Latest news with #LAFC
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
MLS All-Stars Divided Over League's Potential Calendar Change
LAFC goalie Hugo Lloris tries to clear a path for a free kick during a match against Real Salt Lake ... More in March 2024. The MLS Board of Governors will hold their annual meeting during MLS All-Star Week on Wednesday prior to the 2025 MLS All-Star Game which pits the league's top stars against LigaMX stars at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The biggest topic on the agenda for club owners is the potential adoption of the fall-to-spring international soccer calendar utilized by the majority of leagues around the world, particularly the big five in Europe: Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. With the MLS announcing in April that the Board of Governors authorized a 'second phase of exploration into a potential move to the international soccer calendar' and that 'any potential changes would not take effect until the 2027 season at the earliest,' it's unlikely a decision will be made this week in Austin. MLS All-Stars seemed equally divided on the benefits and potential drawbacks of the switch, which would move the MLS season from February-to-December to July/August to May/June. 'For me as a player, I think it would be very beneficial being on the same calendar as Europe and the whole world,' Nashville SC forward Hany Mukhtar said. 'We're all the same. We all play the same sport and in my opinion, we should all be on the same calendar. We have the same rules, so we should have the same calendar.' 'I just love playing games so whenever we're playing doesn't really matter to me,' Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. 'I think eventually you want to get to that European calendar, but then you're also competing in the market with everyone. When we end our season, that's their winter so it's kind of a different timing. Now you're in competition with the world market every time and every transfer window.' While the calendar transition won't be an issue for MLS players, many of whom have played internationally or have international aspirations, the biggest obstacle will be from an infrastructure and facilities standpoint. How will venues in markets like Colorado, Minnesota, Montréal and Toronto be able to combat the cold during winter's harshest months while protecting players and spectators? Not only would they have to potentially upgrade facilities to host matches during December, January and February, but they'd lose out on hosting potentially lucrative summer matches in June and July when the weather is more tolerable. St. Louis City SC midfielder Conrad Wallem cools off during a home match against San Jose on May 31. On the flip side of the coin, clubs in markets like Dallas, Houston, Austin, Miami and Orlando could benefit by not hosting matches during the hot and humid dog days of summer. Wednesday's forecast in Austin is a high of 98 degrees with the temperature expected to drop to 93 degrees when the 2025 MLS All-Star Game kicks off at 8 p.m. local time. While the league's calendar is the 5,000-pound gorilla in the room on Wednesday, club owners will also discuss updates on the league's partnership with Apple as well as strategy around marketing initiatives, scheduling and its joint hospitality sales venture with On Location for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. MLS recently announced the 2026 All-Star Game will be held in Charlotte next summer, though the timing could be affected with the World Cup Final taking place on July 19. 'Whatever the league wants to do or not do it's up to them,' San Diego FC midfielder Anders Dreyer said. 'I signed here knowing that I would play throughout the summer which I think is OK for me, which is better than the winter in Europe. We'll see what's going to happen.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
América and LAFC reportedly extend Javairo Dilrosun's loan one more day so he can play against Portland Timbers on Friday
Has scored two goals in five appearances for LAFC Not part of Club América's future plans, the club wants to sell him LAFC reportedly interested in extending his loan WHAT HAPPENED? Dutch winger Javairo Dilrosun will reportedly remain with LAFC for an extra day after the MLS club reached an agreement with Club América, allowing him to feature in this Friday's match against the Portland Timbers. According to Tom Bogert, he will be eligible for the match, but his future is still to be determined with the club. THE BIGGER PICTURE According to ESPN, América are looking to sell Dilrosun during the current transfer window to free up a foreign player slot - key to André Jardine's plans for a new signing in the coming weeks. However, LAFC is also exploring the possibility of keeping the Dutchman on loan for a longer spell. Dilrosun is under contract with América through December 2026, but the Mexican club is working to terminate the deal early. In seven MLS appearances, he has scored twice, including a crucial goal in the 'El Tráfico' derby against the LA Galaxy. According to other reports, Dilrosun could also be included as part of a potential deal that would bring LAFC star Denis Bouanga to América. DID YOU KNOW? In just five MLS appearances, Dilrosun has already scored twice - a notable contrast to his time at Club América, where he managed just three goals across 52 matches. His early form with LAFC has certainly been a bright spot. WHAT NEXT FOR LOS ANGELES FC? Steve Cherundolo's team currently sits fifth in the Western Conference with 36 points. While the futures of Bouanga and Dilrosun are still being decided, both players are expected to feature in Friday's away match against the Portland Timbers.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Commentary: LAFC fans put aside their rivalry with Galaxy to stand in solidarity against ICE
