Pico Rivera in Talks With USL to Build a Professional Soccer Stadium and Entertainment District

February 11, 2024

The city seeks the development of a state-of-the-art entertainment district anchored by a new soccer stadium to attract professional men’s and women’s soccer teams to Pico Rivera.

Pico Rivera took a massive step toward transforming its community into a premier destination for sports and entertainment and will sign a negotiated letter of interest with the United Soccer League (USL) at a ceremony tomorrow, February 12, to explore the development of a state-of-the-art entertainment district anchored by a new professional stadium to bring professional men’s and women’s soccer teams to Pico Rivera.

A Negotiated Letter of Interest (LOI) is a document used in business transactions and real estate deals, or mergers and acquisitions where the key terms have been discussed and agreed upon before the letter is formalized. Unlike a standard LOI, which is often a unilateral expression of interest, a negotiated LOI is the result of prior discussions between the parties to align on fundamental deal terms before moving forward with a formal contract.

USL Chief Operation Officer Dan Holman will be joined by Pico Rivera Mayor John R. Garcia and City Manager Steve Carmona at 1:00 p.m. at Pico Rivera City Hall, 6615 Passons Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA  90660

Founded in 1986, the USL is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL provides a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem, with two professional men’s leagues—the USL Championship (Division II) and USL League One (Division III)—and the Division I professional women’s USL Super League, which launched in 2024. The USL has multi-year national and international media rights agreements across various platforms, including CBS Sports, ESPN, and Peacock, making the USL the most widely accessible soccer league in the country.

The USL has cultivated many great players:

Players Who Played in the USL and Reached MLS or Higher

1. Tyler Adams – Played for New York Red Bulls II (USL) before becoming a U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) star and playing in the Bundesliga (RB Leipzig) and Premier League (Leeds United, Bournemouth).
2. Aaron Long – Played for Seattle Sounders FC 2 and New York Red Bulls II before winning MLS Defender of the Year and playing for the USMNT.
3. Mark-Anthony Kaye – Played for Louisville City FC before becoming a key MLS midfielder and Canadian international.
4. Daryl Dike – Spent time with Orlando City B before making a name in MLS and transferring to England (West Bromwich Albion).
5. Josh Wolff – Played in the USL early in his career before becoming an MLS player and later a coach.

USL Players Who Became International Stars

6. Didier Drogba – The Chelsea legend played for Phoenix Rising (USL Championship) in the final years of his career and became a part-owner of the club.
7. Joe Corona – Spent time with LA Galaxy II before having a long career in Liga MX and with the USMNT.
8. Miguel Ibarra – Played for Minnesota United when they were in the NASL/USL before joining MLS and earning USMNT caps.
9. Cyle Larin – Spent time in the USL early in his career before becoming Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer.
10. Herculez Gomez – Played in the USL early in his career before playing in MLS, Liga MX, and for the USMNT.

Recent Stars in the USL

11. Jonathan Gómez – Former Louisville City FC player now with Real Sociedad in Spain.
12. Diego Luna – Developed at El Paso Locomotive FC before moving to MLS and the USMNT U-20 squad.
13. Kaden Pierre – Played for Sporting Kansas City II and developed into an MLS-level defender.