truly fit that description, and it showed both on the field and in the scorelines.
FIFA revealed the official logo for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada on Wednesday night, and the truth cannot be hidden: it is the worst logo in history.
Plain, dull and lacking character, a monstrosity only possible in the soulless minds that run marketing and PR companies, where FIFA is king.
I mean, look a this:
El ránking FIFA dejó de estar solo a la hora de ganarse el odio de los aficionados del fútbol. Yay! Nuestra amada Concacaf anunció esta semana que tendrá su propio ránking de clubes masculinos para así determinar sembrados en futuras competencias regionales.
A la hora de crear el nuevo ránking, la Concacaf consideró como punto de partida los resultados a nivel de clubes en distintas competencias a nivel doméstico e internacional desde 2017 a la fecha. A saber:
The National Women’s Soccer League could no longer be the sole top tier women’s league in the U.S. starting in August 2024. That’s because the new USL Super League announced on Tuesday its plans to become a Division 1 league on par with NWSL.
Eight cities will get teams for the inaugural season which spans from August 2024 through June 2025 (with a winter break in the middle). If all goes to plan, then five more cities will get teams for the following season.
Here are the cities receiving teams.
2024 Season:
Major League Soccer received a record $500 million expansion fee to field an expansion team in San Diego for the 2025 season, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the local Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation are the owners of the new San Diego franchise, which will be the league's third club in Southern California after the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC.
Updated chart of @MLS expansion fees:
The latest Salary Guide has been released by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA), revealing the highest paid MLS players 2023. There could be a change when the Secondary Transfer Window opens from July 5 to Aug. 2, but for now 31-year-old Xherdan Shaqiri has reclaimed the top spot after Lorenzo Insigne's record 2022 salary of $14 million was almost cut in half (the Italian has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 17 all-time league appearances).
USWNT midfielder Catarina Macario is set to sign with FA Women’s Super League side Chelsea this summer per The Athletic. Her contract with Lyon expires at the end of the season.
The 23-year-old standout missed all the 2022-23 season with an ACL injury to her left knee that she suffered in June 2022 during Lyon's final league game of the season. She’s nearing a return to action and will be hoping to recover in time for a shot to make USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 2023 Women’s World Cup roster.
This is the summer that dreams come true. Do you want to watch Wrexham, the club you've supported your entire life (since 2020)? The MLS All-Stars against Arsenal? Any interest in El Clásico?
The United States men’s national team made a massive announcement on Monday that 21-year-old Stade Reims striker Folarin Balogun will make a one-time nationality switch to represent the U.S. instead of England.
FIFA approved the switch meaning Balogun could be playing for the Stars and Stripes as soon as the Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Mexico in June. Balogun has been electric in France’s Ligue 1 this season with 19 goals in 34 games (fifth best in the league).