LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
(MLS), as a member of the
Western Conference. The club began play in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
as one of the league's 10 charter members.
The Galaxy were founded in 1994 and are owned by
Anschutz Entertainment Group (also owners of 50% of the
Los Angeles Kings, as well as an interest in the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
). In their early years, the club played its home games at the
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
. Since 2003, they have played at
Dignity Health Sports Park in
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
. The team holds a rivalry with the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
in the
California Clásico and used to play the
SuperClasico
The SuperClasico, formerly known as the Honda SuperClasico for sponsorship reasons, and also known as the L.A. Derby or ''El Clásico Angelino'', was a sports rivalry between LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased ...
against city rivals
Chivas USA before that team folded in 2014. Following the league's dissolution of Chivas USA, a new expansion team,
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), was formed in 2014 and began play in 2018. The new L.A. rivalry was dubbed "
El Tráfico."
The franchise is one of
Major League Soccer's most successful teams, with a record five
MLS Cups and four additional appearances in the final, and won the Western Conference regular-season title eight times, four
Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 19 ...
s, two
U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
s, and one
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
title. In 2017, the club added the dubious
MLS Wooden Spoon to its trophy case for finishing at the bottom of the MLS table.
In 2007, the club made international headlines with the signing of English player
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
from
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, the most high-profile transaction with Major League Soccer to that point. The club has fielded other high-profile international players including
Zlatan Ibrahimović,
Robbie Keane
Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional Association football, football coach and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Keane served as Captain (association football ...
,
Luis Hernández,
Giovani dos Santos,
Mauricio Cienfuegos,
Jonathan dos Santos,
Jorge Campos
Jorge Campos Navarrete (born 15 October 1966) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
A notable player of Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campos was an eccentric player, known for his constant play outside ...
,
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
,
Ashley Cole,
Javier Hernández, and American
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...
, who is the all-time leading scorer for the club. In 2019, ''
Forbes'' estimated the club is the second most valuable in the league, worth about $480 million.
History
Early years (1996–2000)
LA Galaxy is one of the 10 founding clubs in Major League Soccer. The name "Galaxy" was derived from Los Angeles being home to the "stars" of
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
. The team began competing in the
first season of the then-new league, which took place in 1996.
In the inaugural season, the Galaxy finished first in the Western Conference and contested the first
MLS Cup final, finishing as runners-up to
D.C. United. In 1997, they started 1–7, but went 15–9 for the rest of the season to qualify for the playoffs. The Galaxy ended up second in their conference, losing to the
Dallas Burn. In 1998, the Galaxy left off on a streak, eventually finishing 24–8. The Galaxy defeated the Dallas Burn, 9–3 on aggregate. They lost in the semi-final to the
Chicago Fire, 2–1 on aggregate.
The Galaxy again finished first in the Western Conference in 1999, with a final record of 20–12, with a win in the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
, but lost to D.C. United again 2–0. The 2000 season had the Galaxy in second in the Western Division, at 14–10–8. Despite this, they lost to the
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...
after a tied aggregate and a sudden-death game. Los Angeles won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup that same year, one of two American clubs to win the tournament.
2001 was another successful year for Los Angeles, winning the Open Cup and scoring 1,000 all-time points, and with
Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. He can also be seen on Fox Spo ...
scoring the 300th goal, but again they fell short by being defeated by
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...
and the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
. Again the club clinched first in the Western Conference with a 16–9–3 record, their fifth time being first. Los Angeles were to take part in FIFA's Club World Cup as Concacaf champions from the previous year, but the tournament was cancelled that year.
First MLS Cup (2002)
In 2002, the Galaxy won their first MLS Cup in the club's fourth appearance by defeating the
New England Revolution 1–0. In 2003, the Galaxy finished fourth playing more away games due to stadium construction, with the possible existing obstacles, the team finished 9–12–9. The Galaxy bounced back by gaining second with an 11–9–10 record. They lost to the Wizards in the final, 0–2.
