For all the mixed emotions Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is feeling ahead of his much-anticipated reunion match against CF Pachuca, there’s one thing San Diego FC’s superstar winger is 100 percent firm on.
“No, no,” the Mexican international answered when asked if he’d celebrate scoring a goal against his beloved former club during Tuesday’s Leagues Cup debut at Snapdragon Stadium (11 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+; FS1).
“Of course not.”
Full-circle moment
Lozano, whose star-making tenure with Pachuca from 2014-17 opened the door to a nearly decade-long run in Europe with PSV Eindhoven and Napoli, will face Los Tuzos for the first time eight years after his departure.
As loyal as he is to his boyhood side, Chucky’s current priority is San Diego, the club he’s helped lead to a dream start to life in Major League Soccer during their inaugural 2025 season.
With 7g/8a, Lozano – along with fellow All-Stars Anders Dreyer (11g/16a) and Jeppe Tverskov (1g/9a) – has been instrumental in the Chrome-and-Azul’s rise to the top of the Western Conference standings behind one of the most impressive expansion seasons in league history.
For Lozano, the plan is to do more of the same in Leagues Cup.
“I always like to win,” the 29-year-old said of his intentions in the competition. “So every time I play a game, I try to do the best job possible, give 100 percent and try to win. I think all the youngsters [on the team] have that same mentality.
“… A tournament like this, international, with different teams, with different players that you don’t face week after week – this is something different and it’s an opportunity.”
In it to win it
Additional Phase One games will follow against LIGA MX outfits Tigres UANL (Aug. 1) and Mazatlán (Aug. 5), but Chucky realizes that Tuesday’s showdown with Pachuca carries special significance.
“A lot of feelings,” he said. “It’s the first time I’m facing them since leaving Pachuca. There’s a lot of mixed feelings for me, I know a lot of people [there].”
Emotions aside, Chucky & Co. want nothing more than to make a splash in Leagues Cup, according to head coach Mikey Varas.
“It means a lot, it’s our first time going together through a different tournament outside of the league,” Varas told reporters on the eve of Tuesday’s debut. “And obviously, it’s a prestigious tournament, getting to play against the best teams in LIGA MX."
"It's important for the guys, for the club and the whole team," added Lozano. "It's a tournament that can mean a lot for us."
