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MLS legend Landon Donovan's dreams of replicating David Beckham's Inter Miami success have gone down the tubes following news his San Diego Loyal team is set to disband.
The former Everton star co-founded the Californian-based franchise in 2019, a year after Beckham's Miami side opened for business, but an inability to find a permanent home has left them treading water for the past few years.
In an emotional statement, club chairman Andrew Vassiliadis announced that the team would be folding at the end of the year when their temporary lease for the Torero Stadium, which belongs to the University of San Diego, expires.
"Over the last six months [we] have been looking at all viable options up and down the coast for us to find solutions for academy, for training facilities, for stadiums," Vassiliadis said. "From [the city of] Oceanside down to the [USA-Mexico] border, we've looked at everything and left no stone unturned.
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"Unfortunately, after looking at all of that, I have come to the conclusion that this will be the last season for San Diego Loyal.
"Four years ago, Landon Donovan, myself, and our group of investors started on a journey to bring professional soccer back to San Diego. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished in the first three seasons."
The club, who play their football in the USL Championship, America's second-tier league, will have their franchise rights transferred in the coming months, which means the team could end up getting relocated.
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Donovan, who was San Diego Loyal's very first manager, spent the majority of his playing career in the US, but also had stints in England, Germany and Mexico.
He first burst onto the scene after emerging from Bayer Leverkusen's academy as a 17-year-old in 1999 before spending four consecutive seasons on loan at the San Jose Earthquakes. In 2005 he joined LA Galaxy, where he spent the next 11 seasons, playing alongside the likes of Beckham, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole.
Because the MLS season typically starts in March, Donovan often spent a few weeks of the off-season out on loan at European teams, including Bayern Munich in 2009 and Everton in 2010 and 2012 – scoring two goals in 22 games for the latter.
He also racked up 157 appearances for the US national team, second only to Cobi Jones' 164, and is the joint-top scorer for the team with 57 goals, tying with former Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey.
- David Beckham
- Lionel Messi
- Inter Miami
- MLS
- Everton FC
- Premier League
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