In 2005, the Galaxy acquired Landon Donovan from San Jose. The franchise won the Open Cup again ending with a record of 13–13–6. Having qualified for the playoffs for the 2005 season, The Galaxy has been the only team to appear in the playoffs in all of the league's first ten seasons. They won the
2005 MLS Cup
MLS Cup 2005 was the 10th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match took place on November 13, 2005, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas, and was contested between the New Engla ...
, defeating the New England Revolution in extra time, 1–0.
The 2006 season began on March 16 with the sudden death of
Doug Hamilton, the team's 43-year-old general manager, who suffered a
heart attack on board a plane carrying the team back from
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
where they had played
Saprissa
Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...
in the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
. The team finished fifth in the Western Conference, eliminating them from playoff contention for the first time since the league's inception. Midway through the season,
Steve Sampson
Mark Stephen Sampson (born January 19, 1957) is an American soccer coach. He is also the former head coach of both the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
Collegiate career
Sampson attended UCLA ...
was sacked as head coach,
replaced by
Frank Yallop.
The team managed to make a deep run to the U.S. Open Cup final, but lost 3–1 against the Chicago Fire.
Beckham era (2007–2012)
In March 2007,
Herbalife signed a five-year deal with the Galaxy, worth between $4–5 million a year, to be the club's primary shirt sponsor. Four months later, the club signed
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
from
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. His debut was made at
Home Depot Center before a record crowd of nearly 35,000,
including many celebrities,
coming on in the 78th minute in a 1–0 loss to
Chelsea in a match during the
World Series of Football tournament. The match brought unprecedented TV coverage from
ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was on the bench. In that season's
SuperLiga, LA reached the final but lost to Mexican side
Pachuca on
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
after
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
. LA nearly made the end-of-season play-offs, but were eliminated following a 1–0 loss to the Chicago Fire. In the off-season, Cobi Jones retired and, amidst rumors that he was going to be sacked, Yallop resigned as head coach following a friendly match at Home Depot Center. The San Jose Earthquakes bought out his contract and offered a third round draft pick to the Galaxy as compensation to hire Yallop as their new head coach. Yallop was replaced at LA by
Ruud Gullit, who signed a three-year contract with the club, making him the highest paid coach in MLS history. Cobi Jones returned as assistant coach. LA went on a promotional tour of Australia and New Zealand, setting attendance records in both countries. 80,295 people showed up at
Stadium Australia for the match between
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
and LA Galaxy, which the home side won 5–3. They also played a tour of Asia, and competed in the inaugural
Pan-Pacific Championship in
Honolulu, finishing third after beating Sydney 2–1 in the third-place match.
In the
2008 MLS season
The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in the history of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Changes from the 2007 s ...
, LA went on a seven-game winless streak that saw them drop from first place in the Western Conference to outside playoff contention, prompting the resignation of manager Ruud Gullit and firing of general manager
Alexi Lalas. Gullit was replaced by
Bruce Arena, who was unable to lead LA into a play-off spot, for the third-straight season.
In the following off-season, both club captain David Beckham and vice-captain Landon Donovan were involved in loan deals with European clubs until the beginning of the new MLS season; Beckham to
Milan in Italy and Donovan to German club
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
. Donovan was seeking a permanent transfer to Munich, while Beckham was expected to return to LA in March, prior to the 2009 season. Beckham went on to seek a permanent transfer to Milan in a bid to sustain his
England career through the
2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, and Milan made a bid for the player that was rejected by LA.
One day before his loan deal was to expire, Milan and LA reached an agreement to allow Beckham to stay in Italy until the conclusion of the ''Rossoneri's'' season in June, before returning to LA in July.
Donovan was not offered a contract by Bayern, and returned to the U.S. in time for the beginning of the
2009 MLS season
The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with MLS Cup 2009 on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle. Expansion team Seattle Sounders FC debuted as the league's 1 ...
. In the book ''
The Beckham Experiment
''The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America'' is a non-fiction work by ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Grant Wahl. The book chronicles David Beckham's move to Major League Soccer and his impact on American ...
'' by
Grant Wahl, Donovan openly criticized Beckham for his handling of the loan deals. Beckham and Donovan would later reconcile upon Beckham's return to LA in July.
