Joe Corona is coming home to kick with the San Diego Loyal SC.
The Loyal announced Wednesday it has signed midfielder Joe Corona, pending league and federation approval. The San Diego native joins the club ahead of the upcoming 2023 USL Championship season.
After playing soccer at Sweetwater High School, Corona played one season at San Diego State. From there, he embarked on a long professional career that included stops with Club Tijuana, Los Angeles Galaxy and the U.S. Men's National Team.
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Corona was part of the United States 2013 and 2017 Gold Cup championship teams. He appeared in five of the team's six matches and scored two goals to help the U.S. win the 2013 Gold Cup. In the 2017 Gold Cup, he scored a goal during the group stage. The midfielder was also part of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers playing in his first official match against Guatemala.
After all that international, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX experience, the 32-year old midfielder will now play for his hometown team.
“Joe is a massive signing for San Diego. Bringing in his leadership, experience, and ability to help us get to the next level was a priority for us this off-season,” said Loyal Head Coach Nate Miller. “Joe fits perfectly into our team, and how we play football. It will be very special for him to come and play in his hometown and extremely exciting for our excellent fan base to welcome him home. We are building a team to give us the ability to win a championship and Joe is a very important piece of that project.”
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In a suddenly crowded San Diego soccer landscape, the addition of Corona should help the Loyal win games on the field and win points with local soccer fans that have a lot of options on the pitch.
