El Tráfico

"Los Angeles Derby" redirects here. For the former rivalry between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA, see SuperClasico.

El Tráfico, also known as the Los Angeles Derby, is a soccer rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in the Greater Los Angeles area, the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC.^[1][2] The rivalry is one of two crosstown derbies in MLS, alongside the Hudson River Derby in the New York City area, and replaced the SuperClasico between the LA Galaxy and the now-defunct Chivas USA.

El Tráfico

An El Trafico match at the Rose Bowl on July 4, 2023.
LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC
Other names	Los Angeles Derby
Location	Greater Los Angeles
First meeting	March 31, 2018 MLS regular season LA Galaxy 4–3 LAFC
Latest meeting	September 14, 2024 MLS regular season LA Galaxy 4–2 LAFC
Next meeting	May 18, 2025 MLS regular season LA Galaxy v LAFC
Statistics
Meetings total	24
Most wins	LA Galaxy (10)
Top scorer	Carlos Vela (12 goals)
All-time series	LA Galaxy: 10 Drawn: 5 LAFC: 9
Largest victory	LAFC 6–2 LA Galaxy MLS is Back Tournament (July 18, 2020)
LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC Location of the two teams' stadiums in Los Angeles County

This rivalry has been characterized by dramatic goals, high scoring, and consistently close results, as well as mutual fan animosity. El Tráfico quickly became one of the most popular and contested rivalries in the league; in addition to regular season play, the Galaxy and LAFC have played each other in the MLS Cup Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup.^[3]

Background

Los Angeles FC was established in 2014, shortly after the dissolution of Chivas USA, an MLS franchise based in Los Angeles and owned by C.D. Guadalajara. Chivas shared the StubHub Center in the city of Carson, California, originally known as the Home Depot Center (2003–2013) and now known as Dignity Health Sports Park, with the Galaxy but had far lower attendances during its final years of operation.^[4] The two teams competed in the SuperClasico, named for the Mexican rivalry between Guadalajara and Club América.^[5] The two teams met 31 times in ten seasons, with the Galaxy winning 20 matches and Chivas winning four.^[1][4]

Los Angeles FC built Banc of California Stadium, now known as BMO Stadium, in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north of Carson, California, on Interstate 110.^[4]

History

The first match between the two senior teams, LAFC's third-ever regular season game,^[6] was played on March 31, 2018, at the StubHub Center. Despite LAFC leading 3–0 after 60 minutes, the match ended in a 4–3 win for the Galaxy, including two goals from substitute Zlatan Ibrahimović on his debut.^[7] The teams played at Banc of California Stadium on July 26 and was followed by a second match at the StubHub Center on August 24 during MLS Rivalry Week.^[8] The second meeting, on July 26, ended in a 2–2 draw at the Banc of California Stadium. Six fans were arrested in clashes between fans at the stadium, where seats were damaged and fights broke out.^[9] The final meeting of the two teams in 2018, played a month later on August 24, ended in a 1–1 draw at the StubHub Center.^[10]

The first El Tráfico match of the 2019 season, played in July at Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly the StubHub Center), ended in a 3–2 victory for the hosting LA Galaxy. Ibrahimović's scored all three Galaxy goals and earned a hat-trick, while Carlos Vela scored both of LAFC's goals.^[11] The visiting LAFC supporters came in a 17-bus convoy and wore camouflage outfits as part of a "united front", having been inspired by a similar display by German club Dynamo Dresden.^[12][13] The return fixture at Banc of California Stadium a month later ended in a 3–3 draw, with two goals apiece for Ibrahimović and Latif Blessing after a second-half comeback from LAFC.^[14]

The two teams met in the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, which was hosted by top-seeded LAFC after the Galaxy advanced from the first round against Minnesota United FC.^[15] LAFC won 5–3, breaking a six-match winless streak against the Galaxy, with pairs of goals scored by Vela and Adama Diomande.^[16] LAFC advanced to the Conference Final, where they lost 3–1 to Seattle Sounders FC, the eventual MLS Cup 2019 champions.^[17][18]

The opening El Tráfico fixture of the 2020 season was scheduled for May 16, but MLS suspended all operations in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[19][20] The two teams were drawn into Group F of the MLS is Back Tournament, which would be played without spectators at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.^[21][22] LAFC and the Galaxy met in the second matchday on July 18, 2020, with Vela opting out of the tournament and the Galaxy's Javier Hernández injured. LAFC won 6–2, setting a new record for largest margin of victory in El Tráfico, with four goals from Diego Rossi; both of the Galaxy's goals had come in the first 31 minutes, from an own goal and a penalty kick.^[23] On August 22, 2020, the Galaxy recorded the first El Tráfico away win with a 2–0 win and the first clean sheet at the Banc of California Stadium. On May 25, 2022, the Galaxy defeated LAFC 3–1 at Dignity Health Sports Park in the first ever US Open Cup El Tráfico with goals by Kévin Cabral, Javier Hernández, and Dejan Joveljic for the Galaxy and Ryan Hollingshead for LAFC. In their second playoff meeting at Banc of California Stadium on October 20, 2022, LAFC won 3–2.

The Galaxy planned to host their 2023 season opener on February 25 against LAFC at the Rose Bowl, the Galaxy's former stadium from 1996 to 2002.^[24] It was postponed to July 4 due to heavy wind and rain in the area brought by a major winter storm.^[25] The Rose Bowl match had 82,110 spectators, setting a new MLS record for standalone attendance, and was split between the two teams; the Galaxy won 2–1.^[26][27] A third match against designated rivals was added to the MLS schedule in 2023; LAFC expressed interest in potentially hosting the game at either the Coliseum or SoFi Stadium in 2024.^[24]

The 2024 match at the Rose Bowl resulted in a $100,000 fine for the Galaxy due to misconduct by their supporters, including the lighting of flares during play.^[28] For 2025, the games will return to the clubs' respective home stadiums due to the balanced schedule.

On December 7, 2024 John McCarthy became the first person to win the MLS Cup with both clubs, previously winning with Los Angeles FC in 2022.

Fan activities

In January 2018, a mural commissioned by LAFC in Pico-Union was vandalized with the colors of the LA Galaxy within hours of being completed and unveiled. This followed an earlier incident where paint in LAFC's colors was sprayed over an LA Galaxy mural at Hawthorne Memorial Park and a Galaxy billboard.^[2][29] Both fanbases later defaced property during the inaugural year of the rivalry.^[30]

The clubs and fanbases have created a unique animosity between one another. For example, many LAFC fans refuse to use the name "LA Galaxy," instead opting for "Carson Galaxy" due to the fact that the Galaxy do not play in the city of Los Angeles but in Carson, California, a city in the county of Los Angeles. In addition, LAFC itself simply calls its rival "Galaxy." ^{[citation needed]} LA Galaxy fans frequently mock LAFC and its fans as "Chivas 2.0" as an allusion to the former Chivas USA, whose shutdown led to the creation of LAFC and which shared Los Angeles (and their home stadium) with the LA Galaxy from 2005 to 2014.^[31]

Moniker

"El Tráfico" (literally "The Traffic" in Spanish) was a name created by MLS fans and adopted by media outlets following polls by SB Nation blogs LAG Confidential^[32] and Angels on Parade.^[1][2][33] It refers to the notorious traffic congestion in Los Angeles, among the worst in the United States and the world,^[34] while also serving as a pun on "El Clasico".^[2][35] MLS has no plans to trademark the name.^[36] The rivalry has also been called the "Los Angeles Derby",^[37] a moniker that was also used for the SuperClasico.^[38] The name "El Tráfico" has faced opposition from executives within LAFC,^[39] coach Bob Bradley,^[40] and the president of the 3252, LAFC's largest supporters group.^[41]

Results

Summary

As of September 14, 2024

	Matches	LAG wins	Draws	LAFC wins	LAG goals	LAFC goals
MLS regular season	19	8	5	6	40	36
MLS Cup Playoffs	2	0	0	2	5	8
MLS is Back Tournament	1	0	0	1	2	6
U.S. Open Cup	2	2	0	0	5	1
Total	24	10	5	9	52	51

