LA Galaxy II's proposed partnership with Irvine removed from city council agenda — for now

A proposal that would shift control of Championship Soccer Stadium at Great Park to the LA Galaxy has been tabled by the Irvine City Council. Its removal from Tuesday's agenda is another plot point in a saga involving Southern California soccer teams up and down the U.S. pyramid.

Word got out this past weekend over the proposal, which would have allowed the LA Galaxy take over operations of the Orange County stadium, and the club released a statement Monday addressing the controversy.

The partnership between Irvine and the LA Galaxy would give exclusive rights to LA Galaxy II to use Championship Soccer Stadium for the team's upcoming 2023 debut in MLS Next Pro. Championship Soccer Stadium is currently home to USL Championship title holders Orange County Soccer Club, NISA side Cal United Strikers  and USL League 2 club FC Golden State Force.

“The LA Galaxy are a proud partner to the local soccer community and are committed to positively growing the sport of soccer in the Southern California region,” the club said in its statement. “LA Galaxy are not interested in an exclusive arrangement for LA Galaxy II to play at the Orange County Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium and have advised all parties of our willingness to open conversations with the City of Irvine and other stakeholders on mutually-acceptable arrangements pertaining to the use of the stadium moving forward.”

The City Council agenda noted under the LA Galaxy’s proposal, 18 days would be used for professional soccer and 102 days would be for other non-professional sports team use. Those 18 days would be LA Galaxy II matchdays under the MLS Next Pro schedule. A table comparing the current operating model and the proposed one from the Galaxy says, “0 games for professional sports teams.”

On Monday evening, the city manager's office of Irvine announced this subject was removed from the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. While Orange County Soccer Club was not informed about the stadium operations being up for a vote, it was informed of the item getting taken off the agenda.

 “Today we were informed by the City of Irvine that they intend to remove the discussion of the future of Championship Soccer Stadium from their agenda for tomorrow’s council meeting," OCSC noted. “The threat of LA Galaxy evicting us from our Irvine home remains and it does not change the fact that OCSC still have complete uncertainty over our future in this Stadium.”

According to the city's agenda, LA Galaxy wanted confirmation of the city’s interest in a potential partnership before Aug. 12, in order to have sufficient time to secure an alternate location for next season's debut in MLS Next Pro if the city was not interested.

The next City Council meeting is on Aug. 23, and though that date is beyond the LA Galaxy's preferred confirmation date, Galaxy ownership could return to the agenda then, as could another proposal involving adding artificial turf to the stadium grounds.

“There is still a proposal out there that we, and all men’s and women’s professional soccer teams in OC, would be barred from the stadium," OCSC stated, "and there is still no resolution as to whether OCSC can remain in the stadium we have called home for five years,"

OCSC is still encouraging supporters of the club to be present at this evening's meeting, even with the item officially off the agenda.  

In a news release to fans, the club said, "We still need all of you to appear at the City Council meeting tomorrow at 4pm to make sure the City Council and their staff fully understand the importance of OCSC continuing to play at this stadium to Irvine residents and to the broader OC community. They can hear you singing, and we now need to sing louder than ever to ensure city leaders take the steps necessary for Irvine to be OCSC’s home for years to come."