Major League Soccer expansion team San Diego FC has signed winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano as the club's first designated player.
Lozano signed a four-year deal through the 2028 season, the team said Thursday. Financial terms were not released.
San Diego FC will become the league's 30th team when it begins play next season.
“We are thrilled to have him join our Club as we look to build a team that will challenge for trophies. ‘Chucky’ is one of the most decorated Mexican internationals in the world, and we look forward to seeing him shine in San Diego and MLS in 2025,” San Diego FC CEO Tom Penn said in a statement.
Lozano will remain with his current club, PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, through this year. He'll be formally transferred to San Diego on Jan. 1.
PSV recently secured its 25th overall title in the top Dutch league. Lozano had six goals and three assists in 24 matches during the 2023-24 season.
“It’s exciting to be part of history as we build a Club that will compete for championships in MLS. In every country I have played, I always strive to leave a mark, and making an impact in San Diego and MLS is very important to me,” Lozano said.
Lozano, a 28-year-old native of Mexico City, has also played for Pachuca in Liga MX and Italian top-tier club Napoli.
He has 18 goals in 70 appearances with the Mexican national team and played in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He was more recently left off Mexico's Copa America squad, along with veterans Guillermo Ochoa and Raul Jimenez, as well as striker Henry Martin.
San Diego was awarded the 30th MLS club in May 2023. It is owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Tribe, the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in a professional soccer team. The ownership group also includes San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado.
Lozano, a product of Pachuca's academy system, said he was impressed by San Diego FC's Right To Dream residential academy, currently being built on the Sycuan Reservation in El Cajon, California. SDFC's first team will also train at the facility.
"The club’s project and plans for San Diego’s Right to Dream Academy resonated deeply with the career path I’ve had in this sport," Lozano said. “I identified with the project immediately and I am confident we will be able to help a lot of youth players from both sides of the border.”
San Diego FC will play at Snapdragon Stadium, which also hosts the San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League and the San Diego State Aztecs football team.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer