Soccer in Los Angeles

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

History
Soccer in Los Angeles began in the 20th century when the Southern California Football League was founded in 1902.

Los Angeles Wolves
The first and only champions of the United Soccer Association (1967), predecessor to the North American Soccer League (1968–1984).

Los Angeles Kickers
The LA Kickers were the first LA area team to win the National Challenge Cup, known today as the U.S. Open Cup.

Maccabi Los Angeles
LA Maccabi won the U.S. Open Cup, known in their time as the National Challenge Cup, a record number five times.

Orange County Soccer Club
The Orange County Soccer Club was a two-time consecutive finalist of the National Challenge Cup, in 1966 and '67. OCSC played Bayern Munich at Santa Ana Stadium in 1966.

Los Angeles Aztecs
The LA Aztecs won the NASL National Championship in their inaugural season, 1974. They played in many stadiums, including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Aztecs folded in 1981.

California Sunshine
The California Sunshine, an Orange County based pro team, played in the ASL.

Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA was a joint venture between Chivas 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. The team folded in 2014.

Los Angeles Aztecs (NASL) (1974–81)
Several years after the formation of the North American Soccer League in 1968, the Los 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 as George Best and Johan Cruyff. The team was at its most popular in 1979 and 1980, averaging over 12,000 fans both seasons.

LA Galaxy (MLS) (1996–present)
The launch of Major League Soccer in 1996 included the newly formed Los 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 the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2000.

LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA (2008–2014)
The rivalry ended in 2014 when Chivas ceased operations.

LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC (2018–present)
Los Angeles FC joined the league in 2018 and a crosstown rivalry, El Tráfico, was created.

Amateur and Semi-professional leagues

 * National Premier Soccer League
 * United Premier Soccer League
 * USL League Two

Amateur and Semi-professional clubs

 * 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)

Most successful clubs overall
Teams in bold are still active.

Stadiums

 * Rose Bowl: Hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final
 * Dignity Health Sports Park: Second American sports arena designed specifically for soccer in the MLS era. Used historically by the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.
 * Banc of California Stadium: Stadium for Los Angeles FC, opened April 29, 2018. Also to be the home ground for Angel City FC once that team starts play in 2022.
 * Santa Ana Stadium: A site for historic soccer exhibition games. The historic Orange County Soccer Club played Bayern Munich at this stadium in 1966. Other games included the following:

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

WPS folded after the 2011 season; its effective successor, the National 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 as Angel City FC, plans to start play in 2022 at Banc of California Stadium, home to Los Angeles FC of MLS.

Indoor soccer
Although the area does not have any current professional indoor soccer teams, Los Angeles has hosted three. The Los Angeles Aztecs played one tournament and two seasons in the NASL Indoor leagues in 1975 and from 1979 to 1981. The Los Angeles Lazers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1982 to 1989. Finally, the Los Angeles United played a single season in the Continental Indoor Soccer League in 1994 before being relocated to Anaheim.