LA finished the 2009 season top of the Western Conference and runners-up in the
MLS Supporters' Shield, qualifying for the
2009 MLS Cup
MLS Cup 2009 was the 14th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match took place on November 22, 2009, at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, and was contested between the Los Angeles Galaxy a ...
. They reached the final by beating
Chivas USA 3–2 on aggregate in the quarter-final, and
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
2–0, after extra time, in the semi-final. In the final they drew 1–1 with
Real Salt Lake at
Qwest Field in
Seattle, but lost 5–4 on penalties. By reaching the final, they qualified for the
2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League was the 3rd edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 46th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of N ...
Preliminary Round.
After the 2009 success, both Donovan and Beckham again went out on second loan spells. Donovan went to
Everton while Beckham returned to Milan, where he ruptured his Achilles tendon and therefore missed his chance at playing in the World Cup for England and subsequently missing most of the Galaxy's 2010 season.
In 2010, the Galaxy stayed at the top of the table and won the Supporters' Shield, the first time MLS played a balanced schedule. They then lost to FC Dallas in the Western Conference Final, one game away from making another appearance at MLS Cup.
In 2011, a year in which they added the
Republic of Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer
Robbie Keane
Robert David Keane (born 8 July 1980) is an Irish professional Association football, football coach and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Keane served as Captain (association football ...
, they won their fourth Supporters' Shield with two games remaining, becoming the third-straight team to win consecutive Shields while amassing the second-best points total in MLS history. They followed this up with their third MLS Cup, defeating the Houston Dynamo 1–0 in the
final. The 2011 MLS Cup was the Galaxy's first MLS Cup Victory in regulation. The 2002 and the 2005 MLS Cup wins were won in overtime.
In January 2012, after much speculation, Beckham signed a new two-year deal with LA to secure his short-term future at the club. Despite the new contract, Beckham confirmed in November 2012 that he would be leaving the Galaxy at the end of the 2012 MLS season. On December 1, 2012, the Galaxy won their second-straight MLS Cup victory over the Houston Dynamo, 3–1. Galaxy defender
Omar Gonzalez won the MLS MVP trophy, heading in the 1–1 equalizer in the 60th minute. That goal was quickly followed by a Donovan penalty kick, and Keane sealed the game with another penalty kick in stoppage time. In post-match interviews both Donovan and Beckham remained coy about their future MLS plans.
First to five league championships (2013–2016)
Galaxy finished the 2013 season third in the Western Conference. They reached the conference semi-finals, where they lost 2–1 to Real Salt Lake. They also reached the semi-finals of the
2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League was the 5th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 48th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of Nor ...
, but lost 3–1 on aggregate to Mexican team
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
.
Following the defeat to
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
in the final game of the season with the Supporters' Shield on the line, the team entered the 2014 MLS playoffs defeating Real Salt Lake, advancing to face Seattle once again in the Western Conference Finals, advancing to the MLS Cup by away goals. They played the New England Revolution in the 2014 MLS Cup and won 2–1 in overtime, thereby becoming five-time champions, a league record. At the end of the season, longtime LA Galaxy and
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
player Landon Donovan retired.
On January 7, 2015, the LA Galaxy announced the signing of long time Liverpool player
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
to an 18-month
Designated Player contract, reportedly worth $9 million. He joined the team in July 2015 following the end of the
2014–15 Premier League
The 2014–15 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...
season, and made his debut in an
International Champions Cup against
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
on July 11.
The club again made headlines by acquiring Mexican star and
Barcelona academy product
Giovani dos Santos in July as a designated player. Not since the days of
Jorge Campos
Jorge Campos Navarrete (born 15 October 1966) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
A notable player of Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campos was an eccentric player, known for his constant play outside ...
,
Carlos Hermosillo and
Luis Hernández in the late 1990s and early 2000s had the Galaxy had a notable Mexican player, let alone one in the prime of his career. Dos Santos made an impactful impression on the Galaxy early on, scoring on his club debut against
Central FC in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
and then in his league debut against the Sounders. In his first five club matches, he had a goal, an assist or both to total with four goals and five assists in that span.
Wooden Spoon and rebuilding (2016–present)
Before the start of the
2016 season, it was announced that long-time servicing center-back
Omar Gonzalez would leave the Galaxy after nine years to
C.F. Pachuca.
