SD Loyal’s Revised Inaugural Schedule & Season Preview
The United Soccer League revised schedule for the 2020 USL Championship San Diego Loyal SC (SD Loyal) has been released and has the team set to play 14 matches over 13 weeks before potentially advancing to the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs, which will open in the second weekend of October.
San Diego soccer fans and as well as America’s fans throughout the nation got good news as they celebrated July 4th, thanks to the USL finally releasing the remaining 2020 USL Championship regular-season schedule.
The news is music to the ears to both the countless fans and San Diego Loyal SC players who have been stuck in limbo for more than three months since the team’s last official match back on March 11th against Tacoma Defiance.
San Diego Loyal’s first opponent as the USL Championship Returns To Play is none other than the reigning league champion, Real Monarchs. The SD Loyal vs Real Monarchs is scheduled for July 11th in Salt Lake City.
This upcoming match will be a great opportunity for SD Loyal’s head coach Landon Donovan to gauge the current state of his team by playing the defending title holders at their home Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah in front of a possible 5,300 Monarch fans — who will be allowed to attend the game while following strict health and safety guidelines.
Real Monarchs to open Rio Tinto Stadium on July 11 for first match with fans in attendance
— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) July 2, 2020
Details ➡️ https://t.co/MFBSvDhi8L pic.twitter.com/789qsqNNu3
San Diego Loyal will have to contend with one of the toughest defenses in the league as San Diego native Erik Holt leads Monarch’s defensive squad. Holt, the outstanding young defender, split time with both MLS’ Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs in 2019 and has so far played all of his minutes in 2020 guarding the USL Champions.
Photo Credit: SD Loyal
SD Loyal currently ranks on the top of Group B standings with 1 win and 1 tie and a total of 4 points and are ahead of Phoenix Rising FC, LA Galaxy II, Las Vegas Nights FC and Orange Country SC. The Loyals will play 7 home matches in the USL Championship Return To Play reschedule of 2020, but fans will not be permitted into the TORERO Torero Stadium on the campus of USD.
The remainder of the season will have very intriguing matches for USL’s San Diego’s squad including the first time the Loyal’s will meet the Sacramento Republic on the pitch. As many soccer fans know, SD Loyal’s president Warren Smith co-founded the Sacramento Republic team Sacramento Republic FC in 2012 and served as President of the Northern California USL club until 2018.
Another match to watch out for is SD Loyal against Phoenix Rising, a team that finished at the top of the USL Championship points table in 2019.
The regular-season schedule will also feature three matches against Orange County SC in what is already being dubbed: “The Battle For I-5” with two of the three matches played in San Diego the first being on August 12th.
Here is the full list of opponents that San Diego Loyal will face for the rest of the 2020 regular season with start times yet to be determined:
- Sunday, July 19th: LA Galaxy II @ San Diego Loyal
- Saturday, July 25th: Las Vegas Lights @ San Diego Loyal
- Wednesday, July 29th: San Diego Loyal @ LA Galaxy II
- Saturday, August 1st: Sacramento Republic @ San Diego Loyal
- Saturday, August 8th: San Diego Loyal @ Las Vegas Lights
- Wednesday, August 12th: Orange County SC @ San Diego Loyal
- Saturday, August 15th: San Diego Loyal @ Phoenix Rising
- Saturday, August 22nd: Reno 1868 @ San Diego Loyal
- Saturday, August 29th: San Diego Loyal @ Orange County SC
- Wednesday, September 9th: San Diego Loyal @ LA Galaxy II
- Sunday, September 13th: Orange County SC @ San Diego Loyal
- Saturday, September 19th: San Diego Loyal @ Phoenix Rising
- Wednesday, September 30th: Phoenix Rising @ San Diego Loyal
