LA Galaxy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
LA Galaxy

Full name	Los Angeles Galaxy
Nickname(s)	Galaxy, Los Angelinos, Los Galácticos
Short name	LA
Founded	June 15, 1994 (31 years ago) (1994-06-15)
Stadium	Dignity Health Sports Park
Stadium capacity	27,000
Owner	AEG Worldwide
President	Dan Beckerman
Head coach	Greg Vanney
League	Major League Soccer
2024	Western Conference: 2nd Overall: 4th Playoffs: Champions
Home colors Away colors Third colors

The Los Angeles Galaxy, often called the LA Galaxy, is a professional soccer team from Los Angeles, USA. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. The Galaxy started playing in 1996. They were one of the first 10 teams in the league.

The Galaxy team was started in 1994. It is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group. In their early years, the team played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Since 2003, they have played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

The LA Galaxy is one of the most successful teams in Major League Soccer. They have won a record six MLS Cups. They have also won the Western Conference regular-season title eight times. Plus, they have four Supporters' Shields, two U.S. Open Cups, and one CONCACAF Champions' Cup title.

Many famous international players have played for the Galaxy. These include David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Steven Gerrard, and Robbie Keane. American soccer legend Landon Donovan is also the team's all-time leading scorer. In 2019, Forbes magazine said the club was worth about $480 million. This made them the second most valuable team in the league.

Team History

Early Years (1996–2000)

Cobi Jones played for the LA Galaxy from their very first season until he retired in 2007.

The LA Galaxy was one of the first 10 teams in Major League Soccer. The name "Galaxy" was chosen because Los Angeles is home to the "stars" of Hollywood. The team began playing in the league's first season in 1996.

In their first year, the Galaxy finished first in the Western Conference. They played in the first MLS Cup final but lost to D.C. United. In 1997, they started slowly but made it to the playoffs. They finished second in their conference. In 1998, the Galaxy had a great season, winning 24 games and losing only 8. They won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1999. However, they lost to D.C. United again in the MLS Cup final.

In 2000, the Galaxy finished second in their division. They won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup that year. This made them one of only three American clubs to win that tournament. The year 2001 was also good for Los Angeles. They won the Open Cup and reached 1,000 all-time points. However, they lost to Landon Donovan and the San Jose Earthquakes in the playoffs.

First MLS Cup Wins (2002–2006)

In 2002, the Galaxy won their first MLS Cup. They beat the New England Revolution 1–0. In 2003, the team played more away games because their new stadium was being built. They finished fourth that year.

In 2005, the Galaxy got Landon Donovan from San Jose. The team won the Open Cup again. They also won the 2005 MLS Cup, beating the New England Revolution in extra time. The Galaxy was the only team to make the playoffs in all of the league's first ten seasons.

The 2006 season started sadly with the sudden death of their general manager, Doug Hamilton. The team finished fifth in their conference and missed the playoffs for the first time.

The Beckham Era (2007–2012)

David Beckham playing for the LA Galaxy in 2007.

In 2007, the club signed David Beckham from Real Madrid. This was a huge deal for Major League Soccer. His first game was in front of a record crowd of almost 35,000 people. Many celebrities were there. The game had a lot of TV coverage, even a camera just on Beckham! The Galaxy almost made the playoffs that year but missed out.

After the 2008 season, both David Beckham and Landon Donovan went to play for European clubs for a short time. Beckham went to Milan in Italy, and Donovan went to Bayern Munich in Germany. Donovan returned to the U.S. in time for the 2009 season. Beckham returned later that year.

Landon Donovan playing for the LA Galaxy in 2010.

In 2009, the LA Galaxy finished first in the Western Conference. They made it to the 2009 MLS Cup final but lost in a penalty shootout. This success helped them qualify for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League.

In 2010, the Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield. This award goes to the team with the best regular-season record. However, they lost in the Western Conference Final. In 2011, they added Robbie Keane, a top goalscorer from Ireland. They won their fourth Supporters' Shield and their third MLS Cup, beating the Houston Dynamo 1–0.

In 2012, Beckham signed a new two-year deal. However, he announced in November 2012 that he would leave the Galaxy at the end of the season. On December 1, 2012, the Galaxy won their second straight MLS Cup, beating the Houston Dynamo 3–1.