On November 22, 2016, long-time general manager and head coach Bruce Arena left the club to begin his second stint as head coach of the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
, bringing most of the Galaxy's coaching staff with him, including associate head coach Dave Sarachan. Arena was replaced as general manager by former Galaxy player
Peter Vagenas, and as head coach by his
LA Galaxy II counterpart,
Curt Onalfo.
The front office constructed the team to rely on players from the academy and Galaxy II system. Multiple injuries exposed the naive roster construction, which included erratic performances by Jermaine Jones, and sparse production from Giovanni Dos Santos. With a 6–10–4 record, the Galaxy fired Curt Onalfo and replaced him with former head coach Sigi Schmid on July 27, 2017. Under Schmid, the club went 2–8–4 and finished the season in last place overall with a mark of 8–18–8. It was only the fourth time that the club failed to make the postseason, and the club's first
wooden spoon.
In March 2018, the team signed
Zlatan Ibrahimović on a two-year, $3 million contract with targeted allocation money. With the signing of Ibrahimović, the Galaxy's season would be seen promising. The Swede made his debut in the inaugural ''
El Tráfico'' match against LAFC, scoring two goals to end the game with the Galaxy coming from 0–3 down to win 4–3. One of the goals Ibrahimović scored in that game later claimed
MLS Goal of the Year
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canad ...
. Los Angeles throughout the season had dealt with defensive struggles and on their last match of the regular season, against
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
, the Galaxy were defeated and once again missed the postseason.
After the 2018 season, the Galaxy ended Ibrahimović's original deal and signed him to a new and higher salaried
designated player contract. On March 1, 2019, the team announced they had exercised its one offseason Buyout of a Guaranteed Contract on Giovani dos Santos, thus releasing him from the team.
In the
2019 season, the Galaxy welcomed
Guillermo Barros Schelotto to the club as head coach. The Galaxy also added a number of players, notably Uruguayan
Diego Polenta
Diego Fabián Polenta Musetti (; born 6 February 1992) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a centre-back for Uruguayan club Nacional.
Polenta has been named in Uruguay's senior team several times, but remains uncapped.
Club career
Early ca ...
, Argentine World Cup veteran
Cristian Pavón
Cristian David Pavón (born 21 January 1996) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Atlético Mineiro.
Club career Talleres
Pavón played for Talleres de Córdoba's youth setup until 7 February 2012, when he signed hi ...
, fellow Argentine
Favio Álvarez
Favio Enrique Álvarez (born 23 January 1993) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine Primera División club Talleres de Córdoba, on loan from Liga MX club UNAM.
Career
Álvarez began with T ...
and Mexican
Uriel Antuna. With this, and the emergence of academy product
Efraín Álvarez, the Galaxy placed fifth in the West and made the playoffs. The season was best remembered for Ibrahimović's performances against LAFC, including a hat-trick at home in July and a brace in
Banc of California Stadium that August. Ibrahimović finished the season with 30 goals, the second-highest mark in the season and third-highest total in league history (with the record being broken by LAFC's
Carlos Vela that year). In the
playoffs, the Galaxy defeated
Minnesota United 2–1 before falling to LAFC, 5–3. Ibrahimović left the club in November, and of the 2019 signings—most of them on loan—only Pavón returned for 2020.
Three years later, in December of 2022, MLS sanctioned the Galaxy for the 2019 Pavón signing, stripping the club of $1 million in
allocation money and suspending club president
Chris Klein. Moreover, the club was not allowed to sign international players in the 2023 summer transfer window.
The club arranged for a transfer from
La Liga club
Sevilla, signing a three-year contract with
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on January 21, 2020, and making him the highest-paid player in the league. At the end of the season, after failing to making the postseason, head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto was fired, and replaced with
Dominic Kinnear as interim manager. On January 5, the Galaxy announced
Greg Vanney
Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and-a- ...
as the new manager.
Under Vanney, the Galaxy narrowly missed the MLS playoffs in 2021, finishing eighth in the Western Conference (15th overall). In 2022, the club showed marked improvement, punctuated by the continued improvement of Hernández (who scored 18 goals) and the signings of former
Barcelona youth product
Riqui Puig and European veteran
Gastón Brugman
Gastón Brugman Duarte (born 7 September 1992) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.
