SAN DIEGO — From North County to the South Bay, soccer enthusiasts united to welcome Hirving El Chuky Lozano to San Diego FC in Chuckymania at Rady Shell on Thursday evening.
“Just the fact that we have a San Diego to me is amazing,” Chuckymania Attendee Jorge Rojas said.
Fans of all ages waited in line for hours to enter Chuckymania. San Marcos Resident Marcelo Hernandez was the first person in line at Rady Shell; he waited three hours before the gates opened for the event. Hernandez tells CBS 8 that he was initially shocked to hear Chucky was coming to San Diego.
"To be honest I was a little bit shocked cause he's 28, he still has pretty good talent to be in Europe," Hernandez said.
Soccer fans brought posters, trading cards and cutouts of Chucky to show their support for the player.
“You're going to have fans from San Diego County from South Bay to North County all the way across the border, ” Rojas said.
The Mexico City native is already bringing a community of soccer fans together. Edgar Gallina drove down from Riverside, he tells CBS 8 in Spanish that he attended Chuckymania to welcome Chucky and to make him feel at home.
Attendees got to see a live performance from reggaetón artist Lunay before Lozano made an appearance on stage.
San Diego will be seeing El Chucky Lozano on the field in 2025.
The club made the announcement on June 6 and said Lozano, 28, was acquired as the first Designated Player in San Diego FC history and signed the winger to a four-year contract through the end of the 2028 MLS season with two option years.
San Diego FC reached an agreement with Lozano’s current club, PSV Eindhoven, of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands where Lozano will remain for the remainder of 2024. He will join the San Diego FC on January 1, 2025.
“Signing a player of the international stature of ‘Chucky’ Lozano is the biggest possible endorsement of our project in San Diego,” said San Diego FC Owner and Chairman, Sir Mohamed Mansour. “His journey from Pachuca, Mexico to the world stage resonates with how Right to Dream provides opportunities for talent everywhere, and we hope that story can inspire and motivate the next generation of talent in San Diego and around the world.”
WATCH: Emotions run high as San Diego FC welcomes Chucky Lozano