Chula Vista Development Group Aims to Attract Mexican Team to United States
The proposed 50,000 stadium could also be used to lure MLS or USL
As first reported by NBC San Diego, developer Pangaea Chula Vista Sports has proposed a mixed-use development on Chula Vista’s bayfront that would include a 50,000 capacity stadium.
Per the group’s draft proposal, the stadium would be in phase two of the development, and would be “tri-use” and used to “lure professional soccer, major concerts and future integration.”
Digging further into the details, the group states that they would pursue “an MLS, high-profile USL Championship Team or Mexican Football Federation (“FMF”) team,” saying it would be “akin to the Toronto Blue Jays and MLB coming into Canada.”
While the group states soccer as the stadium’s primary use, they also envision the “largest and most technologically advanced stadium in the United States” to be used for major concerns and professional tennis events.
Liga MX is currently the second-most watched soccer league in the United States behind the English Premier League. MLS ranks third. Chula Vista is a suburb to the south of the city of San Diego, between the city and the Mexican border.
However, the stadium could be an attractive location for MLS club San Diego FC and NWSL side San Diego Wave. Both currently play at Snapdragon Stadium, located on the campus of San Diego State University and shared with that school’s football team. San Diego FC pays the school $200,000 per match for use of its facilities, subject to 3% increases in years five, seven and nine. The lease agreement gives it scheduling priority over San Diego Wave.
San Diego FC’s lease at Snapdragon has renewal clauses after 10 and 15 years, which become automatic if the sides do not agree on terms. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Wave’s agreement is believed to end after the current 2025 season.
The USL has a history in the San Diego area, having fielded San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship from 2020 through 2023. The club folded after the announcement of MLS expansion San Diego FC due to an inability to find a long-term stadium solution. It does not seem likely that the USL has an appetite to support another division two side in the area, and at 50,000 seats, the stadium would be far beyond the average attendance in that league.
San Diego has a history of crackpot ideas for soccer stadiums. This is the latest. The wealth in the city is in North County…and the top youth soccer clubs too. Getting to Mission Valley (the location of Snapdragon) from there is enough of a challenge. Chula Vista is another story. The LigaMX in the US, which seems to pop up in SD and San Antonio occasionally, is a complete delusion and is a waste of time to talk about.
Who actually owns the land? The article linked is actually vague about it....
Tbh, there are so many sketchy things, almost red flag concerns, about this. There is clearly not enough footage for parking (unless they build a parking tower, which is extraordinarily expensive due to the steel & concrete required), it's adjacent to protected wetlands, the residential district immediately north of it are not going to be happy, no mention of where the billion dollar funds will come from, etc.