By Canadian Press

Busy San Diego FC adds to its roster through MLS expansion draft and trades

Dec 11, 2024 | 9:48 PM

San Diego FC selected fullback/midfielder Jasper Löffelsend from the Colorado Rapids with the first pick in Major League Soccer’s expansion draft Wednesday.

San Diego then took midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth from Orlando City, defender Hamady Diop from Charlotte FC, winger Thiago Andrade from New York City FC and midfielder Hosei Kijima from St. Louis City SC.

The expansion franchise promptly dealt Andrade to Toronto FC and Kijima to D.C. United.

In return, Toronto sent San Diego up to $250,000 (all figures in U.S. dollars) in conditional general allocation money and a first-round pick (ninth overall) in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft. San Diego also retains a percentage of a future transfer fee if Andrade is sold out of MLS by Toronto.

D.C. gave up $400,000 in allocation money.

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“We are thrilled to add three more exciting players to our squad as we continue to build our inaugural season roster,” San Diego sporting director Tyler Heaps said in a statement. “We believe that the players we selected all fit into our identity and style of play.

“We are also confident that the trades we made will provide the necessary resources for us to make additional moves within the league in the coming days. We look forward to welcoming Heine, Hamady and Jasper to San Diego FC.”

San Diego kicks off its inaugural season on the road Feb. 22-23 at the MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy with its home opener March 1 at Snapdragon Stadium against St. Louis City.

Löffelsend, selected out of Pittsburgh in the third round (81st overall) of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, has appeared in 69 league games (36 starts) for Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids. In 2024, the 27-year-old German appeared in 18 matches for the Rapids.

Bruseth, 20, joined Orlando in August from Norway’s Kristiansund BK. The Norwegian youth international joined the team as a U22 Initiative player, signing a contract through the 2026 season with club options for both 2027 and 2028.

Bruseth, who began his pro career at he age of 17, had two goals and two assists in 37 career appearances with Kristiansund.

Diop, 22, was the first overall pick in the 2023 SuperDraft. The Senegalese defender was a Generation Adidas signing out of Clemson University and was a member of the Tigers’ 2021 NCAA College Cup-winning squad.

He appeared in three league games with Charlotte and is currently on loan with Serbian side FK Čukarički through January 15, 2025.

Teams were allowed to protect 12 players from their senior and supplemental rosters for Wednesday’s draft. San Diego was able to select up to five players from the eligible pool of players, but could only take one from any one club.

Clubs that lost a player received $50,000 in general allocation money.

San Diego started the day with just seven players.

In June, the club announced Hirving (Chucky) Lozano as its first designated player, signing the Mexican international winger to a four-year contract with two option years in a Jan. 1, 2025, transfer from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.

Others on the San Diego roster are U.S. youth international goalkeeper Duran Ferree, Northern Ireland international defender Paddy McNair, American winger Alex Mighten, Danish holding midfielder Jeppe Tverskov, Colombian forward Tomas Angel and Danish international forward Marcus Ingvartsen.

Angel is the son of former Colombia star Juan Pablo Angel, who played in MLS for the New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA as well as Aston Villa in England, Atletico Nacional in Colombia and River Plate in Argentina.

Before the draft, the club announced it had acquired the “right of first-refusal” for defender Christopher McVey, a former Swedish youth international from D.C. United in exchange for up to $100,000 in general allocation money.

San Diego then picked up goalkeeper CJ dos Santos from Inter Miami in exchange for $100,000 in general allocation money.

The expansion club has also reportedly acquired Colombian centre back Andrés Reyes from the New York Red Bulls.

San Diego’s coach is Mikey Varas, a former U.S. under-20 coach and senior assistant coach.

The 33-year-old Heaps, whose fiancée is U.S. captain Lindsey Horan, is Major League Soccer’s youngest sporting director.

Club ownership includes San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

Big names available in the expansion draft included Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne and Sporting Kansas City’s Alan Pulido, with both clubs correctly anticipating that the sizable paycheques of the two designated players would act as a deterrent.

The 33-year-old Insigne, a former Napoli captain, ranked second in MLS this season with a salary of $15.4 million behind only Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi ($20.5 million).

Pulido, also 33, ranked 15th at $3.9 million.

Löffelsend earned $255,833 this season while Bruseth made $217,470 and Diop $97,215.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press