Los Angeles FC

The 2022 MLS Cup came down to penalties after Gareth Bale, on for a matter of minutes, forced extra time with a stoppage-time header to make it 3-3; LAFC held their nerve from the spot to beat Philadelphia Union 3-0 in the shootout. That season also brought the Supporters' Shield, the club's second after 2019, when a 72-point campaign carried Carlos Vela to both the league MVP award and the top scorer's title. The U.S. Open Cup followed in 2024, a 3-1 extra-time win over Sporting Kansas City, though the Leagues Cup final that same year went the other way, lost 1-3 to Columbus Crew, and two CONCACAF Champions Cup finals, in 2020 and 2023, ended the same way.

None of it looked likely at kick-off. LAFC came into existence as a Major League Soccer expansion side after Chivas USA folded, Henry Nguyen driving the bid before Larry Berg, Brandon Beck and Bennett Rosenthal took over as managing owners in 2016. The name became official on 15 September 2015, more than two years before a ball was kicked. Bob Bradley took the first game, away at Seattle, 1-0, on 4 March 2018, and by the end of that debut season LAFC had set an MLS expansion record with 57 points. Bradley stayed until 2021, replaced by Steve Cerundolo the following year.

The club plays in black and gold at BMO Stadium, a 22,000-seat ground built for them, and the derby that matters most is against LA Galaxy — El Tráfico, named for the freeway traffic that separates the city's two clubs on any given matchday. Vela carried the shirt from 2019 to 2022; Diego Rossi led the scoring in 2020; Denis Bouanga has since become the club's all-time top scorer. The squad that has replaced Vela's generation reads differently — Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini arrived in 2024 alongside Hugo Lloris, and Son Heung-min followed in 2025, a level of recruitment that would have seemed improbable for a club barely a decade old.