In Photos: Manny Machado all smiles rocking San Diego FC's "State of Flow" Adidas jersey
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado has been the most recognizable face of the city's sports scene for half a decade. After all, the Padres are the only team left in San Diego in all of the major American sports' men's division, although that's about to change.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the Padres star was visibly ecstatic upon welcoming the newest top-tier professional team in the city, San Diego FC of the MLS. San Diego FC, which is scheduled to make its debut in 2025, will be the 30th team in Major League Soccer and the 15th in its Western Conference.
Manny Machado was photographed holding up and wearing the jersey of the newest addition to San Diego sports. In the box that contained the "State of Flow" jersey, it says that the kit is a "symbol of our city's spirit and a reflection of our community."
San Diego FC is jointly owned by English business magnate Sir Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumyaay Nation, a federally recognized Native American tribe.
Sir Mohamed Mansour is the founder of the Mansour group—a multinational conglomerate that is contracted to different sectors of business. The Mansour Group is the largest dealer of General Motors in the world and also a huge distributor of Caterpillar Inc. The group also has business ties to McDonald's, Red Bull, and UPS.
Meanwhile, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is a sect of Mission Indians living in an unincorporated part of San Diego County. The tribe's population is estimated to be around 120 per recent census reports. The group operates a casino and two wastewater treatment plants.
San Diego FC's first-ever signing is Mexican international Hirving "Chucky" Lozano from PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands' Eredivisie. Lozano has been one of the most highly-regarded talents from Mexico to grace the European soccer scene.
Manny Machado's reportedly strained relationship with Juan Soto
Juan Soto's unveiling as the newest New York Met surprisingly uncovered some interesting stories from the past. Per ESPN's Buster Olney and Jeff Passan, the right fielder reportedly had a strained relationship with then-San Diego teammate Manny Machado.
"Soto later acknowledged during his November conversations with teams that his previous relationship with a superstar teammate — in San Diego with the Padres' Manny Machado — had been difficult, but with Judge, everything seemed to go smoothly."
The insiders talked about how different his time with the Padres was in comparison to his time with the Yankees. The perception by the Yankees was that Soto had a strong relationship with New York Yankee captain Aaron Judge as they helped each other flourish, unlike his stint in San Diego with Machado as Olney and Passan reported.