Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional soccer club established on October 30, 2014, and began competing in Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2018. Based in Los Angeles and competing in the Western Conference, the club plays its home matches at BMO Stadium, a soccer-specific venue located in Exposition Park. In their brief but successful history, LAFC has achieved remarkable success, winning two Supporters' Shields (2019, 2022), the 2022 MLS Cup, and the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. The club has also reached the CONCACAF Champions League final twice (2020, 2023) and qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Los Angeles FC was founded as a result of Major League Soccer awarding a new expansion team to Los Angeles after the complete dissolution of Chivas USA. The club's managing owners are Brandon Beck, Larry Berg, and Bennett Rosenthal, with a diverse ownership group that includes notable figures such as Will Ferrell, Nomar Garciaparra, Mia Hamm, Giorgio Chiellini, and Magic Johnson. The club's inaugural head coach was Bob Bradley, who served from 2017 to 2021 before being replaced by current head coach Steven Cherundolo.
Most recent season and achievements
In the 2024 season, LAFC clinched the Western Conference regular season title by goal difference against the LA Galaxy. The club won their first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3–1 victory over Sporting Kansas City at home. They also reached the final of the 2024 Leagues Cup, losing 3–1 to the Columbus Crew. In the MLS Cup playoffs, LAFC's season ended with a 2–1 extra-time defeat to Seattle Sounders FC after advancing past the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Best of Three Round.
History
Early years
Los Angeles FC was founded on October 30, 2014, with the club announcing that Los Angeles Football Club would be the official team name on September 15, 2015. Henry Nguyen, the club's principal owner at the time, described the name as "timeless." Bob Bradley was announced as head coach in July 2017, and Mexican forward Carlos Vela was signed as the club's first designated player on August 11, 2017.
LAFC played its first MLS game on March 4, 2018, a 1–0 win against Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Diego Rossi scored the club's first competitive goal in the 11th minute, assisted by Vela. Despite suffering their first MLS loss to the LA Galaxy 4–3 in the inaugural "El Tráfico," LAFC accomplished the best regular season for an MLS expansion team, earning 57 points and finishing with seven road wins.
Successful period
LAFC's breakthrough came in 2019 when they won their first Supporters' Shield with a record-setting 72 points. Carlos Vela won the MLS Golden Boot with a league-record 34 goals and was named league MVP. The club defeated their El Trafico rivals LA Galaxy 5–3 in the Western Conference Semifinal but were eliminated by Seattle Sounders 3–1 in the Western Conference Final.
The pinnacle of LAFC's success came in 2022 when they won their second Supporters' Shield with 67 points and captured their first MLS Cup. In a dramatic final against the Philadelphia Union, the match ended 3–3 after extra time, with Gareth Bale scoring an equalizer in the 128th minute. LAFC won the penalty shootout 3–0, with substitute goalkeeper John McCarthy making two saves and earning match MVP honors.
Crisis and recovery
The 2020 and 2021 seasons presented challenges for LAFC. The 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the MLS is Back Tournament played in Orlando. LAFC qualified for their first CONCACAF Champions League, reaching the final but losing 2–1 to Tigres UANL. The 2021 season saw the club rebuild their roster and miss the MLS Cup playoffs. Diego Rossi was transferred to Fenerbahçe S.K., and Carlos Vela was injured for most of the year. Bob Bradley was fired as head coach on November 18, 2021, and replaced by Steve Cherundolo on January 3, 2022.
Current period
Under Steve Cherundolo, LAFC returned to prominence, winning the 2022 MLS Cup and reaching consecutive CONCACAF Champions League finals in 2023. The 2023 season saw the club travel over 63,000 miles and play 53 matches—a record for an MLS team. In 2024, LAFC won their first U.S. Open Cup and qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Club America in a play-in match. The club has continued to attract world-class talent, including Olivier Giroud, Hugo Lloris, and most recently, Son Heung-min for a MLS transfer record of $26.5 million.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
LAFC has won two Supporters' Shields (2019, 2022), with their 2019 triumph setting a league record with 72 points. The club captured their first MLS Cup in 2022, defeating the Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout following a 3–3 draw. In 2024, LAFC won their first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, defeating Sporting Kansas City 3–1 in the final at home, becoming the fourth team from the Los Angeles area to win the tournament.