Club career
Early career
Born in Rosario, Uruguay, Brugman began playing foot ...
. The Galaxy finished fourth in the West (eighth overall), their highest mark since 2016, and beat
Nashville SC at home in the first round of the
MLS Cup playoffs before falling to their crosstown rivals LAFC in the conference semifinals, 3−2. Hernández was named the team's player of the year that season.
Colors and badge
The LA Galaxy's current team colors are navy blue, gold, and white. The team's primary uniform is white and the secondary uniform is blue. The colors were adopted to coincide with
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
's arrival with the team in 2007 as part of an overall re-branding exercise spearheaded by then GM Alexi Lalas. Before 2007, the Galaxy played in various color combinations, usually comprising gold, teal green and white with black accents, and often highlighting an iconic sash design from the left shoulder and across the chest. Their original jersey, used in the inaugural 1996 MLS season, reflected the colors of the city of Los Angeles and featured black-and-teal halves, black sleeves with gold and red accents, black shorts and black socks.
The Galaxy have had two logos to date. The original brand was gold, teal and black, and featured the Galaxy wordmark superimposed over a golden swirl, with a stylized black outline. The logo was changed in 2007, again to coincide with David Beckham's arrival, and now features a blue shield with a gold border, the LA Galaxy team name, and a quasar at the top of the crest.
The quasar, featured prominently on the LA Galaxy's shield, was originally featured on the 1957 Seal of Los Angeles County, as well as the modified
Seal of Los Angeles County, California
The first Seal of the County of Los Angeles was established in 1887 and has been changed three times since then. It is used on official county documents, vehicular decals, on buildings, and is displayed on the bear-top shield badge worn by u ...
.
The name "Galaxy" was created by
Nike at the conception of the league; the apparel company was also the original uniform supplier for the team.
Revenues and profits
The Galaxy first turned a profit in 2003, becoming the first MLS team to do so.
After the team moved into the new Home Depot Center, the team saw increased attendance, a doubling of revenue from sponsors, and revenues from parking and concessions.
A ''
Forbes'' 2015 report ranked the LA Galaxy second in MLS in terms of annual revenue ($44 million) and in franchise value ($240 million). The Galaxy earn more in annual club sponsorship income ($14 million) and annual local TV rights ($5 million) than any other MLS team. The Galaxy have the highest annual revenue of any MLS team, the third highest revenue of any
CONCACAF team, and the seventh highest revenue of any team in the Americas.
Kit sponsors
Stadium
From 1996 to 2002, the Galaxy played their home games at the 107,000-person capacity
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, but often held
U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
games at
Titan Stadium on the campus of
California State University, Fullerton. The Galaxy played 10 games in total at Titan Stadium; the U.S. Open Cup Final was held there in 2001 when the Galaxy won the tournament.
In 2003, the Galaxy moved to Dignity Health Sports Park (then known as the Home Depot Center, later known as StubHub Center), on the campus of
California State University, Dominguez Hills in
Carson
Carson may refer to:
People
*Carson (surname), people with the surname
*Carson (given name), people with the given name
Places
;In the United States
* Carson, California, a city
* Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois
*Carson, Iowa, a city
* ...
, approximately ten miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The stadium is a 27,000-seat
soccer-specific stadium, the second of its kind in MLS, but has hosted other sports such as rugby and American football. From 2005 to 2014, the Galaxy shared the stadium with their now-defunct league rivals
Chivas USA, with whom they competed in the
SuperClasico
The SuperClasico, formerly known as the Honda SuperClasico for sponsorship reasons, and also known as the L.A. Derby or ''El Clásico Angelino'', was a sports rivalry between LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased ...
.
Club culture
Cozmo
Cozmo is the Galaxy's mascot. He has dark blue skin with yellow eyebrows and white eyes matching the Galaxy's home uniform colors. He replaced the Galaxy's original mascot, "Twizzle", who also looked like it was from outer space but was more humanoid in form, wearing a space-man's helmet and cape.
