Saan Diego Loyal SC, in partnership with Ground Floor Murals, announced it will reveal three murals of Loyal Players in neighborhoods throughout San Diego County ahead of the season opener on March 11.
The murals will be unveiled in Hillcrest at 3 p.m. featuring Midfielder Collin Martin, in Mural Alley; at 4 p.m in Chula Vista featuring Midfielder Alejandro Guido on Third Avenue & E Street; and at 5 p.m. in Mission Valley, featuring Goalkeeper Duran Ferree at the SD Loyal HQ. The public is invited to attend all three mural unveilings.
Guido, Martin, and Ferree will be the first to see the final artwork pieces, featuring life-sized, in-game action tributes to them and the communities they represent. After the unveiling, a final touch will be added to each respective installation — their signature.
“Community representation — on and off the field — has been our North Star since day one,” said SD Loyal President Ricardo Campos. “Via this project with Ground Floor Murals, we continue to amplify this connection and celebrate our community at large. We’re excited to unveil our 2023 CHARLY Fútbol kits in a meaningful way for our fans, players, partners, and all of San Diego to enjoy.”
San Diego Loyal SC will also unveil its 2023 CHARLY Fútbol Home, Away, and Goalkeeper kits, which will be available to purchase online starting at 3 p.m. The first opportunity to purchase the 2023 kits in person will be on Saturday, March 4, at the SD Loyal x CHARLY Fútbol Kit Release Party at the Adams Avenue Theater.
SD Loyal season ticket members will have exclusive early access to the event from 5-7 p.m. Doors will open to the general public from 7-9 p.m. Due to limited capacity fans are encouraged to RSVP here.
Midfielder Alejandro Guido was born and raised in Chula Vista. A Mater Dei Catholic School Alumn, taking home the CIF State title as a freshman in 2009 A self-proclaimed border kid, Guido went on to train in the U.S. Soccer residency program before the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, where he scored in the group stage against the Czech Republic. In March 2012, Guido signed his first professional contract with nearby Club Tijuana. Over the next nine years, the Chula Vista native would play for Tijuana, Dorados, and LAFC before finding his way back home to SD Loyal.
Midfielder Collin Martin made national headlines in 2018 as the only active athlete from the five major men’s U.S. professional leagues to come out as gay, his continued support of the LGBTQ community has made him a hero for many. According to the SD Loyals, the Hillcrest community in particular, which remains at the forefront of fighting for LGBTQ rights and equality, continues to support the work of Martin.
The final mural featuring Duran Ferree at the San Diego Loyal front offices and The Shop @ SD Loyal in Mission Valley represents the full circle of the club’s mission of growing soccer in the region, club officials say. Duran has made history as the first Loyal Select player to sign a professional contract with the first team and has spent his entire life in San Diego, growing as a player and person within the soccer community.
Ferree signed a USL Academy contract on Jan. 28, ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season where he would go on to play two matches, starting in one. Under the tutelage of training every day at a professional level with the SD Loyal first team, Ferree’s accelerated development was most recently rewarded with a call-up to the United States Under-17 Men’s National Team for the 2023 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.
The 16-year-old started in the USA’s critical quarterfinal match against hosts Guatemala, helping lead the squad to a 5-3 victory and an automatic berth in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru.
From the time that each mural is unveiled until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, fans who post a selfie on social media from any of the three locations using the hashtag #StayLoyal will automatically be entered to win a set of all three 2023 kits, plus the 2023 season tickets to the BluPeak Lounge at Torero Stadium.
The Loyal begin their season March 11 at Torero Stadium, hosting Detroit City FC at 7 p.m.
