CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
Hirving Lozano surprises San Diego FC in visit to his new MLS club after being left off Mexico’s Copa America roster
Lozano will be the face of a new franchise
SOCCER star Hirving Lozano has surprised some stars of the future as he continues to celebrate his move to MLS.
After recently missing out on a spot on Mexico's roster for Copa America, the winger completed a move to MLS expansion team San Diego FC.
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Lozano, 28, was recently signed by San Diego for around $12.8 million from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
However, he will continue to play for PSV until January 1, 2025, as per Forbes.
Having signed a four-year deal, Lozano is San Diego's first Designated Player.
While playing for MLS' newest team, Lozano will reportedly earn around $7 million to $9 million.
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After recently arriving in the US to put pen to paper with his future club, Lozano attended several events where he was unveiled to fans.
He also surprised some budding young soccer stars at the Pre-ECNL National Playoffs in Norco, California, 28 miles southwest of San Bernardino.
There he posed for snaps and signed autographs for many of the youngsters.
This represented one of Lozano's first opportunities to already get working on one of the main goals he outlined upon arriving in San Diego.
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"In every country I have played, I always strive to leave a mark, and making an impact in San Diego and MLS is very important to me," he said in a statement.
"The Club's project and plans for San Diego's Right to Dream Academy resonated deeply with the career path I've had in this sport.
"I identified with the project immediately and I am confident we will be able to help a lot of youth players from both sides of the border."
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Lozano joins San Diego after seven years in Europe where he played for both PSV and Napoli.
During his two stints with the Dutch giants, Lozano has won two Eredivisie titles.
The latest of which came this past season, during which he scored six goals in 24 league appearances.
As for his four seasons in Italy, he won both the Coppa Italia and Serie A once.
Mexico's Copa America schedule
Group B
Sat 22 Jun, 9pm ET - vs. Jamaica (NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas)
Wed 26 Jun, 9pm ET - vs. Venezuela (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California)
Sun 30 Jun, 8pm ET - vs. Ecuador (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)
Lozano has also been a regular for his country since making his debut in 2016.
Since then he's made 70 appearances for Mexico, scoring 18 goals.
Lozano's most recent appearance came during their 2-0 defeat to the USA at the Nation's League Finals, where he played the full 90 minutes.
However, manager Jaime Lozano opted not to call him up for their three friendlies in the build-up to Copa America.
Lozano's absence, along with those of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and striker Raul Jiminez, hint at a desire to focus their attention on their younger options.
The national team's sporting director, Duilo Davino, recently noted that with the World Cup - which will be held partially in Mexico - nearing, "We want to take advantage of this great opportunity to not think about the immediacy of the result and project our path to 2026," as per The Athletic.
After finding out that he'd missed the cut, Lozano shared a classy message in support of his teammates.
"Whether I'm on the pitch or supporting from the sidelines, I have my national team jersey tattooed on me like a second skin," he reportedly said in a post.
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"Today, the honor falls to you. I'm sure we'll see each other later, but in the meantime, tear it up and raise Mexico's name high."
Mexico's first game at Copa America will be held on June 22 at NRG Stadium in Houston where they will take on Jamaica.
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