Galaxy Star squad
The Galaxy Star Squad is the official cheerleaders of the club. They often attend events hosted by the Galaxy, such as autograph sessions, and can be often seen around the stadium during game time giving away scarves and supporting the team.
Supporters
The Angel City Brigade was created in 2007 to help establish a festive and vibrant atmosphere in Dignity Health Sports Park for the Galaxy. They were originally located in section 121 in the General Admission area of the stadium.
The LA Riot Squad formed after a loss in the 2001 MLS Cup, when then-Galaxy keeper
Kevin Hartman challenged a group of Galaxy fans to form a supporter group of 100 people by opening day of 2002. The reward if they were able to do this was a keg of beer. They are located in sections 137 and 138 in the General Admission area of the stadium.
Galaxians are the first and original supporter group of the LA Galaxy, having been established in 1996 during the Galaxy's first season in MLS. They were originally located in section 124.
Galaxy Outlawz is the latest group started in 2019. They now join the Galaxians and the Angel City Brigade in the new safe standing section in the north end.
Victoria Block is the newest safe standing only section built in 2020 replacing all of the bleachers from sections 120 to 123 in the north end of the stadium. It is the new supporters only section and new home for the Galaxians, Angel City Brigade, and Galaxy Outlawz.
Ring of Honor
Rivalries
The Galaxy's longest-running rivalry match is the
California Clásico, played against the
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
. It is considered among the fiercest and longest-running rivalries in American soccer. The intrastate rivalry dates to the founding of MLS, and their encounters in the MLS Cup playoffs and final. Some also cite that the rivalry developed in reflection of traditional Northern California—Southern California sports rivalries.
When
Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Football Club, commonly referred to as LAFC, is an American professional Association football team based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The club ...
(LAFC) joined the league in 2018 as an expansion team, a new
crosstown rivalry was born. The Galaxy's current record vs LAFC, through 2022, is 7-5-5 (including 0-2 in the playoffs). Dubbed "
El Tráfico", the rivalry has become one of the most passionate in the league. By some measures, the Galaxy-LAFC rivalry is bigger than the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.
From 2005 to 2014, the Galaxy were rivals with
Chivas USA (now defunct), with whom they shared the same stadium, in the
SuperClasico
The SuperClasico, formerly known as the Honda SuperClasico for sponsorship reasons, and also known as the L.A. Derby or ''El Clásico Angelino'', was a sports rivalry between LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased ...
. This contest, with Chivas USA, was dominated by the Galaxy, who won 22 of the 34 encounters. The rivalry was the only intra-stadium rivalry in MLS until Chivas ceased operations at the end of the 2014 season.
Broadcasting
At the end of the 2011 season, the Galaxy announced a ten-year, $55 million deal with
Time Warner Cable (Now Charter Spectrum), the most lucrative local media contract in MLS history, to begin at the end of the
2012 MLS season
The 2012 Major League Soccer season was the 100th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 34th with a national first-division league, and the 17th season of Major League Soccer.
The regular season began on March ...
. Previously, Galaxy matches were televised regionally in English on
Fox Sports West or Prime Ticket. While awaiting the launch of those networks, all 2012 English-language matches were broadcast on local outlet
KDOC, with one match showcased on Time Warner Cable SportsNet near the end of the season. In Spanish, 2012 matches were shown on independent outlet
KWHY
KWHY-TV (channel 22) is a Spanish-language independent television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by Meruelo Broadcasting alongside Garden Grove–licensed KBEH (channel 63); the two stations share RF channel 4 u ...
with
Adrian Garcia Marquez
Adrian Garcia Marquez (born December 28, 1973) is an American sportscaster who works for Fox Deportes as a play by announcer, narrator, and host. Adrian also serves as one of the international voices of the NBA calling action on the NBA League P ...
and Francisco Pinto commentating. Television commentary is now handled by Joe Tutino and former Galaxy player
Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. He can also be seen on Fox Spo ...
, and the radio stream is broadcast on the club's website.
ESPN carries most games on its
ESPN+
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
platform for out-of-market viewers, as well as showing nationally televised broadcasts on
ESPN,
ESPN2, or
ABC.
