All sports teams have a rival — a team that fans, players and executives of a club unanimously want to beat more than the rest.
These rivalries may begin from past events or incidents between two teams. Many rivalries are brewed due to close proximity between the participants, and Southern California is no different.
In baseball, there is the Freeway Series between the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. USC and UCLA football fight for the Victory Bell every November. In MLS there is El Tráfico, between LAFC and the LA Galaxy.
In the NWSL, there is a new rivalry between Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC. Fans of both teams are calling it the Chanclásico, and thanks to the crafting skills of one innovative fan, they fight for the golden chancla.
Yes, that's right. These two teams compete against each other with points, playoff implications and a flip flop on the line.
Angel City FC supporters' group Rebellion 99, whose members can be heard feverishly drumming and chanting for 90 minutes in the north end of Banc of California Stadium during each home match, came up with the name and it quickly gained traction with their members.
“The name created a nice play on the term ‘Clásico,' and paid homage to the rich Hispanic culture that is at the root of both our SoCal communities," observed Alex Freeman-Rein, an executive member of Rebellion 99.
Quickly after the name caught on within the SG, they pitched it to Sirens, the Wave's SG. The name only grew in popularity when Sirens became involved.
“It's something fun,” Sirens Vice President Mike Mock asserted. “Giving it a name is just fun.”
Once cemented between the supporters' groups, Freeman-Rein wanted to go beyond just the name.
“I also wanted to do something extra special to commemorate our inaugural Chanclásico match at our home stadium,” she said. “I wanted to create a tangible piece that could be enjoyed by supporters, fans, and players alike for years to come.”
Freeman-Rein got to work, using a trophy base, gold spray paint and a pair of Old Navy flip-flops later to bring the chancla trophy to life.
It's a golden chancla which sits atop a pedestal with, crucially, room for several nameplates below, which will be engraved with the winner of each game between the two sides. “I just wanted to bring some levity and humor to the community,” Freeman-Rein said. “It brought me so much joy to put a smile on so many people's faces.”
Ownership of the golden chancla will go to the supporters' group whose team who won the latest match in the rivalry. If the game ends in a draw, the supporters' groups have agreed that they will arm wrestle for the rights to the trophy.
While the name remained popular within the supporter groups, Wave FC star Alex Morgan brought the name into the public eye. She tweeted back at Rebellion 99 in favor of the rivalry name.
I'm here for it! #Chanclasico 🩴
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) July 10, 2022
The inaugural game between these two sides proved it is a feud that will last for decades, bringing late-goal drama. ACFC scored the go-ahead goal down a player, providing the launch this Chanclásico rivalry needed. The game was played in front of 22,000 fans, which only deepened the intensity and popularity of this rivalry within the region.
“When you create two new sides, premiering in the same year, with only 120 miles between them, there's this inherent rivalry already built into place,” Freeman-Rein said.
“The atmosphere there was electric,” Mock said. “It just shows that there is a place for the NWSL in Southern California.”
To Freeman-Rein, it's not the name that matters but the publicity of the rivalry between these two teams in general.
“At the end of the day, the name for this rivalry doesn't matter,” she said. “Our main focus is to elevate the game and bring attention to these two amazing expansion teams.”
But where there is a golden chancla, there is a Chanclásico. It cannot be ignored.
So when you talk about some of the great Southern California sport rivalries, like El Tráfico or the Freeway Series, make sure to include the Chanclásico in your list, because it's here to stay.