Matches

Season	Date	Competition	Stadium	Home team	Result	Away team	Attendance	Series	Ref
2018	March 31	MLS	StubHub Center	LA Galaxy	4–3	Los Angeles FC	27,068	LAG 1–0–0
	July 26		Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	2–2	LA Galaxy	22,716	LAG 1–0–1
	August 24		StubHub Center	LA Galaxy	1–1	Los Angeles FC	27,068	LAG 1–0–2
2019	July 19	MLS	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	3–2	Los Angeles FC	27,088	LAG 2–0–2
	August 25		Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	3–3	LA Galaxy	22,757	LAG 2–0–3
	October 24	MLS Cup Playoffs	Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	5–3	LA Galaxy	22,902	LAG 2–1–3
2020	July 18	MLS is Back‡	ESPN Sports Complex	Los Angeles FC	6–2	LA Galaxy	0†	Tied 2–2–3
	August 22	MLS	Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	0–2	LA Galaxy	0†	LAG 3–2–3
	September 6		Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	3–0	Los Angeles FC	0†	LAG 4–2–3
	October 25		Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	2–0	LA Galaxy	0†	LAG 4–3–3
2021	May 8	MLS	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	2–1	Los Angeles FC	7,193†	LAG 5–3–3
	August 28		Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	3–3	LA Galaxy	22,032	LAG 5–3–4
	October 3		Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	1–1	Los Angeles FC	25,174	LAG 5–3–5
2022	April 9	MLS	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	2–1	Los Angeles FC	25,174	LAG 6–3–5
	May 25	U.S. Open Cup	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	3–1	Los Angeles FC	24,174	LAG 7–3–5
	July 8	MLS	Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	3–2	LA Galaxy	22,231	LAG 7–4–5
	October 20	MLS Cup Playoffs	Banc of California Stadium	Los Angeles FC	3–2	LA Galaxy	22,305	LAG 7–5–5
2023	April 16	MLS	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	2–3	Los Angeles FC	27,154	LAG 7–6–5
	May 23	U.S. Open Cup	BMO Stadium	Los Angeles FC	0–2	LA Galaxy	16,362	LAG 8–6–5
	July 4*	MLS	Rose Bowl	LA Galaxy	2–1	Los Angeles FC	82,110	LAG 9–6–5
	September 16		BMO Stadium	Los Angeles FC	4–2	LA Galaxy	22,132	LAG 9–7–5
2024	April 6	MLS	BMO Stadium	Los Angeles FC	2–1	LA Galaxy	22,321	LAG 9–8–5
	July 4		Rose Bowl	LA Galaxy	1–2	Los Angeles FC	70,076	Tied 9–9–5
	September 14		Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy	4–2	Los Angeles FC	25,174	LAG 10–9–5
2025	May 18	MLS	Dignity Health Sports Park	LA Galaxy		Los Angeles FC
	July 19		BMO Stadium	Los Angeles FC		LA Galaxy

† Matches played behind closed doors or reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‡ Although the match was part of the MLS is Back Tournament, group stage matches count toward regular season MLS statistics.

* Originally scheduled for February 25, 2023, but rescheduled to July 4 due to inclement weather.

Western Conference standings finishes

Teams above red line qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs.
  LAG   LAFC

P.	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1		1			1		1
2							2
3	3					3
4					4
5		5
6
7	7		7
8				8
9				9
10			10
11
12
13						13
14

• Total: LAFC with 6 higher finishes, LA Galaxy with 1.

