MLS hasn’t finished its 2022 regular season, but that’s not stopping teams from announcing 2023 season openers.
LAFC and the LA Galaxy will begin their schedule next year by taking El Tráfico to the Rose Bowl, which will host the LA rivals on Saturday, February 25.
“This rivalry has, from day one, delivered an energy and electricity that together with incredible moments and memories on the pitch, has established it among the most engaging not only in Los Angeles but across MLS,” said LAFC Co-President & CBO Larry Freedman in a team statement. “It is only fitting that we are now taking it to one of the most iconic venues in all of sports.”
“The LA Galaxy are excited to write a new chapter in the storied soccer legacy of Los Angeles as we kick off our 2023 campaign against our intercity rival LAFC at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium,” added LA Galaxy President Chris Klein in a statement from the elder club’s side of things. “We have a great history at the most legendary sports venue in the United States and know this will be a great spectacle for fans as we place one of the most exciting new rivalries in the world on LA’s biggest stage.”
Why a move to the Rose Bowl?
While various organizations that hold games there disagree on exactly how many seats are available at the Rose Bowl, that capacity is exactly why the teams would want to move. You could fit a sellout crowd from both the Banc of California Stadium and Dignity Health Sports Park into the Rose Bowl and still have plenty of tickets to sell.
The move also gives MLS a marquee match to lure fans over to their new broadcast partner, Apple TV. Typically, El Tráfico is one of the big draws for MLS, and one of the few games every year that seems to break through to the sports mainstream to any serious degree.
Given the Galaxy’s early history, when the Rose Bowl was their full-time home, it is fitting that the match will technically be a home game for the MLS original. The Galaxy played their first seven years (1996-2002) at the Rose Bowl before moving to Carson to the stadium now known as Dignity Health Sports Park.
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