Five League Championships (2013–2016)

Galaxy captain, Robbie Keane was the 2014 MLS Cup MVP.

The Galaxy finished third in the Western Conference in 2013. They reached the semi-finals of the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League but lost to a Mexican team.

In 2014, the team made it to the MLS Cup by beating Seattle Sounders FC. They played the New England Revolution in the 2014 MLS Cup and won 2–1 in overtime. This made them five-time champions, a league record! After this season, Landon Donovan, a longtime LA Galaxy and U.S. national team player, retired.

In 2015, the LA Galaxy signed Steven Gerrard, a famous player from Liverpool. He joined the team in July 2015. The club also signed Mexican star Giovani dos Santos. He quickly made an impact, scoring goals and getting assists in his first few games.

Rebuilding and New Success (2016–Present)

Before the 2016 season, longtime defender Omar Gonzalez left the team. In November 2016, head coach Bruce Arena left to coach the United States national team. The team then had some tough seasons. In 2017, they finished in last place overall.

Zlatan Ibrahimović playing with the LA Galaxy in 2019.

In March 2018, the team signed Zlatan Ibrahimović, a famous player from Sweden. He made an amazing debut in the first "El Tráfico" game against Los Angeles FC (LAFC). He scored two goals, helping the Galaxy come back from being down 0–3 to win 4–3! One of his goals won the MLS Goal of the Year Award.

In 2019, the Galaxy welcomed Guillermo Barros Schelotto as their new head coach. They also added new players like Cristian Pavón. The team finished fifth in the West and made the playoffs. Ibrahimović had a fantastic season, scoring 30 goals. The Galaxy beat Minnesota United FC in the playoffs but then lost to LAFC. Ibrahimović left the club in November.

In December 2022, MLS announced penalties against the Galaxy. This was because of how they signed Cristian Pavón in 2019. The team was fined $1 million and could not sign international players for a while. Their president, Chris Klein, was also suspended.

In 2020, the club signed Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who became the highest-paid player in the league. After a tough season, coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto was replaced by Greg Vanney.

Under Vanney, the Galaxy improved. In 2022, they finished fourth in the West. They beat Nashville SC in the playoffs but lost to LAFC. Hernández was named the team's player of the year.

In 2023, the team had a very difficult start to the season. They didn't win any of their first seven games. In May 2023, the club announced that Chris Klein had left his position.

In 2024, the Galaxy brought in new attackers Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec. They had a great regular season, finishing second in the Western Conference. Their strong attack scored 69 goals, matching their highest total since 1998. The Galaxy had an amazing playoff run, scoring 18 goals in total. They defeated Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, and Seattle Sounders to reach the MLS Cup final. On December 7, they beat the New York Red Bulls 2–1 to win their sixth MLS Cup! This was their first championship in exactly ten years.

Team Colors and Logo

The first LA Galaxy logo (1996–2007).

Carlos Ruiz wearing the Galaxy's old gold-and-green uniform in 2004.

The LA Galaxy's main colors are navy blue, gold, and white. Their home uniform is white, and their away uniform is blue. These colors were chosen in 2007 when David Beckham joined the team. Before 2007, the Galaxy used different colors like gold, teal green, and white. Their first jersey in 1996 had black and teal halves.

The Galaxy has had two main logos. The first one was gold, teal, and black. It had the word "Galaxy" over a golden swirl. The logo changed in 2007 to a blue shield with a gold border. It has the team name and a "quasar" at the top. A quasar is a very bright, distant object in space. The quasar symbol was also on the 1957 Seal of Los Angeles County.

The name "Galaxy" was created by Nike when the league started. Nike was also the team's first uniform supplier.

Club Business

The Galaxy first made a profit in 2003. They were the first MLS team to do so! After moving to their new stadium, they had more fans, more money from sponsors, and more money from parking and food sales.

In 2015, Forbes reported that the LA Galaxy had the second-highest yearly income in MLS ($44 million). They were also valued at $240 million. The Galaxy earns more from team sponsors and local TV rights than any other MLS team.

Kit Sponsors

Stadium Information

Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy's home stadium since 2003.

From 1996 to 2002, the Galaxy played their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. This stadium can hold 107,000 people. They also played some games at Titan Stadium.