All goalscorers

As of September 14, 2024

Position	Nation	Player	Team	Goals
1	MEX	Carlos Vela	Los Angeles FC	12
2	SWE	Zlatan Ibrahimović	LA Galaxy	9
3	GAB	Denis Bouanga	Los Angeles FC	7
4	SRB	Dejan Joveljić	LA Galaxy	6
	URU	Diego Rossi	Los Angeles FC
6	COL	Cristian Arango	Los Angeles FC	4
	USA	Sebastian Lletget	LA Galaxy
	ARG	Cristian Pavón	LA Galaxy
9	USA	Tyler Boyd	LA Galaxy	3
	FRA	Samuel Grandsir	LA Galaxy
	MEX	Javier Hernández	LA Galaxy
	USA	Ryan Hollingshead	Los Angeles FC
	ESP	Riqui Puig	LA Galaxy
14	GHA	Latif Blessing	Los Angeles FC	2
	FRA	Kévin Cabral	LA Galaxy
	ECU	José Cifuentes	Los Angeles FC
	NOR	Adama Diomande	Los Angeles FC
	URU	Brian Rodríguez	Los Angeles FC
	USA	Timothy Tillman	Los Angeles FC
20	FRA	Romain Alessandrini	LA Galaxy	1
	ARG	Julián Aude	LA Galaxy
	POL	Mateusz Bogusz	Los Angeles FC
	USA	Edwin Cerrillo	LA Galaxy
	FRA	Séga Coulibaly	LA Galaxy
	USA	Mark Delgado	LA Galaxy
	MEX	Jonathan dos Santos	LA Galaxy
	LBY	Mohamed El Monir	Los Angeles FC
	SEN	Mamadou Fall	Los Angeles FC
	VEN	Rolf Feltscher	LA Galaxy
	SLE	Kei Kamara	Los Angeles FC
	NOR	Ola Kamara	LA Galaxy
	USA	Danny Musovski	Los Angeles FC
	USA	Lee Nguyen	Los Angeles FC
	BRA	Gabriel Pec	LA Galaxy
	USA	Chris Pontius	LA Galaxy
	MAD	Rayan Raveloson	LA Galaxy
	ESP	Ilie Sánchez	Los Angeles FC
	ENG	Billy Sharp	LA Galaxy
	ENG	Bradley Wright-Phillips	Los Angeles FC
	JPN	Maya Yoshida	LA Galaxy
	USA	Ethan Zubak	LA Galaxy

Players who have played for both clubs

LAFC, then LA Galaxy

• Niko Hämäläinen
• Raheem Edwards
• John McCarthy
• Christian Ramirez

LA Galaxy, then LAFC

• Mark Delgado

Other significant sports rivalries within the Greater Los Angeles area

• Major League Baseball: Freeway Series
• National Hockey League: Freeway Face-Off
• National Basketball Association: Lakers–Clippers rivalry
• College football: UCLA–USC rivalry
• College soccer: UCLA–UCSB rivalry

