The joy never left.
That's what Hirving Lozano says. Body language analysts may conclude otherwise, but even with the suspensions, the disagreements and ultimately him being frozen out at San Diego FC, Lozano says he still felt that wave of emotion when he did take the field.
"I’ve always had joy playing soccer. It’s what I like to do most, what I’m most passionate about. Playing soccer is something marvelous for me. So, every time I’m on the field, every time I touch a ball, I’m happy," he told USA TODAY Sports this week. "Right now, I’m playing, touching the ball, getting on the field, that’s the best for me, the best thing possible."
Lozano is enjoying two returns: The first, being on the field with the LA Galaxy and scoring in a 4-1 win over
Austin FC. A win over Real Salt Lake on Nov. 7, and the Galaxy would lock up a playoff place, with Lozano now fit and ready to help the team in the postseason after a hamstring issue kept him out for all of October.
CHUCKYYYYY
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 31, 2026
He scores in his first game back from injury. 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/nqVvpfnJge
The other return, weeks earlier, saw him playing professional soccer again after that hold out with SDFC.
Signed by the 2025 MLS expansion club as its franchise player, meant to be the perfect star to connect with supporters of a team that wants to be relevant with fans both in Southern California and northern Baja California, Lozano put together a strong campaign in helping SDFC top the Western Conference and secure a place in the Concacaf Champions Cup in its first season of play.
But all was not well.
Lozano was suspended in October 2025, and didn't recover his starting spot in the playoffs - though he played in the club's final four postseason games as they fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the conference finals. Prior to the season, SDFC general manager Tyler Heaps stated flatly in January 2026 that Lozano would "not be part of the sporting plans moving forward." Rather than move elsewhere, Lozano spent the first half of the year training on his own before an Aug. 7 move ot the LA Galaxy.
"I’m very happy. The reception at the Galaxy, to be honest, has been marvelous, giving me the chance to play again. I’m putting in a lot of effort to try to get to my best level," he said this week. "I know it’s been a bit complicated just not being able to play the whole season, not having a preseason, but I’m going step by step trying to get better every day and I’m really very happy to be here."
The second return is being part of the push to get the Galaxy into the playoffs and contending for another MLS Cup.
Lozano's mini-renaissance, getting back on the field for the Galaxy and earning a recall to the Mexico national team for the first time since fall of the year before, was cut short by a hamstring issue.
The Pachuca product credited his family and the Galaxy's medical team for getting him back on the field quickly, a return he hopes will help push his new club into the postseason and give it a chance at adding to its trophy case.
A professional since 2014, and a veteran of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, "Chucky" knows he may have to convince fans - and coaches - that he still has enough in the tank to help teams to silverware, especially after his time on the shelf to start 2026.
Could Chucky Lozano make it to the 2030 World Cup?
That's why the call-up from new Mexico manager Rafa Marquez for the September-October friendlies was something he felt he needed to make the most of. The manager knows Lozano well.
Marquez and Lozano were teammates when the attacker scored the most important goal of his El Tri career at the 2018 World Cup, pushing Mexico past Germany in its opening match of that tournament.
"We have a really good relationship. The call he gave me, giving me the chance to return to the national team was fantastic. I’m really thankful to him, as I always have told him," Lozano said. "We’ve got to work really hard to get back there. Hopefully I can be back there soon."
Lozano's absence from Mexico's November squad can be put down to a lack of rhythm after the injury that kept him out of action in October. But Marquez isn't going to do him any favors just because of what they experienced in the past, giving Lozano extra motivation as he pushes for a place as a veteran on Mexico's 2030 World Cup roster.
"A player always wants to get to a World Cup, which is an incredible thing," he said. "Thankfully, I’ve been able to experience two.
"I think getting to another World Cup would be fantastic. So, that’s my goal. That’s what I want, but it’s always step-by-step working really hard to be able to be there."
Now 31, Lozano knows he needs to be playing well and playing consistently to be back in the picture for the 2027 Gold Cup, much less the World Cup when he will be 35.
Where will Hirving Lozano play in 2027?
The question on the outside is where he'll be doing that playing. Rumored deals to clubs in his native Mexico didn't materialize or were reportedly shot down when he was looking for a lifeline out of San Diego, and the Galaxy move is only a temporary one - for now.
He is on loan with LA through December 2026, though there is a "permanent trade option" that could keep him in LA. The Galaxy have a designated player slot he could fill, having sold Gabriel Pec to Cruzeiro in the summer.
A kumbaya moment where he and the SDFC brass grasp hands ahead of the 2027 campaign seems unlikely, but stranger reunions have happened in soccer. The Galaxy may make the decision to lock him down before that, with Lozano having contributed two goals and an assist in nine matches heading into Decision Day.
"At the moment, I’m really concentrated on the Galaxy," Lozano said. "We’re fighting to get into the playoffs and try to have the chance to get to the top. I think this is the most important thing. In the future, when the season ends, we’ll see. I think the top thing is just the right now."
More Mexico moments? The 2030 World Cup? He knows the type of work it will take to reach those long-term goals. The right now, he says, is where he's feeling the joy, once again taking the field and having a ball at his feet.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hirving Lozano going 'step-by-step' with LA Galaxy, sets 2030 World Cup goal