In 2003, the Galaxy moved to Dignity Health Sports Park. This stadium is in Carson, California, about ten miles south of downtown Los Angeles. It's a 27,000-seat stadium made just for soccer. From 2005 to 2014, the Galaxy shared the stadium with their former rivals, Chivas USA.

Club Culture

Cozmo the Mascot

LA Galaxy mascot Cozmo at Dignity Health Sports Park, 2015.

Cozmo is the LA Galaxy's fun mascot! He has dark blue skin, yellow eyebrows, and white eyes. He matches the team's home uniform colors. Cozmo replaced the Galaxy's first mascot, "Twizzle," who also looked like he was from outer space.

Galaxy Star Squad

The Galaxy Star Squad is the team's official cheerleading group. They go to events hosted by the Galaxy, like autograph sessions. You can often see them around the stadium during games, giving away scarves and cheering for the team.

Supporters' Groups

• Angel City Brigade was started in 2007 to create a fun and lively atmosphere at the stadium.
• LA Riot Squad formed after a tough loss in the 2001 MLS Cup. The team's goalkeeper challenged fans to create a group of 100 people.
• Galaxians are the first and original supporter group of the LA Galaxy. They started in 1996, during the team's very first season.
• Galaxy Outlawz is the newest group, started in 2019.
• Victoria Block is a new standing-only section built in 2020. It's the new home for the Galaxians, Angel City Brigade, and Galaxy Outlawz.

Ring of Honor

The Ring of Honor celebrates important people in the LA Galaxy's history.

Team Rivalries

San Jose Earthquakes

The Galaxy's oldest rivalry is the California Clásico, played against the San Jose Earthquakes. This is one of the most intense rivalries in American soccer. It started when MLS began. Some people say it's like the traditional sports rivalries between Northern and Southern California.

Los Angeles FC

When Los Angeles FC (LAFC) joined the league in 2018, a new local rivalry began. This rivalry is called "El Tráfico". It has quickly become one of the most exciting rivalries in the league.

Chivas USA (Defunct)

From 2005 to 2014, the Galaxy had a rivalry with Chivas USA. They even shared the same stadium! This rivalry was called the SuperClasico. The Galaxy won most of these games. Chivas USA stopped playing after the 2014 season.

How to Watch Games

Since 2023, every Galaxy match is available on MLS Season Pass through the Apple TV app. Before this, Galaxy games were shown on different TV stations in Southern California.

The Galaxy also had a big deal with Time Warner Cable (now Charter Spectrum) for local TV rights. This was the biggest local media deal in MLS history.

Players and Staff

For details on former players, see All-time Los Angeles Galaxy roster.

Current Roster

No. Position Player 2 DF Yamane, MikiMiki Yamane 3 DF Aude, JuliánJulián Aude 4 DF Yoshida, MayaMaya Yoshida (captain) 5 MF Brugman, GastónGastón Brugman 7 FW Fagúndez, DiegoDiego Fagúndez 8 MF Delgado, MarkMark Delgado 9 FW Joveljić, DejanDejan Joveljić 10 MF Puig, RiquiRiqui Puig 11 FW Pec, GabrielGabriel Pec 14 DF Nelson, JohnJohn Nelson 15 DF Zavaleta, EriqEriq Zavaleta 18 MF Reus, MarcoMarco Reus 19 DF Cuevas, MauricioMauricio Cuevas 20 MF Cerrillo, EdwinEdwin Cerrillo

No. Position Player 21 MF Lepley, TuckerTucker Lepley 22 DF Cáceres, MartínMartín Cáceres 24 DF Neal, JalenJalen Neal 25 DF Carlos Emiro Garcés 27 FW Berry, MiguelMiguel Berry 28 FW Paintsil, JosephJoseph Paintsil 29 FW Bibout, AaronAaron Bibout 30 MF Vivi, GinoGino Vivi 31 GK Scott, BradyBrady Scott 35 GK Mićović , NovakNovak Mićović (on loan from Čukarički) 52 MF Parente, IsaiahIsaiah Parente 77 GK McCarthy, JohnJohn McCarthy 84 MF Ramos Jr, RubenRuben Ramos Jr

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Pérez, JonathanJonathan Pérez (on loan to Nashville SC)

Coaching Staff

Role	Name	Nation
Technical director	vacant
Head coach	Greg Vanney	United States
Assistant coach	Dan Calichman	United States
Assistant coach	Nick Theslof	United States
Assistant coach	Jason Bent	Canada
Goalkeeper coach	Kevin Hartman	United States

General Managers

Head Coaches

Sigi Schmid led the Galaxy to their first MLS Cup title in 2002.

Tenure	Name	Nation
1996 – June 10, 1997	Lothar Osiander	United States
June 10, 1997 – April 23, 1999	Octavio Zambrano	Ecuador
April 22, 1999 – August 16, 2004	Sigi Schmid	Germany
August 18, 2004 – June 6, 2006	Steve Sampson	United States
June 7, 2006 – November 5, 2007	Frank Yallop	Canada
November 9, 2007 – August 11, 2008	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands
August 11, 2008 – August 18, 2008	Cobi Jones (interim)	United States
August 18, 2008 – November 22, 2016	Bruce Arena	United States
December 13, 2016 – July 27, 2017	Curt Onalfo	United States
July 27, 2017 – September 10, 2018	Sigi Schmid	Germany
September 10, 2018 – December 28, 2018	Dominic Kinnear (interim)	United States
January 2, 2019 – October 29, 2020	Guillermo Barros Schelotto	Argentina
October 29, 2020 – November 8, 2020	Dominic Kinnear (interim)	United States
January 5, 2021 – present	Greg Vanney	United States

Youth Development

Ventura County FC

The Galaxy created a reserve team called LA Galaxy II in 2014. They played in the United Soccer League (USL). In 2024, the team partly moved to Thousand Oaks, California and changed its name to Ventura County FC.

Academy

The Galaxy has an academy system for young players. They have teams for different age groups, like U-18, U-16, U-14, and U-12. Some players who came from the academy include Gyasi Zardes and Efraín Álvarez.

Alliance Clubs

The LA Galaxy also works with other youth soccer clubs. These "Alliance Clubs" are in Southern California. They get to use Galaxy resources and programs.

Team Achievements

U.S. President Barack Obama with the 2014 MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy, in 2015.

Other Awards

• MLS Fair Play Award: 2013
• MLS Wooden Spoon: 2017 (This award is given to the team that finishes last in the league.)

Retired Numbers

The LA Galaxy has not officially retired any jersey numbers.

Team Results (Recent Seasons)

This is a list of the last five seasons played by the Galaxy. For the full history, see List of LA Galaxy seasons.

Season	League											Position		Playoffs	USOC	Continental / Other		Average attendance	Top goalscorer(s)
	Div	League	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG	Conf.	Overall						Name(s)	Goals
2020	1	MLS	22	6	12	4	27	46	–19	22	1.00	10th	20th	DNQ	NH	Leagues Cup MLS is Back Tournament	NH GS	2,199	Cristian Pavón	10
2021			34	13	12	9	50	54	–4	48	1.41	8th	15th	DNQ	NH	Leagues Cup	DNQ	14,849	Javier Hernández	17
2022			34	14	12	8	58	51	+7	50	1.47	4th	8th	QF	QF	Leagues Cup	DNQ	22,841	Javier Hernández	18
2023			34	8	14	23	51	67	–16	36	1.06	13th	26th	DNQ	QF	Leagues Cup	GS	24,106	Tyler Boyd Riqui Puig	7
2024			34	19	8	7	69	50	+19	64	1.88	2nd	4th	W	DNE	Leagues Cup	Ro32	26,136	Dejan Joveljić	19

1. Avg. attendance includes statistics from league matches only.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

Player Awards

Top Goalscorers (All Time)

These are the players who have scored the most goals for the LA Galaxy in all competitions.

