The only team winning in Los Angeles is LAFC

Sitting in typically congested downtown LA traffic, I gazed at the crowds of folks a few hundred yards away, eagerly marching towards the giant marshmallow alongside the 110 now known as BMO Stadium. 

It’s a younger crowd at LAFC games these days. A hip crowd. An LA crowd.

Sometimes that can be annoying. Specific parts of the stadium, namely pitch level and the appropriately named Sunset Club, do project club vibes. MLS is one of the few professional sports leagues that is still “pure" in the sense that ticket costs are somewhat affordable, the athletes are approachable, people go to games to watch the action, not to be seen — where it doesn’t look like Vegas.

Not so much at BMO, where I’ve lost count of the celebrities who regularly attend games. LAFC has successfully captured the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the attention of Angelinos from all backgrounds, a testament to the club’s relevance in the city. 

On the other hand, LA Galaxy continue to relinquish their grip on the city.

LAFC: enjoying the fruits of their labor

Having a clear identity on and off the field over time has paid off handsomely for the Black and Gold. Manager Steven Cherundolo built on the success of his predecessor Bob Bradley, as LAFC won the Supporters' Shield and their first MLS Cup last year. So many of the club’s innovations, from attracting a robust investor group of influential personalities to building a soccer palace in DTLA complete with field level luxury seating, have worked. (Interestingly, weeks after launching a joint venture with Bayern Munich, the club recently announced their intention to invest in a 4th-division Austrian side, so that’s something to keep an eye on.) 

In 2023 the Black and Gold are undefeated in MLS with four wins and two draws, awaiting the Philadelphia Union in the Concacaf Champions League semis after comfortably dispatching Alajuelense and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Denis Bounga is tearing up the league, while Timothy Tillman and Sergi Palencia have stepped right into the lineup and blossomed. Seemingly, every bounce at the moment is going LAFC’s way.

Taking in LAFC’s resounding win over Austin FC, I was fascinated seeing Cherundolo shuffle his midfield to stifle Austin’s possession, a move that swung the game for the hosts. And let’s be clear; this team now has swagger. There’s something physically imposing about someone smacking a laser outside the box off the post and in before effortlessly executing a front flip in celebration.

Sitting there watching the action, while munching on shrimp quesadillas and potato tacos, I briefly felt like I was enjoying soccer heaven.

A club in disarray?

On the other side of town, Galaxy fans are in hell. LA is one of two clubs in MLS yet to record a win this season, coming off a humiliating 3-0 loss in Houston that featured two veteran players in Martin Cáceres and Douglas Costa foolishly receiving red cards. Next up are the league champs, and if that weren’t enough, LAFC supporters are set to pack Dignity Health Sports Park as a consequence of the ongoing supporters' boycott.

Manager and sporting director Greg Vanney has elevated his rhetoric in recent weeks, bemoaning a missed handball in a fiery rant following a 2-1 home loss to the Sounders before again passionately defending his team and the project during Thursday’s media availability.

The club has also come out swinging, publicly announcing the additions of Will Kuntz as Senior Vice President of Player Personnel and Will Misselbrook as Chief Creative and Content Officer.

Tuesday afternoon, Chris Klein pledged to step down if the club falls short of its goals in an e-mail to season ticket holders. Behind the scenes, there’s word Chicharito called one of the supporters' group leaders, imploring those superfans to return for El Trafico.

None of these gestures appear to have worked. The Kuntz and Misselbrook hirings are intriguing, but adding more executives to the Galaxy front office without any notable departures has raised concerns from a skeptical fan base. Klein’s open letter may have gotten people’s attention, but it also empowered the boycotters and legitimized their concerns. Vanney’s rant and specifically his use of the word “noise” to describe the fans may have been intended to galvanize a siege mentality with his group, but it clearly offended the fan base. 

In advance of Sunday's match, the Galaxy released an advert featuring some of Vanney’s rant — though excising the line "we don't honestly care who shows up at the stadium" — and that too has been poorly received. 

How does the club dig themselves out of this mess? WInning, in theory, cures all.

A sad El Trafico?

In the past few days, an interesting talking point has emerged from the Black and Gold fan base. While plenty of supporters eagerly await the opportunity to take over LA Galaxy's stadium, others have said this El Trafico is just hitting different.

I think I know why. This may be the first El Trafico where the scoreline is all but inconsequential. 

There's nothing on the line. Bragging rights? Regardless of who wins tomorrow's match, LAFC will continue to dominate as one of the league's premier teams while LA still has a growing boycott to deal with among the club's many problems. Galaxy fans have already conceded the rivalry for the time being in the stands. Even LA's long streak of never losing to the Black and Gold at the Digs has seemingly been rendered a moot point.

Most Galaxy fans just want to get Sunday over with.