It didn’t take long before Los Angeles FC stood strong in Major League Soccer. However, living up to the task of challenging Los Angeles Galaxy as the team to beat in the city wasn’t going to be easy at all.
For years, Galaxy was the strongest franchise in U.S. Soccer. They’ve always had the responsibility to compete at the highest level and set the standard for the rest of the teams that made it to the league afterward.
Ironically, LAFC made the most of the path paved by their city rivals and now have a legit shot at being the best team in soccer. Needless to say, that created a strong, heartfelt rivalry between both: El Tráfico, A.K.A the Los Angeles Derby.
Teams History:
LA Galaxy was foundedin 1994 and quickly became Major League Soccer’s most successful club. They own a record 5 MLS cups with 9 Finals appearances to go along with2 U.S Open cups, 4 Supporters’Shields, and even one CONCACAF Champions Cup.
They’re also responsiblefor the growth of MLS by signing top-tier players of the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and obviously, USMNT’s all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan.
Banc of California Stadium, home of LA FC. (Getty)
Los Angeles FC, on the other hand, hasn’t been around for that long. The team was founded in 2014 following the dissolution of Chivas USA, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they were able to make their MLS debut.
The team hit the ground running right away, winning the 2019 Supporters’Shield. They put together one of the strongest rosters in the nation by adding Carlos Vela, Bryan Rodríguez,and Diego Rossi. Obviously, this is just the first step asthey’re hoping to sign even more stars in the upcoming transfer windows.
El Tráfico History:
Lakers, Clippers, Ducks, Kings, Dodgers, Angels, Chargers, Rams, Bruins, Sparks.Los Angeles is all about sports, and while Galaxy had been the city’s long-time team, LAFC has done an outstanding job gathering supporters who already feel the team as their own.
Also, Chivas USA’s dissolution left plenty of fans wandering around looking for a new team, and given their rivalry with Galaxy from the SuperClasico days, you know they weren’t going to root for them.
Fans informally deemed the rivalry “El Tráfico” (which literally means ‘The Traffic’) because of the infamous traffic congestion in the city of Los Angeles, while also mocking the “El Clasico” between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
North vs. South, uptown vs. downtown, tradition vs. novelty, there’s always been that kind of duality in L.A.El Tráfico has it all to be one of the strongest rivalries in the world in little-to-no time, and we’ve already witnessed some epic moments in this up-and-coming derby. There will definitely be many more to come.