Continental and global competitions
LAFC has reached the CONCACAF Champions League final twice, in 2020 and 2023. In 2020, they lost 2–1 to Tigres UANL, while in 2023 they fell to Club León 3–1 on aggregate. The club qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after winning a play-in match against Club America 2–1 after extra time, securing their place in Group D alongside Chelsea FC, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, and Flamengo.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The club's colors and logo were unveiled on January 7, 2016, at Union Station. The Art Deco-inspired logo incorporates a shield outline referencing the city seal, with a winged "LA" monogram and the words "Los Angeles" and "Football Club" in Neutraface. The crest was developed and designed by Beacon Asia Consulting co-founder Thai Nguyen and the creative team of Tue Nguyen and Matthew Wolff.
Traditional home and away kits colors
The club's primary colors are black and gold, with red and gray used as accent colors. These colors have remained consistent since the club's founding and are reflected in both home and away kit designs.
Traditional club anthem
The supporter section known as "The 3252" has several chants that are sung throughout matches in English, Spanish and Korean, including: Dale, Dale Black & Gold, This is Los Angeles, Venirte Ver, Aliento de Corazon, Forevermore, Jump for LA Football Club, Que Bonito Es, Dale Alegria a mi Corazon, and Uh Dirado.
Traditional Rivals
LA Galaxy
LAFC has a cross-town rivalry with fellow MLS club LA Galaxy, who play in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. The series between the two teams is known as El Tráfico (Spanish for "The Traffic"), or commonly referred to as the Clásico del Tráfico by Spanish-language speakers and media. The nickname was coined by MLS fans and refers to the notorious traffic congestion in Los Angeles while serving as a play on "El Clásico." The rivalry has also been called the "Los Angeles Derby."
Seattle Sounders FC
LAFC's first game ever played was a 1–0 win at CenturyLink Field over Seattle Sounders FC on March 4, 2018, marking the earliest starting point of any of LAFC's on-field rivalries. The rivalry intensified when Seattle defeated LAFC in the 2019 Western Conference Finals, ending L.A.'s record-setting season. In 2024, LAFC prevented the Seattle Sounders from their 5th U.S. Open Cup by defeating them in the semifinals 1-0. The rivalry has been carried on by players, coaches and supporters through various touchstone moments.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
LAFC's first official shirt sponsor was YouTube TV from 2018-2020, which also exclusively broadcast the club's local matches in English. Target became their first sleeve sponsor in October 2019. In 2021, FLEX, a German power tool manufacturer, replaced YouTube TV as the main shirt sponsor. Postmates served as a sleeve sponsor for the 2021 season. For 2022, PepsiCo made Rockstar energy drink the exclusive shirt sponsor of the training kit. Beginning in 2023, Apple TV+ appears on the left kit sleeve as part of MLS's media rights partnership, while Ford joined as a right sleeve sponsor.
Nicknames
LAFC supporters are known collectively as "The 3252," referencing the official capacity of the safe standing supporters section at BMO Stadium. When the numbers 3, 2, 5, 2 are added together, they equal 12, serving as a reference to "the 12th man" and an homage to the supporters of the team.
Ownership and finances
The managing owners are Brandon Beck, Larry Berg, and Bennett Rosenthal, with Berg serving as lead managing owner. Peter Guber serves as executive chairman, and Henry Nguyen is vice-chairman. Other part-owners include Will Ferrell, Nomar Garciaparra, Mia Hamm, Chad Hurley, Magic Johnson, Joseph Tsai, Giorgio Chiellini, and many others. In February 2020, the buyout of Vincent Tan's 20 percent ownership stake resulted in a $700 million valuation for the club.
Traditions and culture
LAFC took a grassroots approach to building the club, founding the LAFC academy and signing younger prospects. The club's falcon program includes three live falcons named after famous Los Angeles streets: "Olly" (Olvera Street), "Fig" (Figueroa Street), and "Mel" (Melrose Avenue). One falcon is released pre-game by an honorary falconer and flies around the stadium. The first honorary falconer was co-owner Will Ferrell.
Stadium
LAFC plays at BMO Stadium, a 22,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Exposition Park built on the site of the former Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on August 23, 2016, following a 15-year, $100 million naming rights deal with Banc of California. The first home match was played on April 29, 2018, against Seattle Sounders FC, with LAFC winning 1–0 on a stoppage-time goal by Laurent Ciman. The stadium was renamed to BMO Stadium on January 19, 2023. LAFC shares the stadium with NWSL side Angel City FC beginning in 2022.