People on the internet were having a fantastic time on Friday at San Diego’s expense thanks to the group trying to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) team to the city.

The $1 billion-plus redevelopment project known around town as SoccerCity is an effort to turn Qualcomm Stadium into the future home of an MLS expansion team, housing, office and retail space, parkland and more. La Jolla-based FS Investors is working to land a local team and that includes drawing attention to its efforts.

What are the two fool-proof ways to do that?

First, attach a beloved legend in the sport named Landon Donovan .

Check.

https://twitter.com/landondonovan/status/838101462236315648

Second, dream up a publicity stunt to spread the word to national news outlets.

Mission accomplished.

FS Investors launched a chance for fans to vote in early March on a potential team name on its SoccerCity SD Facebook page. It’s allowed visitors to vote on possible names for weeks while narrowing the list as time went by.

The group first sought “submissions” for potential team names, borrowing an engagement technique we used ourselves way back in January when we asked San Diegans what the team should be called. As we imagined, we received a number of thoughtful suggestions via comment and email — and of course some that were less so, such as “The anchormen” and “San Diego IPA FC.”

“We’re fun guys,” one of the investors said in their promotional video. “We want it to be funny.”

SoccerCity’s poll does, of course, have some decent name ideas like San Diego City FC and Atletico San Diego. But it also boasts “Footy McFooty Face” and “San Diego Bad Hombres.”

Whatever, right? It worked. Check out these headlines.

Washington Post: ‘Footy McFooty Face’ on track to win fan vote to name potential San Diego MLS team

Deadspin: "Footy McFooty Face" Leads Fan Vote For San Diego's Potential MLS Team Name

New York Post: New MLS team could be named Footy McFooty Face

Now check out what people were saying about San Diego on Friday.

https://twitter.com/thelukerodgers/status/845299043454595072

https://twitter.com/jorgearangure/status/845310318335184896

The conversation went on from there.

https://twitter.com/MenInBlazers/status/845310993546792960

https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/845313112534388740

https://twitter.com/grahamruthven/status/845344394014343168

https://twitter.com/dmccarthy1991/status/845354748731670530

https://twitter.com/pdub116/status/845312730420690944

https://twitter.com/MattVereen/status/845353600197021697

https://twitter.com/shawnemerriman/status/845395387254894593

https://twitter.com/producerziggy/status/845401416885682177

Ha ha ha. We get it. But it seems like pretty much only one guy realized the naming thing was just a joke.

https://twitter.com/WillParchman/status/845372184121925632

Bringing soccer to San Diego shouldn’t be a laughing matter.

Many here are devastated to have lost the Chargers. The city has debated what to do with the Qualcomm Stadium site for years.

Taxpayer dollars, the city’s homeless population and even San Diego State University are wrapped up in this, and we can only hope the group involved picks a serious name. Our editorial board, for example, just wrote about the seriousness with which a decision should be made:

Time to end debate about Qualcomm Stadium, convention center expansion

There’s nothing wrong with a good internet laugh. But I, for one, don’t really like to see San Diego become the butt of yet another sports joke.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin