2020 San Diego Loyal SC season
# 2020 San Diego Loyal SC season

The 2020 San Diego Loyal SC season was the club's first season of existence and their first season in the USL Championship (USLC). This article covers the period from the founding of the club to the conclusion of the 2020 USLC Playoff Final, scheduled for November 12–16, 2020.

## Roster

    As of March 6, 2020

| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2 | DF | Morgan Hackworth | United States |
| 3 | MF | Elijah Martin | United States |
| 4 | MF | Jack Metcalf | England |
| 5 | DF | Grant Stoneman | United States |
| 6 | MF | Charlie Adams | England |
| 7 | MF | Carlos Alvarez | United States |
| 8 | DF | Sal Zizzo | United States |
| 9 | FW | Qudus Lawal | Nigeria |
| 11 | FW | Irvin Parra | United States |
| 12 | DF | Eric Avila | United States |
| 14 | MF | Yair Jaen | Panama |
| 15 | FW | Tumi Moshobane | South Africa |
| 16 | MF | Beverly Makangila | DR Congo |
| 17 | MF | Collin Martin | United States |
| 18 | DF | Edwin Lara | Mexico |
| 19 | MF | Jerome Mbekeli | Cameroon |
| 20 | DF | Joseph Greenspan | United States |
| 21 | FW | Ashley Nazira | Mauritius |
| 22 | FW | Francis Atuahene (on loan from FC Dallas) | Ghana |
| 23 | DF | Emrah Klimenta | Montenegro |
| 24 | GK | Jake Fenlason | United States |
| 26 | MF | Suleiman Samura | Sierra Leone |
| 28 | GK | Jon Kempin (on loan from Columbus Crew) | United States |
| 40 | MF | Raúl Mendiola | Mexico |
| — | GK | Amal Knight | Jamaica |

## Competitions

### USL Championship

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stadium | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | A | H | A | H |
| Result | D | W | W | L | W | D | L | L | L | | | | | | | |
| Position | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | | | | | | | |

**Match results**

On January 9, 2020, the USL announced the 2020 season schedule.

**Standings — Group B**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Phoenix Rising FC | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 17 | +29 | 35 | 2.19 | Advance to USL Championship Playoffs |
| 2 | LA Galaxy II | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 26 | 1.63 | Advance to USL Championship Playoffs |
| 3 | Orange County SC | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 24 | 1.50 | |
| 4 | San Diego Loyal SC | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 23 | 1.44 | |
| 5 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 34 | −10 | 11 | 0.69 | |

**Standings — Western Conference**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Reno 1868 FC | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 21 | +22 | 36 | 2.25 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Phoenix Rising FC | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 46 | 17 | +29 | 35 | 2.19 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 3 | San Antonio FC | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 14 | +16 | 33 | 2.06 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 4 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 32 | 2.00 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Sacramento Republic | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 30 | 1.88 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 6 | New Mexico United | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 27 | 1.80 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 7 | FC Tulsa | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 25 | 1.67 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 8 | LA Galaxy II | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 26 | 1.63 | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 9 | Orange County SC | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 24 | 1.50 | |
| 10 | San Diego Loyal SC | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 23 | 1.44 | |
| 11 | Austin Bold FC | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 22 | 1.38 | |
| 12 | Tacoma Defiance | 16 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 32 | −7 | 14 | 0.88 | |
| 13 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 28 | −9 | 13 | 0.81 | |
| 14 | Real Monarchs | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 25 | −11 | 11 | 0.69 | |
| 15 | Las Vegas Lights FC | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 34 | −10 | 11 | 0.69 | |
| 16 | Rio Grande Valley Toros | 14 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 28 | −11 | 9 | 0.64 | |
| 17 | OKC Energy FC | 16 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 29 | −17 | 10 | 0.63 | |
| 18 | Portland Timbers 2 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 20 | 50 | −30 | 9 | 0.56 | |

### U.S. Open Cup

As a USL Championship club, San Diego was set to enter the competition in the Second Round, to be played April 7–9. The second round draw had the Loyal slated to play an away match versus Los Angeles Force scheduled for April 7. Before the match could occur, however, U.S. Soccer suspended the competition on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before cancelling the competition altogether on August 17.

