It’s official, Major League Soccer (MLS) will welcome San Diego Football Club, the 30th franchise in the league and the fourth team in California; the team which will debut in 2025 revealed its brand identity on Friday.
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The management of the new MLS organization unveiled the official name, crest and identity of San Diego FC for its first official campaign in front of thousands of fans at Snapdragon Stadium.
“Our brand identity has been created in conjunction with our fans and supporters over the past six months,” said Tom Penn, CEO of San Diego FC. “We believe our crest truly reflects the essence of the San Diego spirit. Our club seeks to become the epicenter of North American soccer excellence.”
THANK YOU, SAN DIEGO.
THE CHROME & AZUL ERA BEGINS NOW. #WovenIntoOne #18somosUno pic.twitter.com/wMBpBoUj8U
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) October 21, 2023
San Diego FC, more than an MLS franchise
“We are a club, not a franchise nor just a team“, the organization stated on its official website, as the San Diego FC crest seeks to capture the essence of the city, uniting its 18 communities, composed of its four main virtues: Gratitude; Proud, Not Noisy; Diversity and Flow, which were researched and captured by the popular design agency Pupila, creator of the Californian crest.
Among its colors, chrome stands out in its yellow, red, orange and blue tones, as a representation of San Diego’s diversity in terms of culture, language and lifestyle; “a reflection that the community is always moving, evolving and innovating“. Meanwhile, the blue highlights the enormous connection to nature, specifically the Pacific Ocean and the sky.
In its details, the 18 lines that wrap around the FC stand out as a symbol of San Diego’s 18 communities, woven into one. In addition, the city’s name stands out at the top in the shape of an arch, inspired by its iconic arches and signs. The strength and unity of the San Diego community is featured in the shape of the shield.
A diverse owned team
The team also has a diverse multicultural ownership group that includes Egyptian Billionaire Mohamed Mansour, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, and San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado.
The Kumeyaay Nation, is the first Native American tribe to be part of the ownership group of a professional soccer team in the U.S.
The first Native nation to own a professional sports team in this country, was the Mohegan Tribe current owners of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun since 2003.