References

1. Wiebe, Andrew (March 28, 2018). "Wiebe: First-ever "El Trafico" will lay stakes for LA Galaxy-LAFC rivalry". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
2. Baxter, Kevin (March 28, 2018). "Galaxy and LAFC fans are taking new rivalry very seriously". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
3. Ruthven, Graham (October 20, 2022). "Manufactured rivalries don't work: LA's El Tráfico is an exception". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
4. Baxter, Kevin (March 30, 2018). "'Proper rivalry' leaves Galaxy defending home turf against LAFC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
5. Parker, Graham (May 17, 2012). "LA Story Part One: Chivas USA". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
6. Butler, Dylan (March 29, 2018). "LA Galaxy vs. LAFC: 2018 MLS Match Preview". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
7. Baxter, Kevin (March 31, 2018). "Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores two late goals to lift Galaxy to a 4-3 victory over LAFC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
8. Baxter, Kevin (January 4, 2018). "LAFC to meet Galaxy three times in first MLS season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
9. Baxter, Kevin (July 27, 2018). "LAFC-Galaxy game marred by vandalism and altercations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
10. Baxter, Kevin (August 24, 2018). "With playoff positions on the line, Galaxy and LAFC end L.A. Derby with 1-1 draw". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
11. Baxter, Kevin (July 19, 2019). "El Trafico: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's hat trick gets Galaxy the victory in testy match with LAFC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
12. Dwyer, Alex (July 22, 2019). "LAFC supporters groups don camouflage for "united front" on Trafico trip". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
13. Elliott, Helene (July 19, 2019). "Column: El Trafico continues to deliver the makings of a great rivalry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
14. Calhoun, Damian (August 25, 2019). "LAFC rallies from two-goal deficit to finish with draw against Galaxy". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
15. Baxter, Kevin (October 20, 2019). "Galaxy beat Minnesota, will face LAFC next in MLS playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
16. Baxter, Kevin (October 24, 2019). "Carlos Vela and Adama Diomande lead LAFC to El Trafico playoff win over Galaxy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
17. Baxter, Kevin (October 29, 2019). "Magic runs out for LAFC and Carlos Vela in season-ending loss to Seattle Sounders". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
18. Calkins, Matt (November 10, 2019). "For Sounders fans, Sunday's MLS Cup lived up to the hype and may never be topped". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
19. Carlisle, Jeff (December 19, 2019). "Can't-miss MLS matches in 2020 include El Trafico, debuts of Nashville and Beckham's Inter Miami". ESPN. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
20. Baxter, Kevin (March 19, 2020). "MLS extends suspension of season until May 10 due to COVID-19 pandemic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
21. Baxter, Kevin (June 11, 2020). "LAFC and Galaxy will play in same group in MLS season restart tournament". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
22. Baxter, Kevin (July 17, 2020). "Fanless El Tráfico rivalry between LAFC and Galaxy won't feel the same". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
23. Baxter, Kevin (July 18, 2020). "Diego Rossi's four goals power LAFC to victory over Galaxy in MLS is Back Tournament". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
24. Baxter, Kevin (September 27, 2022). "Galaxy and LAFC to open 2023 season against each other at Rose Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
25. Baxter, Kevin (February 24, 2023). "Galaxy-LAFC game at the Rose Bowl postponed until July 4". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
26. Baxter, Kevin (July 4, 2023). "Galaxy hold off LAFC in front of record crowd at Rose Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
27. Sigal, Jonathan (July 4, 2023). "MLS history! El Tráfico at Rose Bowl sets single-game attendance record". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
28. Baxter, Kevin (July 12, 2024). "MLS fines Galaxy $100,000 for 'serious misconduct' by fans at Rose Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
29. Nachman, Gideon (May 29, 2017). "Is it possible to manufacture a football rivalry? MLS has tried ..." The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
30. "Some Angelinos want a tagging war". LAG Confidential. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
31. Maurer, Pablo; Stejskal, Sam (October 27, 2020). "The short life and long death of Chivas USA". The Athletic. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
32. "What are we calling the LA Galaxy LAFC rivalry?". LAG Confidential. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
33. "Poll: What should we call the LAFC-LA Galaxy rivalry?". Angels on Parade. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
34. "L.A.'s traffic congestion is world's worst for sixth straight year, study says". Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
35. Davis, Matt (March 29, 2018). "Will Ferrell v Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Los Angeles FC prepare to face Galaxy on derby day". BBC Sport. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
36. Lalas, Alexi [@AlexiLalas] (March 28, 2018). "The first-ever @LAGalaxy vs. @LAFC game is Saturday 3 pm ET on @FOXTV. This LA derby is being called "El Tráfico." @MLS says the fans came up with the name and the League has no plans to trademark it. #ElTrafico #LAvLAFC" (Tweet). Retrieved March 29, 2018 – via Twitter.
37. Lutz, Tom (March 31, 2018). "Zlatan Ibrahimovic's low-key MLS debut: a wondergoal then the winner for LA Galaxy". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
38. Lalas, Greg (October 26, 2009). "L.A. derby finally means something". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
39. Cardenas, Felipe (July 18, 2020). "The opposition to calling the LA Galaxy-LAFC rivalry 'El Tráfico'". The Athletic. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
40. Dwyer, Alex (March 4, 2019). "Bob Bradley dislikes "El Trafico" name for LA rivalry, offers "La Clasico"". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
41. Jones, J. Sam (March 30, 2020). "The inside story of what made first El Trafico matchup one of MLS's greatest ever games". MLSsoccer.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2020.

See also

• MLS rivalry cups

Crosstown rivalries in Los Angeles

• Freeway Series (Major League Baseball)
• Freeway Face-Off (National Hockey League)
• Lakers–Clippers rivalry (National Basketball Association)
• UCLA–USC rivalry (college football)
• SuperClasico (former MLS crosstown rivalry between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA)