LA Galaxy

Los Angeles FC

Angel City FC

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Location map of professional top-division soccer clubs inLos Angeles County

Soccer has enjoyed longstanding popularity inLos Angeles. As of 2023,Los Angeles County has three top-level professional teams. TheLA Galaxy andLos Angeles FC play inMajor League Soccer, andAngel City FC plays in theNational Women's Soccer League. The Greater Los Angeles area is also home to one 2nd division professional team,Orange County SC, of theUSL Championship, and four 3rd division professional teams,LAFC2 andLA Galaxy II, ofMLS Next Pro, andLos Angeles Force andCalifornia United Strikers FC of theNational Independent Soccer Association. There are also many semi-professional clubs and leagues including theUnited Premier Soccer League, SoCal Premier League andNational Premier Soccer League, among others. In 2019, two more professional teams,Cal FC (Thousand Oaks) andCalifornia United Strikers FC (Orange County) joined a new, unsanctioned, professional league called theNPSL Founders Cup They both later left, with Cal FC joining theUnited Premier Soccer League.

Soccer in Los Angeles began in the 20th century when the Southern California Football League was founded in 1902.^[1]

The first and only champions of theUnited Soccer Association (1967), predecessor to theNorth American Soccer League (1968–1984).

The LA Kickers were the first LA area team to win the National Challenge Cup, known today as the U.S. Open Cup.^{[citation needed]}

LA Maccabi won the U.S. Open Cup, known in their time as the National Challenge Cup, a record number five times.^[2]

The Orange County Soccer Club was a two-time consecutive finalist of the National Challenge Cup, in 1966 and '67. OCSC played Bayern Munich atSanta Ana Stadium in 1966.^[3][4][5]

The LA Aztecs won the NASL National Championship in their inaugural season, 1974.^[6] They played in many stadiums, including theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum.^{[citation needed]} The Aztecs folded in 1981.^{[citation needed]}

The California Sunshine, an Orange County based pro team, played in theASL.^[7]

Club Deportivo Chivas USA was a joint venture betweenChivas 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.^[8] The team folded in 2014.^{[citation needed]}

Several years after the formation of theNorth American Soccer League in 1968, theLos 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 asGeorge Best andJohan Cruyff. The team was at its most popular in 1979 and 1980, averaging over 12,000 fans both seasons.^{[citation needed]}

The launch ofMajor League Soccer in 1996 included the newly formedLos 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 theCONCACAF Champions Cup in 2000.^[9]

The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased operations.

Los Angeles FC joined the league in 2018 and acrosstown rivalry,El Tráfico, was created.^[11]

• National Premier Soccer League
• United Premier Soccer League
• USL League Two

• 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)

Teams inbold are still active.

• Rose Bowl: Hosted the1994 FIFA World Cup Final^{[citation needed]}
• Dignity Health Sports Park: Second American sports arenadesigned specifically for soccer in the MLS era. Used historically by theLA Galaxy andChivas USA.^{[citation needed]}
• BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium): Stadium forLos Angeles FC, opened April 29, 2018.^[12] Also to be the home ground forAngel City FC once that team starts play in 2022.^[13]
• Santa Ana Stadium: A site for historic soccer exhibition games. The historicOrange County Soccer Club playedBayern Munich at this stadium in 1966. Other games included the following:

In 2009, Los Angeles became home to a third top-level professional team, theLos Angeles Sol, a charter member ofWomen's Professional Soccer. WPS was the second attempt to establish a fully professional women's league in the U.S., after the demise of theWomen's United Soccer Association (which did not have an L.A. representative). The Sol shared The Home Depot Center, now known asDignity Health Sports Park, with the Galaxy and Chivas USA, before ceasing operations in January 2010.^{[citation needed]}

WPS folded after the 2011 season; its effective successor, theNational 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 asAngel City FC, plans to start play in 2022 atBanc of California Stadium, home to Los Angeles FC of MLS.

Although the area does not have any current professionalindoor soccer teams, Los Angeles has hosted three. TheLos Angeles Aztecs played one tournament and two seasons in theNASL Indoor leagues in 1975 and from 1979 to 1981. TheLos Angeles Lazers played in theoriginal Major Indoor Soccer League from 1982 to 1989. Finally, theLos Angeles United played a single season in theContinental Indoor Soccer League in 1994 before being relocated toAnaheim.

• Soccer in the United States
• Soccer in Houston
• Soccer in New York City
• History of professional soccer in Seattle

• Soccer in Los Angeles
• Soccer in California
• History of Los Angeles
• History of soccer in the United States

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