San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium overcomes obstacles to land MLS expansion team.
San Diego State has secured an MLS franchise to begin play in 2025, after a group that included San Diego State Athletic Director John David Wicker and JMI Sports CEO Erik Judson fought through major roadblocks to build Snapdragon Stadium and secure the rights to the land in Mission Valley. The group wrested control of the land from rival SoccerCity in a dominant wave of voting support in November 2018, and their stadium came in on time and on budget. The project's success underscores the potent cocktail of checking every single box and building broad-based public buy-in.
