One of Major League Soccer’s newest and most intense rivalries has quickly become one of the league’s most compelling events.
The LA Galaxy are arguably the most established and recognizable brand in MLS worldwide, while LAFC only recently launched in 2018. Regardless of their respective histories, the two teams have already developed a fierce rivalry, with both teams providing memorable moments throughout their encounters.
What grew as quickly as the rivalry on the field was the unique nickname that was given to this intra-city showdown. Known as “El Trafico” throughout the soccer community, the catchy name made it easily identifiable, standing out from other soccer derbies in the United States and abroad.
In October, the two teams met for only the second time in the MLS Cup playoffs, in the Western Conference semifinals at Banc of California Stadium. The rivalry was once again on full display, with the game going back-and-forth for 90 minutes, including Cristian Arango’s 93rd-minute winner in true El Trafico fashion.
Jugo Mobile brings you everything you need to know about the heated matchup between the bitter Southern California rivals.
Why is the LA Galaxy vs LAFC game called El Trafico?
It seems that the The most reliable origin story The name “El Trafico” begins with the SB Nation LAFC and LA Galaxy blogs publish a survey ask fans what the first game should be called.
One of the four available selections was “El Trafico,” a reconfiguration of “El Clasico,” which is the Spanish-language reference for some of the fiercest historical rivalries in world football. The Real Madrid-Barcelona match in Spain’s La Liga and the Chivas Guadalajara-Club America match in Mexico are both commonly referred to as the Clasico.
For the purposes of the poll, “El Clasico” was changed to refer to the traffic jams that characterize Los Angeles. With 51% of the fan vote, “El Trafico” won by a landslide, and the catchiness of the name helped it spread quickly across traditional and social media. But one club never thought it would stick.
“El Trafico, the name… El Trafico was a joke. It’s just a joke,” said Rich Orosco, LAFC’s executive vice president of brand and community, told The Athletic in July 2020. “Here’s my prediction: It won’t be El Trafico for much longer. I guarantee it.”
So far, this guarantee has not been realized and the brand is stronger than ever.
LA Galaxy vs LAFC Historical Results
The LA Galaxy used their early positive results to take the lead in the all-time series between the two clubs, but LAFC also had their moments, winning both the only playoff meeting and the most lopsided result between the two teams.
There has also been a series of high-scoring draws between the two teams, with each team scoring numerous goals during the series’ short history.
After the 17th all-time MLS Cup Playoff meeting in October 2022, the rivalry is now nearly even, with LAFC winning five to the Galaxy’s seven, plus five draws. The home team has dominated this matchup, with just one away win in the 17 all-time meetings.
SERIES RECORD: LA Galaxy 9 wins, LAFC 9 wins, 5 draws
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2018 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 4-3 LAFC |
| July 26, 2018 | Regular season | LAFC 2-2 LA Galaxy |
| August 24, 2018 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 LAFC |
| July 19, 2019 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 LAFC |
| August 25, 2019 | Regular season | LAFC 3-3 LA Galaxy |
| October 24, 2019 | MLS Playoffs | FC LA 5-3 LA Galaxy |
| July 18, 2020 | MLS is back Tournament |
FC LA 6-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| August 22, 2020 | Regular season | LAFC 0-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| September 6, 2020 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 FC LA |
| October 25, 2020 | Regular season | FC LA 2-0 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| May 8, 2021 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 FC LA |
| August 28, 2021 | Regular season | LAFC 3-3 LA Galaxy |
| October 3, 2021 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 LAFC |
| April 9, 2022 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 FC LA |
| May 25, 2022 | US Cup | Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 FC LA |
| July 8, 2022 | Regular season | FC LA 3-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| October 20, 2022 | MLS Playoffs | FC LA 3-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| April 16, 2023 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 2-3 FC LA |
| May 24, 2023 | US Cup | LAFC 0-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| July 4, 2023 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 LAFC* |
| September 16, 2023 | Regular season | FC LA 4-2 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| April 6, 2024 | Regular season | FC LA 2-1 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| July 4, 2024 | Regular season | Los Angeles Galaxy 1-2 FC LA* |
| September 14, 2024 | Regular season | LA Galaxy vs LAFC |
* The game took place on a neutral field (Rose Bowl)
Notable performances at El Trafico
Despite the short history of this rivalry, it has already been the scene of a number of notable performances.
