With Sacramento out of the picture, Burkle’s NWSL team takes shape in San Diego

The NWSL’s 10th franchise will be in California, but not in Sacramento, as was once hoped.

The women’s soccer league announced Tuesday a Ron Burkle-owned team will start play in San Diego next spring.

In February, Burkle backed out of a deal to buy Sacramento Republic FC and move the team into Major League Soccer. It was reported in January that former U.S. national team coach Jill Ellis would join Burkle’s NWSL effort. On Tuesday, Ellis was announced as president of the new soccer team.

“San Diego is filled with an unwavering and fervent fanbase with a wide interest in soccer,” Burkle said in a news release. “We are thrilled to bring women’s professional soccer to San Diego and believe this club will be deeply embedded in this community. We believe in Jill and will provide the necessary investment to build a club that all of San Diego will be proud to support.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 2:29 PM.