January 6 – San Diego FC who are due to kick-off their inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign have unveiled a multi-year agreement to play perennial LigaMX super team, Club America.
The clubs will play annual matches in 2025 and 2027, along with collaborative community and marketing initiatives.
The first match between SDFC and Club América is set for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. PT at Snapdragon Stadium.
As with many recent team partnerships, the action and collaboration stretches way beyond the field of play. With San Diego on the southern border next to Mexico the shared cultural ties between the two are many. On the table are youth soccer programming, charitable activities, and joint marketing campaigns to deepen fan engagement.
Tom Penn, the CEO of San Diego FC said: “This partnership with Club América is a groundbreaking opportunity to collaborate with one of the most historic clubs in Mexican football. We believe this is a great way to connect with passionate soccer fans throughout our region and look forward to hosting Club América at Snapdragon Stadium in 2025 and 2027, providing our fans with unforgettable experiences both on and off the field in a historic inaugural year for San Diego FC.”
On the other side of the border, Santiago Baños, Sport President of Club América said: “We are very excited to have reached this partnership with San Diego FC, since it will allow Club América to continue playing great games in the United States, while giving us the possibility of implementing more actions for the benefit of our loyal and broad fan base in that country.”
The move does come with significant risk though as San Diego FC are risking alienating many fans who support other Mexican teams. Back in the noughties, Chivas USA debuted in MLS but due to the naming of the club, could never garner the support of Club America fans who make up the largest fan base in the US.
Many football enthusiasts who live in the San Diego area are also fans of Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, known locally as Xolos. With Tijuana just a few miles from the border, it feels like a ‘thumbing of the nose’ by San Diego to their near neighbour.
Contact the writer of this story. Nick Webster, at moc.l1736268582labto1736268582ofdlr1736268582owedi1736268582sni@o1736268582fni1736268582