No.	Nation	Name	Career	MLS	Play­offs	Open Cup	Cont­inental	Total (Apps)	Average
1	United States	Landon Donovan	2005–2014, 2016	113	15	6	7	141 (317)	0.44
2	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane	2011–2016	83	9	3	9	104 (165)	0.63
3	United States	Cobi Jones	1996–2007	70	6	4	2	082 (392)	0.21
4	Guatemala	Carlos Ruiz	2002–2004, 2008	51	11	6	1	069 (104)	0.66
5	Sweden	Zlatan Ibrahimović	2018–2019	52	1	0	0	053 0(58)	0.91
6	United States	Edson Buddle	2007–2010, 2012, 2015	45	2	0	0	047 (144)	0.33
7	El Salvador	Mauricio Cienfuegos	1996–2003	35	7	2	1	045 (269)	0.17
8	Serbia	Dejan Joveljić	2021–present	34	7	3	0	44 (122)	0.36
9	United States	Alan Gordon	2005–2010, 2014–2016	29	1	4	8	042 (203)	0.21
10	United States	Gyasi Zardes	2013–2017	34	2	3	1	040 (154)	0.26

Player of the Year

Landon Donovan is the Galaxy's all-time top scorer and assist leader. He also won MVP four times.

This award is given to the best player on the team each year.

Year	Nation	Player
1996	Ecuador	Eduardo Hurtado
1997	El Salvador	Mauricio Cienfuegos
1998	United States	Cobi Jones
1999	United States	Kevin Hartman
2000	New Zealand	Simon Elliott
2001	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Ezra Hendrickson
2002	Guatemala	Carlos Ruiz
2003	United States	Kevin Hartman
2004	United States	Kevin Hartman
2005	United States	Herculez Gomez
2006	United States	Landon Donovan
2007	United States	Chris Klein
2008	United States	Landon Donovan
2009	United States	Landon Donovan
2010	United States	Edson Buddle
2011	United States	Landon Donovan
2012	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane
2013	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane
2014	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane
2015	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane
2016	Mexico	Giovani dos Santos
2017	France	Romain Alessandrini
2018	Sweden	Zlatan Ibrahimović
2019	Sweden	Zlatan Ibrahimović
2020	Argentina	Cristian Pavón
2021	Mexico	Javier Hernández
2022	Mexico	Javier Hernández
2023	Spain	Riqui Puig

Golden Boot (Top Scorer)

The Golden Boot goes to the player who scores the most goals in the MLS regular season.

Year	Nation	Player	Goals
2002	Guatemala	Carlos Ruiz	24
2005	United States	Landon Donovan	12
2006	United States	Landon Donovan	12
2007	United States	Landon Donovan	8
2008	United States	Landon Donovan	20
2009	United States	Landon Donovan	12
2010	United States	Edson Buddle	17
2011	United States	Landon Donovan	12
2012	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane	16
2013	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane	16
2014	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane	19
2015	Republic of Ireland	Robbie Keane	20
2016	Mexico	Giovani dos Santos	14
2017	France	Romain Alessandrini	13
2018	Sweden	Zlatan Ibrahimović	22
2019	Sweden	Zlatan Ibrahimović	30
2020	Argentina	Cristian Pavón	10
2021	Mexico	Javier Hernández	17
2022	Mexico	Javier Hernández	18
2023	United States  Spain	Tyler Boyd Riqui Puig	7
2024	Brazil	Gabriel Pec	16

Defender of the Year

This award is given to the best defender on the team each year.

Year	Nation	Player
1996	Mexico	Jorge Campos
1997	United States	Robin Fraser
1998	United States	Robin Fraser
1999	United States	Robin Fraser
2000	United States	Danny Califf
2001	United States	Greg Vanney
2002	United States	Alexi Lalas
2003	United States	Danny Califf
2004	Jamaica	Tyrone Marshall
2005	Jamaica	Tyrone Marshall
2006	United States	Chris Albright
2007	United States	Ty Harden
2008	United States	Sean Franklin
2009	Jamaica	Donovan Ricketts
2010	United States	Omar Gonzalez
2011	United States	Omar Gonzalez
2012	Guam	A. J. DeLaGarza
2013	United States	Omar Gonzalez
2014	Guam	A. J. DeLaGarza
2015	Brazil	Leonardo
2016	Belgium	Jelle Van Damme
2017	England	Ashley Cole
2018	England	Ashley Cole
2019	Uruguay	Diego Polenta
2020	Mexico	Julián Araujo
2021	Mexico	Julián Araujo
2022	England	Jonathan Bond
2023	Brazil	Lucas Calegari

See also

In Spanish: Los Angeles Galaxy para niños