In 2014, the MLS decided to create a new team in LA to fill the gap caused by the dissolution of Chivas USA. And so, LAFC was born.
Playing their first season in 2018, LAFC are a relatively new team to the MLS. Located in California, they play in Banc of California Stadium, which is also home to their mascot- ‘the falcon’. The club has 3 live falcons, who take part in varying gameday and community-related activities.
The team’s main colours are black and gold, with side colours of red and gray.
LAFC’s main rivalry is the LA Galaxy, whom they compete against in the ‘Los Angeles Derby’- or ‘El Tráfico’ as it is commonly dubbed by fans.
MLS awarded a new expansion team to LA on October 30, 2014 in order to combat the gap created by the dissolution of Chivas USA.
In July 2017, LAFC announced Bob Bradley as head coach, and signed their first player, Mexican midfielder Carlos Vela on August 11 ,2017.
LAFC played its first game on March 4 ,2018, kicking off with a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC. Since then, LAFC secured their first playoff spot in October 2018, but were knocked out by Real Salt Lake. They also earned 57 points in a season, meaning they had the best regular season for an MLS expansion team.
Year | MLS Regular Season | Ranking | MLS Cup Playoffs | US Open Cup | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | PTS | W | GP | GP | GP | GP | Conf | League | |||
2019 | 34 | 72 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 85 | 37 | 1st | 1st | Conference Finals | Quarter Finals |
Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
---|---|---|
Supporters' Shield | 1 | 2019 |
Opened on April 18, 2018, Banc of California Stadium is the first open-air stadium built in LA since 1962.
The 250-million-dollar stadium has 27,000 seats. Its North End has 3252 seats and is home to the ‘3525 supporters group’, as named after the seats, and as the numbers add up to 12, it is symbolic of the crowd being the team’s ‘12th player’.
As well as soccer, Banc of California Stadium has hosted rugby, lacrosse, boxing, concerts and eSports events.
Home Kit
Sticking to the main colours of black and gold, the home jersey is all-black with geometric detailing. Trimmings, logo and sponsor names are in gold, with the distinct Adidas 3 stripes on the shoulders. LAFC’s sponsors are YoutubeTV and Target. The away jersey utilises one of the club’s side colours- gray. The jersey is predominantly white, with an irregular striped gray pattern on the front. The logo and branding are also in gray, with the sponsor in black and red lettering. LAFC’s logo was released on January 7, 2016. The logo is a black, art-deco style shield with a gold border, and ‘Los Angeles Football Club’ in gold lettering.