San Diego, CA (August 19, 2021) – Today, San Diego Loyal SC (SD Loyal) announces the appointment of Ricardo Campos as the club’s interim president following the departure of Warren Smith last month.
“We are grateful that Ricardo has enthusiastically agreed to step up and lead our organization through the challenges and successes of being one of the newest clubs in the league,” said Chairman of SD Loyal, Andrew Vassiliadis. “Given his foundational experience working throughout the soccer landscape and being passionate about the success of SD Loyal since our inception, the decision was easy and the staff has echoed my choice.”
Ricardo Campos is a tri-lingual soccer executive with more than ten years of league and team experience in the U.S. soccer landscape and has been involved with the club since it was founded in 2019. He served as SD Loyal’s Vice President of Operations and General Manager prior to his newest appointment.
“Ricardo embodies all the values that are SD Loyal,” said Landon Donovan, EVP of Soccer Operations and Manager. “He’s loyal to the team, to the staff and to the club. Since day one, he has earned the trust of everyone around him and we are really excited to have him lead us moving forward.”
Campos has led the club’s efforts in creating exciting, fun and safe environments for fans at Torero Stadium. He played a major role with the company as its Health Officer in 2020, where the club had not one positive COVID-19 case result, launched The Shop at San Diego Loyal and was an instrumental role on key player transactions this season. Prior to SD Loyal, Campos served as Technical Director of MLS-side New York Red Bulls for over six years. In addition to his current duties, Campos will oversee all of the club’s business operations.
“I am greatly honored for the opportunity to lead this soccer club with such an incredibly talented team of people working on behalf of this great city,” said Campos. “We have come a long way since the inception of the club in 2019 and I am excited for what’s next for San Diego Loyal. There are tremendous opportunities for growth and I look forward to continuing to develop our relationships within our community alongside our fans and supporters. I am grateful to Andrew and our entire team for this opportunity, and I look forward to working with Landon and the team to bring the USL Championship trophy to San Diego.”
In just their second season, San Diego Loyal find themselves in contention for a playoff spot as they currently reside tied for second place in the Pacific Division of the United Soccer League Championship’s Western Conference.