There are more important things than the results of a soccer game. Even when that soccer game is between bitter rivals whose supporters would rather bust one another's heads than shake hands. The El Tráfico match between LAFC and the Galaxy is one of those proper rivalries. In just eight seasons, it has blossomed into the most intense, meaningful and emotional rivalry in MLS. And at times, especially in the derby's early years, that emotion went largely unchecked, with some fans seeing their nights end in handcuffs or a hospital emergency room. Last Saturday was different. Well, at least it started differently before ending with the same wild raucousness that has come to define El Tráfico. More about that in a bit. But first, some background. Read more: Galaxy scores in final minute to force draw with LAFC in tense El Tráfico contest More than six weeks ago, masked federal agents, soon to be backed by National Guard troops and U.S. Marines, began invading neighborhoods across Southern California during immigration raids that The Times reported increased fear while leading to more than 2,700 arrests. More than two-thirds of those arrested had never been convicted of a crime and 57% had never been charged with a crime. And this is where the story becomes a soccer one. Soccer, by custom and breeding, is an immigrant sport. Like pizza, sushi and Halloween, soccer was imported to the U.S. by immigrants and was popularized in immigrant neighborhoods before spreading to the culture at large. So for many soccer fans, the violent raids, which upended families and communities, were personal. Angel City FC, Los Angeles' National Women's Soccer League team, and LAFC reacted immediately. Within hours of the first raids, both teams issued statements of support of their fans. Read more: Commentary: Angel City takes stand against immigration raids as others stay silent 'When so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty,' the LAFC statement read in part, 'LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community." The Galaxy and its parent company, AEG, like the rest of MLS, have so far been silent — a silence that has been deafening to so many of its supporters, they began boycotting the team and its activities. Longtime season-ticket holders have canceled their orders and at Saturday's El Tráfico at BMO Stadium the three sections in the upper deck reserved for fans of the visiting team were nearly half empty for the first time. So LAFC's supporters' union stepped into the void, delivering the message Galaxy fans have yet to get from their club: we have your back. Just before kickoff LAFC fans in the north stand unfurled a massive banner that read: 'Los Angeles Unidos Jamás Será Vencido" ("Los Angeles, united, will never be defeated.") The message is a take on a revolutionary slogan that begins 'the people united.' It originated in Chile in the 1970s but has long been popular with grassroots movements throughout Latin America because its meaning transcends political — and soccer — affiliations to deliver a universal truth about unity and justice. In this fight, the LAFC supporters were saying, the two local MLS teams were on the same side. It wasn't exactly joining hands with Galaxy supporters and singing "Kumbaya." But it was close. Given soccer's history and heritage, it's both sad and revealing that LAFC remains the only MLS organization that has spoken out about the fear and frustration the immigration raids have caused. This isn't a political issue, after all; LAFC's brief 49-word statement, which a league source not authorized to speak publicly said was approved by MLS, never mentions politics or immigration. Instead, it celebrates the importance of diversity. Yet no other team, in a league that owes its very existence to immigrants, has had the courage to take even that tepid a step. Rolling Stone, citing league and team sources, said there is worry taking any kind of stand would lead the Trump administration, which launched the raids, to retaliate. They cite the example of the Dodgers, who were sued by a Trump-aligned conservative legal group, after pledging to give $1 million to support immigrant families. A league executive, not authorized to speak on the record, pushed back on that. The closest the league has come to making a formal policy declaration about such matters, the executive said, is a two-decade-old fan code of conduct that 'prohibits fans from displaying signs, symbols, or images used for commercial purposes or to advocate for or against any political candidate, party, legislative issue, or government action.' Read more: Galaxy disciplines fans for rule violations while protesting team response to ICE raids The league may tacitly have encouraged teams to stay silent, but its policies don't expressly prohibit the Galaxy, or any other team, from supporting immigrants and opposing the arrests of legal residents. Yet LAFC — and Angel City and the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL — are the only top-tier soccer teams that have yet done so. So it's fallen to the fans to take action, with MLS supporters in Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Nashville, Austin and elsewhere waving banners and staging boycotts. But if ICE is a common enemy, it's not the only one. After the Galaxy rallied twice from two-goal deficits Saturday to tie LAFC on the final touch of the game — a game marred by a mini-brawl involving as many as 10 players early in stoppage time — the rivalry was back on, with LAFC fans pelting the referees with beer and trash and arguing with Galaxy supporters in the parking lots. Solidarity, it seems, has its limits. ⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week's episode of the 'Corner of the Galaxy' podcast. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
LAFC fans put aside their rivalry with Galaxy to stand in solidarity against ICE
There are more important things than the results of a soccer game. Even when that soccer game is between bitter rivals whose supporters would rather bust one another's heads than shake hands. The El Tráfico match between LAFC and the Galaxy is one of those proper rivalries. In just eight seasons, it has blossomed into the most intense, meaningful and emotional rivalry in MLS. And at times, especially in the derby's early years, that emotion went largely unchecked, with some fans seeing their nights end in handcuffs or a hospital emergency room. Last Saturday was different. Well, at least it started differently before ending with the same wild raucousness that has come to define El Tráfico. More about that in a bit. But first, some background. More than six weeks ago, masked federal agents, soon to be backed by National Guard troops and U.S. Marines, began invading neighborhoods across Southern California during immigration raids that The Times reported increased fear while leading to more than 2,700 arrests. More than two-thirds of those arrested had never been convicted of a crime and 57% had never been charged with a crime. And this is where the story becomes a soccer one. Soccer, by custom and breeding, is an immigrant sport. Like pizza, sushi and Halloween, soccer was imported to the U.S. by immigrants and was popularized in immigrant neighborhoods before spreading to the culture at large. So for many soccer fans, the violent raids, which upended families and communities, were personal. Angel City FC, Los Angeles' National Women's Soccer League team, and LAFC reacted immediately. Within hours of the first raids, both teams issued statements of support of their fans. 