This is partly due to the highly productive nature of the rivalry, with only three clean sheets from each side in the 13-match history of the tie.
Games between these two teams have averaged a combined 4.46 goals over the rivalry’s short history heading into the 2022 season.
Zlatan shines in the first El Trafico
Who better to celebrate this famous rivalry than one of the world’s most prominent players, Zlatan Ibrahimovic? The two teams met for the first time on March 31, 2018, and Zlatan was the hero.
With LAFC leading 3-0 at one point and 3-1 at the hour mark, the Swedish superstar came on for the LA Galaxy and completed a memorable comeback. The most memorable moment was the equalizer, which Zlatan scored from incredible distance with an incredible volley, which elicited the famous “Oh come on! Come on!” shout from commentator John Strong. Zlatan then scored the winning goal in the 91st minute with a header.
Zlatan’s hat-trick and Vela’s double
In the first meeting between the two teams in 2019, Zlatan produced another memorable performance.
After LAFC’s Carlos Vela scored twice, Zlatan went one better, scoring not just any hat-trick but a perfect hat-trick – one goal each with his left foot, right foot and head – to lift the LA Galaxy to victory once again.
“I came with a lot of confidence, a lot of conviction and a lot of responsibility,” Zlatan said after the match. “It depends on me what the atmosphere will be. And I think I did a good job today.”
LAFC wins El Trafico playoffs
With Zlatan’s imprint on the rivalry, it was time for Vela to make his mark, and he did so in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals.
In the first and so far only playoff meeting between the two clubs, Vela scored twice to give LAFC a 2-0 lead. While the Galaxy equalized before the hour mark, Vela assisted Diego Rossi’s goal, giving LAFC their first win of the series with a crucial 5-3 playoff victory, sending the club to the conference finals.
LAFC scores six points against humiliated Galaxy
In the most lopsided result in the history of the short series, Diego Rossi scored four goals as LAFC crushed their cross-town rivals in the MLS Is Back Tournament.
Two goals in each half for Rossi, combined with a goal from Bradley Wright-Phillips and another from Mohamed El Monir, sent the Galaxy team home with their heads down.
LAFC wins epic 2022 Western Conference semifinal
The two teams met for the second time in their history in the MLS Cup Playoffs and once again the rivalry was on full display, with an incredibly memorable 90 minutes.
LAFC opened the scoring through Denis Bouanga, who headed in a cross from Carlos Vela in the 23rd minute. The two teams then went head-to-head. Samuel Grandsir’s equalizer in the 44th minute gave both teams a level game going into the break. The Galaxy came out on top in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net as the home side struggled defensively. The game was indecisive until Bouanga scored LAFC’s second goal in the 80th minute, which set up a thrilling finish.
The goal seemed to have dashed the Galaxy’s hopes, but they gave it their all and took advantage almost immediately when Dejan Jovelic, moments after coming on as a substitute, tied the Galaxy at 2-2 with a stunning curling strike. With the game surely headed to extra time, Cristian Arango sent LAFC into the Western Conference finals on a corner kick by sending the ball into the penalty area that fell at his feet in the 93rd minute.
Both teams should have been sent off, with Riqui Puig lucky to get away with a yellow card after headbutting Jesus Murillo early in the game. In the second half, Murillo could have been sent off for a second yellow card after bringing down Chicharito, but the referee kept his card in his pocket. It was good for everyone, as the game was fabulous but still had a certain intensity.