FOX Sports also handles nationally televised broadcasts on
Fox Sports 1,
Fox Sports 2, or the
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
. When
Univisión broadcasts a nationally televised game on its main network,
UniMás
UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura from its launch on January 14, 2002, to January 6, 2013) is an American Spanish free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network's programming, which is ...
, or
TUDN, the match stream is also available on
Twitter.
Players and staff
: ''For details on former players, see
All-time Los Angeles Galaxy roster This list comprises all players who have participated in at least one league match for Los Angeles Galaxy since the team's first Major League Soccer season in 1996. Players who were on the roster but never played a first team game are not listed; p ...
.''
Roster
Coaching staff
General managers
Head coaches
Youth development
LA Galaxy II
The Galaxy created the LA Galaxy II
reserve team in January 2014 to compete in the
USL.
In their
inaugural season, ''Los Dos'' finished third with a record of 15–6–7, and reached the semi-final where they lost to
Sacramento Republic FC
Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, the ...
.
For the
2015 USL season
The 2015 USL season was the fifth season of the United Soccer League (USL) and the first under its new name (previously the league was called USL Pro). This season represented a substantial expansion from 14 teams in 2014 to 24 teams in 2015, and ...
, the Galaxy were placed in the Western Conference.
Academy program
As part of its development program, the Galaxy operates an academy system with U-18 and U-16 teams competing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, and U-14 and U-12 teams competing in Southern California Developmental Soccer Leagues (SCDSL).
Recent academy graduates include:
Jack McBean
John Lucas "Jack" McBean (born December 15, 1994) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward.
Club career
McBean, a California native, formally signed for LA Galaxy at the age of 16 in April 2011. As of July 2011, he was the y ...
,
Oscar Sorto
Oscar Sorto (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional association football, soccer player.
Career
Professional
Sorto grew up playing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy for the Pateadores and LA Galaxy. On April 16, 2012, Sorto sign ...
,
Jose Villarreal,
Gyasi Zardes,
Raul Mendiola
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may r ...
Bradford Jamieson IV
Bradford Redder Jamieson IV (born October 18, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a forward or left winger.
Youth
Bradford Jamieson was born in Los Angeles, California. He began his soccer career at AYSO, pro ...
, and
Efraín Álvarez.
Alliance clubs
The LA Galaxy extended its youth development program and structure through the integration of existing youth clubs that have partnered under the LA Galaxy name. Known as the LA Galaxy Academy Alliance Clubs, they are located throughout Southern California, retain some autonomy and have access to LA Galaxy resources and outreach programs. One alliance club, LA Galaxy Orange County, has a men's category competing in the
United Premier Soccer League.
Honors
Minor trophies
*
MLS Fair Play Award: 2013
Retired numbers
The LA Galaxy have not officially retired any jersey number. Former LA Galaxy player,
Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. He can also be seen on Fox Spo ...
, was incorrectly believed to have had his jersey No. 13 retired until it was again issued in 2017 to
Jermaine Jones.
Team results
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Galaxy. For the full season-by-season history, see
List of LA Galaxy seasons
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer, the top tier soccer league in the United States and Canada. Among MLS clubs, the Galaxy are ...
.
1. Avg. Attendance include statistics from league matches only.
2. Top Goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
, FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, and other competitive continental matches.
International tournaments
Player awards
Statistical records
''MLS regular season only, as of October 7, 2019''
* Games:
Cobi Jones
Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. He can also be seen on Fox Spo ...
, 392
* Goals:
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...
, 113
* Assists:
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...
, 107
* Clean sheets:
Kevin Hartman, 64
* Goals in a season:
Zlatan Ibrahimović, 30 (
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
Top goalscorers
Player of the Year
Golden Boot
The Golden Boot winner is the leading goal scorer at the end of the season (only goals in MLS count). This award did not exist from 1996 to 2004. The
MLS Scoring Champion Award included both goal and assist totals those years.
Defender of the Year
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Association football, United States
Anschutz Corporation
Association football clubs established in 1994
1994 establishments in California
Major League Soccer teams
U.S. Open Cup winners
CONCACAF Champions League winning clubs