'When so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty,' the LAFC statement read in part, 'LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community.' The Galaxy and its parent company, AEG, like the rest of MLS, have so far been silent — a silence that has been deafening to so many of its supporters, they began boycotting the team and its activities. Longtime season-ticket holders have canceled their orders and at Saturday's El Tráfico at BMO Stadium the three sections in the upper deck reserved for fans of the visiting team were nearly half empty for the first time. So LAFC's supporters' union stepped into the void, delivering the message Galaxy fans have yet to get from their club: we have your back. Just before kickoff LAFC fans in the north stand unfurled a massive banner that read: 'Los Angeles Unidos Jamás Será Vencido' ('Los Angeles, united, will never be defeated.') The message is a take on a revolutionary slogan that begins 'the people united.' It originated in Chile in the 1970s but has long been popular with grassroots movements throughout Latin America because its meaning transcends political — and soccer — affiliations to deliver a universal truth about unity and justice. In this fight, the LAFC supporters were saying, the two local MLS teams were on the same side. It wasn't exactly joining hands with Galaxy supporters and singing 'Kumbaya.' But it was close. Given soccer's history and heritage, it's both sad and revealing that LAFC remains the only MLS organization that has spoken out about the fear and frustration the immigration raids have caused. This isn't a political issue, after all; LAFC's brief 49-word statement, which a league source not authorized to speak publicly said was approved by MLS, never mentions politics or immigration. Instead, it celebrates the importance of diversity. Yet no other team, in a league that owes its very existence to immigrants, has had the courage to take even that tepid a step. Rolling Stone, citing league and team sources, said there is worry taking any kind of stand would lead the Trump administration, which launched the raids, to retaliate. They cite the example of the Dodgers, who were sued by a Trump-aligned conservative legal group, after pledging to give $1 million to support immigrant families. A league executive, not authorized to speak on the record, pushed back on that. The closest the league has come to making a formal policy declaration about such matters, the executive said, is a two-decade-old fan code of conduct that 'prohibits fans from displaying signs, symbols, or images used for commercial purposes or to advocate for or against any political candidate, party, legislative issue, or government action.' The league may tacitly have encouraged teams to stay silent, but its policies don't expressly prohibit the Galaxy, or any other team, from supporting immigrants and opposing the arrests of legal residents. Yet LAFC — and Angel City and the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL — are the only top-tier soccer teams that have yet done so. So it's fallen to the fans to take action, with MLS supporters in Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Nashville, Austin and elsewhere waving banners and staging boycotts. But if ICE is a common enemy, it's not the only one. After the Galaxy rallied twice from two-goal deficits Saturday to tie LAFC on the final touch of the game — a game marred by a mini-brawl involving as many as 10 players early in stoppage time — the rivalry was back on, with LAFC fans pelting the referees with beer and trash and arguing with Galaxy supporters in the parking lots. Solidarity, it seems, has its limits. ⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week's episode of the 'Corner of the Galaxy' podcast.
CBS News
a day ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Pec has 2 goals, Yoshida scores in stoppage time for Galaxy in 3-3 tie with LAFC
Gabriel Pec scored two goals and Maya Yoshida added a goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time for the LA Galaxy in a 3-3 tie with Los Angeles FC on Saturday night. Eddie Segura was shown a straight red card (violent conduct) in the first minute of stoppage time and LAFC played a man down the rest of the way. LAFC (10-5-7) has its string of three consecutive wins — all shutouts by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris — snapped. Yoshida flicked in a header, off an arcing ball-in played by defender Mauricio Cuevas, from the center of the area to cap the scoring. Denis Bouanga scored twice for LAFC. Bouanga has scored at least one goal in four consecutive games and has seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists) during that span. Pec converted from the penalty spot in the 36th minute and added a goal in the 79th — finishing off a string of quick crisp passes with a first-touch shot from the right-center of the area — for the Galaxy (3-14-7). The 24-year-old Pec, who had 30 goal contributions (16 goals, 14 assists) as an MLS rookie last season, has five goals and three assists this season. The Galaxy is 8-7-7 against LAFC all time in the regular season. Bouanga opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, his sixth consecutive game against the Galaxy with a goal. Bouanga perfectly timed his run onto a well-placed ball-ahead played by Ryan Hollingshead a blasted a first-touch shot into the net. Javairo Dilrosun stopped a low cross played from the left side by Nate Ordaz and then flicked in the finish from the right corner of the 6-yard box to give LAFC a 2-0 lead in the 31st. On a breakaway, Bouanga outraced the defense and then beat goalkeeper Novak Micovic, who crept off his line, with a rolling shot from near the penalty spot to make it 3-1 in the 67th. The Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup champions, lost 2-1 at home against Austin on Wednesday to snap their season-long three-game unbeaten streak.
