One of Major League Soccer’s highest-paid players will apparently be on the move.
San Diego FC director Tyler Heaps announced Friday that Mexico winger Chucky Lozano will not return to the team in 2026.
San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas on the breaking news that Mexican international Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is OUT. pic.twitter.com/TunriF4F8V
— SanDiego.Futbol (@SanDiego_Futbol) January 9, 2026
Lozano, 30, was the first high-profile addition to the expansion side, coming aboard as a Designated Player in a transfer from PSV. He appeared in 34 games last season, scoring 11 goals and assisting on nine more.
But a late-season incident between Lozano and head coach Mikey Varas after a halftime substitution on Oct. 3resulted in his benching for the final game of the regular season and the team’s playoff defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“Our focus is always on the collective,” Varas said of the news. “It’s about pushing the team chemistry this year. Listen, we’ve played plenty of games with a team without him in the roster and that team played very, very well.”
A native of Mexico City, Lozano’s signing with San Diego was his return to North America for the first time since moving to PSV from Pachuca in 2017. From 2019 to 2023, Lozano suited up for Napoli, winning a Coppa Italia and a Scudetto, before returning to PSV for two more seasons.
Internationally, Lozano has been capped 75 times by El Tri, scoring 18 goals. He’s appeared at two World Cups.
