‘Pay him what he wants!’ - Why Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano can be another Carlos Vela-type hit for MLS as Mexico star is linked with 2025 expansion franchise San Diego FC

Another California-based outfit will be joining the MLS ranks in 2025, with further expansion being made by a division drawing up the most ambitious of long-term plans. Lionel Messi is already on board at Inter Miami, and there is the promise of more household names to come.

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Lozano is one of those seeing a move to the United States speculated on, with the 29-year-old having spent the last seven years in Europe with PSV and Napoli. He previously starred in his homeland for Pachuca and could be returning to the Americas after enjoying a second stint in Eindhoven.

Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas, who spent much of his playing career in MLS, has told the State of the Union podcast why a deal for Lozano makes sense for all concerned. He said: “There was this back and forth of what [Christian] Pulisic is going to be and what Chucky is going to be – the pendulum and the compare and contrast. That’s Chucky individually and how it relates to his progress, or lack of progress – or lack of fulfilling whatever that destiny was. As it relates to San Diego, I think this is a no-brainer. You pay him what he wants and you hope that you catch that lightening in a bottle that LAFC did with Carlos Vela. I know that they are different types of player but he is still talented, he is still going to sell tickets, he is still a ‘name’ for a San Diego team that we know is going to try and attract the Mexican-American audience. What Chucky Lozano represents, I think it’s smart business for San Diego, it’s smart business for MLS and it might be perfect timing for him to come back in this type of capacity.”

Mexican frontman Vela also spent plenty of time in Europe, with the likes of Arsenal and Real Sociedad, before heading to the States in 2018. He hit 93 goals for LAFC across six seasons, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer and helping them to MLS Cup glory in 2022, with the potential there for Lozano to tread a similar path.