Soccer in Los Angeles facts for kids
Soccer has enjoyed longstanding popularity in Los Angeles. As of 2019 there are two professional soccer clubs in Los Angeles County that play in Major League Soccer: LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. The Los Angeles area is also home to two Division 2 professional teams in the USL Championship: Orange County SC and LA Galaxy II, the reserve side of LA Galaxy, and many semi-professional clubs and leagues including the United Premier Soccer League, SoCal Premier League and National Premier Soccer League, among others. In 2019, two more professional teams, Cal FC (Thousand Oaks) and California United Strikers FC (Orange County) joined a new, unsanctioned, professional league called the NPSL Founders Cup They both later left, with Cal FC joining the United Premier Soccer League and California United Strikers joined the Division 3 semi-professional National Independent Soccer Association, where they joined LA Force. Angel City FC plans to start play in the National Women's Soccer League, the only fully professional women's league in the U.S., in 2022.
Contents
History
Soccer in Los Angeles began in the 19th century when the Southern California Football League was founded in 1902.
Historic clubs
Los Angeles Kickers
The LA Kickers were the first LA area team to win the National Challenge Cup, known today as the U.S. Open Cup.
Maccabi Los Angeles
LA Maccabi won the U.S. Open Cup, known in their time as the National Challenge Cup, a record number five times.
Orange County Soccer Club
The Orange County Soccer Club was a two-time consecutive finalist of the National Challenge Cup, in 1966 and '67. OCSC played Bayern Munich at Santa Ana Stadium in 1966.
Los Angeles Aztecs
The LA Aztecs won the NASL National Championship in their inaugural season, 1974. They played in many stadiums, including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Aztecs folded in 1981.
California Sunshine
The California Sunshine, an Orange County based pro team, played in the ASL.
Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA was a joint venture between Chivas de Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara, partner Antonio Cué, and Major League Soccer, that operated Chivas trademarks in the United States through the Delaware entity called Chivas de Guadalajara Licensing, LLC. The team folded in 2014.
Historic season records
Los Angeles Wolves (USA and NASL) (1967–1968)
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | USA | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 1st, Western Division | Champions | 7,777 |
| 1968 | NASL | 11 | 8 | 13 | 139 | 3rd, Pacific Division | Did not qualify | 2,441 |
Los Angeles Aztecs (NASL) (1974–81)
Several years after the formation of the North American Soccer League in 1968, the Los Angeles Aztecs joined NASL as an expansion team in 1974, and played from 1974 until 1981, folding after the 1981 season. The team featured international superstars such as George Best and Johan Cruyff. The team was at its most popular in 1979 and 1980, averaging over 12,000 fans both seasons.
| Season | Division | Position | League Record | Playoffs | Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | F | A | Pts | Name | Goals | ||||
| 1974 | Western | 1st | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 41 | 36 | 110 | Champions | Doug McMillan | 10 |
| 1975 | Western | 3rd | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 40 | 41 | 36 | Conference Quarterfinals | Uri Banhoffer | 14 |
| 1976 | Southern | 3rd | 44 | 25 | 6 | 14 | 89 | 41 | 15 | First Round | George Best | 15 |
| 1977 | Southern | 2nd | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 37 | 44 | 37 | Conference Final | George Best | 14 |
| 1978 | Western | 4th | 30 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 63 | 69 | 36 | Did not qualify | Jim Rolland | 17 |
| 1979 | Western | 2nd | 30 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 54 | 62 | 47 | Conference Semifinal | Johan Cruyff | 13 |
| 1980 | Western | 2nd | 32 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 60 | 61 | 52 | Conference Final | Luis Fernando | 28 |
| 1981 | Western | 2nd | 32 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 60 | 61 | 52 | First Round | Chris Dangerfield | 35 |
California Surf (NASL) (1978–1981)
| Year | League | W | L | Pts | Regular Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | NASL | 13 | 17 | 115 | 2nd, American Conference, Western Division | Lost 1st Round (San Diego) | 11,171 |
| 1979 | NASL | 15 | 15 | 140 | 1st(t), American Conference, Western Division | Lost 1st Round (San Diego) | 10,330 |
| 1980 | NASL | 15 | 17 | 144 | 2nd, American Conference, Western Division | Lost 1st Round (Ft. Lauderdale) | 7,593 |
| 1981 | NASL | 11 | 21 | 117 | 3rd, Western Division | Did not qualify | 8,299 |
Chivas USA (MLS) (2005–2014)
| Season | Conf | Pos | League Record | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League |
Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plyd | Won | Lost | Drew | F | A | Pts | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 2005 | West | 6th | 32 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 31 | 67 | 18 | Did not qualify | Fourth round | Did not qualify | Héctor Cuadros | 4 |
| 2006 | West | 3rd | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 42 | 43 | Conference Semifinal | Third round | Did not qualify | Ante Razov | 14 |
| 2007 | West | 1st | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46 | 28 | 53 | Conference Semifinal | Third round | Did not qualify | Maykel Galindo | 12 |
| 2008 | West | 2nd | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | 43 | Conference Semifinal | Third round | Preliminary round | Alecko Eskandarian Ante Razov Sacha Kljestan |
5 |
| 2009 | West | 4th | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 34 | 31 | 45 | Conference Semifinal | Third round | Did not qualify | Eduardo Lillingston | 8 |
| 2010 | West | 8th | 30 | 8 | 18 | 4 | 31 | 45 | 28 | Did not qualify | Semifinal | Did not qualify | Justin Braun | 9 |
| 2011 | West | 8th | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 41 | 43 | 36 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Justin Braun Nick LaBrocca |
9 |
| 2012 | West | 9th | 34 | 7 | 18 | 9 | 24 | 58 | 30 | Did not qualify | Semifinal | Did not qualify | Juan Pablo Ángel | 4 |
| 2013 | West | 9th | 34 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 30 | 67 | 26 | Did not qualify | Fourth round | Did not qualify | Erick Torres | 7 |
| 2014 | West | 7th | 34 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 29 | 61 | 33 | Did not qualify | Fourth round | Did not qualify | Erick Torres | 15 |
Professional clubs, Modern era
| Club | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Soccer (2) | ||||
| LA Galaxy | Dignity Health Sports Park | 27,000 | 1994 | Los Angeles' first MLS franchise. |
| Los Angeles FC | Banc of California Stadium | 22,000 | 2014 | |
| Club | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USL Championship (2) | ||||
| LA Galaxy II | Dignity Health Sports Park | 5,000 | 2015 | USL affiliate of LA Galaxy. |
| Orange County SC | Championship Stadium | 5,000 | 2016 | Former USL affiliate of LAFC. |
| Club | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Independent Soccer Association | ||||
| California United Strikers FC | Championship Soccer Stadium | 5,000 | 2017 | |
| Los Angeles Force | Rio Hondo Stadium | 1,000 | 2019 | |
LA Galaxy (MLS) (1996–present)
The launch of Major League Soccer in 1996 included the newly formed Los Angeles Galaxy as one of the founding teams. LA Soccer Partners were the original owners; Anschutz Entertainment Group is the current owner. The Galaxy won the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2000.
| Season | Conf | Pos | League Record | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League |
Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plyd | Won | Lost | Drew | F | A | Pts | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 1996 | West | 1st | 32 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 59 | 49 | 49 | Final | Did not enter | Did not qualify | Eduardo Hurtado | 21 |
| 1997 | West | 2nd | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 55 | 44 | 44 | Conference Semifinal | Did not enter | Final | Welton | 11 |
| 1998 | West | 1st | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 85 | 44 | 68 | Conference Semifinal | Did not enter | Did not enter | Cobi Jones | 19 |
| 1999 | West | 1st | 32 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 49 | 29 | 54 | Final | Quarterfinal | Did not qualify | Cobi Jones Carlos Hermosillo |
8 |
| 2000 | West | 2nd | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 37 | 50 | Semifinal | Semifinal | Champions | Cobi Jones | 7 |
| 2001 | West | 1st | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 52 | 36 | 47 | Final | Champions | Not Held | Luis Hernández | 8 |
| 2002 | West | 1st | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 33 | 51 | Champions | Final | Did not qualify | Carlos Ruiz | 24 |
| 2003 | West | 4th | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 36 | Conference Semifinal | Semifinal | Quarterfinal | Carlos Ruiz | 15 |
| 2004 | West | 2nd | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 40 | 43 | Conference Semifinal | Fourth Round | Did not qualify | Carlos Ruiz | 11 |
| 2005 | West | 4th | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 44 | 45 | 45 | Champions | Champions | Did not qualify | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2006 | West | 5th | 32 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 37 | 37 | 39 | Did not qualify | Final | Quarterfinal | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2007 | West | 5th | 30 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 38 | 48 | 34 | Did not qualify | Third round | Did not qualify | Landon Donovan | 8 |
| 2008 | West | 6th | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | 33 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Landon Donovan | 20 |
| 2009 | West | 1st | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 36 | 31 | 48 | Final | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2010 | West | 1st | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 44 | 26 | 59 | Conference Final | Quarterfinal | Preliminary round | Edson Buddle | 19 |
| 2011 | West | 1st | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 28 | 67 | Champions | Quarterfinal | Quarterfinal | Landon Donovan | 12 |
| 2012 | West | 4th | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 59 | 47 | 54 | Champions | Third Round | Semifinal | Robbie Keane | 16 |
| 2013 | West | 3rd | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 53 | 38 | 53 | Conference Semifinal | Third Round | Quarterfinal | Robbie Keane | 16 |
| 2014 | West | 2nd | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 69 | 37 | 61 | Champions | Fifth round | Did not qualify | Robbie Keane | 19 |
| 2015 | West | 5th | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 46 | 51 | Knockout round | Quarterfinal | Quarterfinal | Robbie Keane | 20 |
| 2016 | West | 3rd | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 54 | 39 | 52 | Conference Semifinal | Semifinal | Did not qualify | Giovani dos Santos | 14 |
| 2017 | West | 11th | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 45 | 67 | 32 | Did not qualify | Quarterfinal | Did not qualify | Romain Alessandrini | 13 |
| 2018 | West | 7th | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 66 | 64 | 48 | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | Zlatan Ibrahimović | 22 |
| 2019 | West | 5th | 34 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 56 | 55 | 51 | Conference Semifinal | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | Zlatan Ibrahimović | 30 |
Los Angeles FC (MLS) (2018–present)
| Season | Conf | Pos | League Record | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League |
Top Scorer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plyd | Won | Lost | Drew | F | A | Pts | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 2018 | West | 3rd | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 68 | 52 | 57 | Knockout round | Semifinal | Did not qualify | Carlos Vela | 14 |
| 2019 | West | 1st | 34 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 85 | 37 | 72 | Conference Final | Quarterfinal | Did not qualify | Carlos Vela | 34 |
Los Angeles derbies
LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA (2008–2014)
The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased operations.
LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC (2018–present)
Los Angeles FC joined the league in 2018 and a crosstown rivalry, El Tráfico, was created.
Amateur and Semi-professional
Amateur and Semi-professional leagues
- National Premier Soccer League
- United Premier Soccer League
- USL League Two
Amateur and Semi-professional clubs
- California United FC II (UPSL)
- Cal FC (UPSL)
- Club Xolos USA U-23 (NPSL)
- FC Golden State Force (NPSL/USL2)
- FC Santa Clarita (UPSL)
- La Máquina FC (UPSL)
- L.A. Wolves FC (UPSL)
- Orange County FC (NPSL/UPSL)
- Oxnard Guerreros FC (NPSL)
- San Nicolás FC (US Premiership)
- Santa Ana Winds FC (UPSL)
- Temecula FC (NPSL)
- Ventura County Fusion (USL2)
Most successful clubs overall
Teams in bold are still active.
| Team | D1 Regular Season | U.S. Open Cup | D1 Playoffs |
CONCACAF Champions League | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Galaxy | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Los Angeles FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Wolves | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| California Surf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chivas USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stadia
- Rose Bowl: Hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final
- Dignity Health Sports Park: Second American sports arena designed specifically for soccer in the MLS era. Used historically by the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.
- Banc of California Stadium: Stadium for Los Angeles FC, opened April 29, 2018. Also to be the home ground for Angel City FC once that team starts play in 2022.
- Santa Ana Stadium: A site for historic soccer exhibition games. The historic Orange County Soccer Club played Bayern Munich at this stadium in 1966. Other games included the following:
| June 10, 1966 | Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) | 3–3 | Orange County Soccer Club (Continental League) | Santa Ana, CA | ||
| Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium |
||||||
| April 24, 1988 | C.D. Guadalajara (Primera División de México) |
5–4 | United States (United States Soccer Federation) |
Santa Ana, CA | ||
| Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium |
||||||
| August 28, 1988 | Club Sport Herediano (Primera División de Costa Rica) |
1–0 | Club Deportivo Olimpia (Liga Nacional de Honduras) |
Santa Ana, CA | ||
| Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium |
||||||
| January 13, 1989 | Club América (Liga MX) | 2–1 | Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) | Santa Ana, CA | ||
| Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium Attendance: 11,500 |
||||||
| November 16, 2015 | Atlético Marte (Salvadoran Primera División) |
2–4 | Orange County Blues FC (USL) | Santa Ana, CA | ||
| Stadium: Santa Ana Stadium Attendance: 1,684 |
||||||
Women's soccer
In 2009, Los Angeles became home to a third top-level professional team, the Los Angeles Sol, a charter member of Women's Professional Soccer. WPS was the second attempt to establish a fully professional women's league in the U.S., after the demise of the Women's United Soccer Association (which did not have an L.A. representative). The Sol shared The Home Depot Center, now known as Dignity Health Sports Park, with the Galaxy and Chivas USA, before ceasing operations in January 2010.
WPS folded after the 2011 season; its effective successor, the National Women's Soccer League, does not currently have a fully operational franchise in Los Angeles, nor in California. In July 2020, a then-unnamed team backed by an almost all-female ownership group was announced as a new NWSL member. The team, later unveiled as Angel City FC, plans to start play in 2022 at Banc of California Stadium, home to Los Angeles FC of MLS.
Indoor soccer
Although the area does not have any current professional indoor soccer teams, Los Angeles has hosted three. The Los Angeles Aztecs played one tournament and two seasons in the NASL Indoor leagues in 1975 and from 1979 to 1981. The Los Angeles Lazers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1982 to 1989. Finally, the Los Angeles United played a single season in the Continental Indoor Soccer League in 1994 before being relocated to Anaheim.
