San Diego FC Want to Be the Ajax of North America

Offside With Taylor Twellman

San Diego FC are set to join MLS in 2025 as the 30th club. They’re following a familiar expansion playbook: Find an underserved market, bring investors on board, and get a stadium. But as CEO Tom Penn—who also helped start LAFC—points out, there are a couple things that make this club different.

For one, they’re the first major men’s pro team in the U.S. to have a Native tribe, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, as part of their ownership group. Additionally, the club is banking on its youth academy program, which aims to recruit the best players from San Diego and Tijuana.

On this week’s episode, Taylor sits down with Tom to talk about the new club and why he wanted to do this whole thing again.

Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podcast, produced by Apple TV and Rain Delay Media. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

Want to talk to Taylor? Call [phone] or email [e-mail] with questions.

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