Established
2014
City
Los Angeles
League History
2018 – Present / Major League Soccer
Team History
2018 – Present / Los Angeles FC
Nickname
Los Angeles FC – Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), a professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, competes in Major League Soccer (MLS). Founded in 2014, LAFC has quickly become one of the most popular teams on the West Coast. But what does their nickname mean?
The origins of LAFC’s nickname can be traced back to its roots as an expansion franchise. The “LA” stands for Los Angeles, while “FC” stands for Football Club - a common name many international football clubs worldwide use. This choice was intentional and meant to reflect LA's global appeal and rich history with professional soccer dating back over 50 years.
In addition to being symbolic of its home city, the club wanted something unique that would stand out from other MLS teams, such as Real Salt Lake or Sporting Kansas City, with more traditional names like Royals or Claret-and-Cobalt, respectively. Using FC instead of SC (Soccer Club), they could differentiate themselves from other MLS franchises while still paying homage to their sport's long tradition abroad.
Furthermore, it should be noted that when pronounced correctly, "LAFC" sounds similar to phonetically speaking with "laugh." It is no coincidence, then, why some fans refer affectionately call them 'the laughs,' which is yet another reminder about how much fun it can be watching this exciting team play each week!
So there you have it: now you know where LAFc came from and why they chose this name! Whether you are a new fan just discovering them or a longtime supporter who has been following since day one – we hope knowing these details will help deepen your appreciation for all things related to LAFC!
Championship
MLS Cups 0
Stadium
2018 - Present / Banc of California Stadium
Owner
2014 - Present / Peter Guber (Executive Chairman), Henry Nguyen, Tom Penn, Ruben Gnanalingam, Vincent Tan, Brandon Beck, Larry Berg, Will Ferrell, Nomar Garciaparra, Mia Hamm, Chad Hurley, Magic Johnson, Tucker Kain, Kirk Lacob, Mark Leschly, Mike Mahan, Irwin Raij, Tony Robbins, Lon Rosen, Bennett Rosenthal, Paul Schaeffer, Brandon Schneider, Mark Shapiro, Allen Shapiro, Jason Sugarman, Harry Tsao
- 2018
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
-
Los Angeles FC Team Formation
LAFC announced Bob Bradley as its head coach in July 2017, joining general director John Thorrington in a search for players. Mexican midfielder Carlos Vela was signed as the club’s first designated player on August 11, 2017. On March 4, 2018, LAFC played its first MLS game, a 1–0 win against Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. LAFC ... -
Carlos Vela – club’s captain and star player
Carlos Vela: The 34-year-old winger is the club’s captain and star player, having joined from Real Sociedad in 2018. He has scored 64 goals and provided 38 assists in 92 games for the club, breaking the MLS record for most goals in a single season with 34 in 2019. He also won the MLS MVP award that year and has ... -
Los Angeles FC wins Supporters’ Shield
In 2019: Los Angeles FC has its best season in club history, finishing first in the Western Conference and winning its first Supporters’ Shield, finishing with the best regular season record in MLS with 72 points. -
Los Angeles FC in CONCACAF Final
In 2020: The Los Angeles club participated in the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time, reaching the final before losing to Tigres UANL of Mexico 2–12. -
Los Angeles FC reached Western conference semifinals
In 2021: Los Angeles FC finishes fifth in the Western Conference and qualifies for the playoffs, where they beat Portland Timbers 2–1 in the first round before losing to Colorado Rapids 3–2 in the conference semifinals.
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles FC is a professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2014, the club currently plays in Major League Soccer (MLS). LAFC has quickly become one of the most successful teams since its inception, earning numerous accolades, including back-to-back Supporters’ Shield titles and regular-season conference championships.
The team was founded by a group of investors led by venture capitalist Henry Nguyen and former NBA executive Tom Penn. The group sought to create an ambitious vision for the future of soccer in Los Angeles that would rival some of Europe's top clubs. They hired Bob Bradley as their first head coach and sporting director to achieve this goal, with veteran players like Carlos Vela leading on-field efforts from day one.
LAFC has had considerable success in its short history and has won two MLS Cup Playoffs appearances and multiple regular season awards, like being named Western Conference Champions twice during the 2018–19 & 2019–20 seasons. In 2020 they also made it to their first-ever CONCACAF Champions League Final, where they, unfortunately, lost out against Tigres UANL after extra time but still put up an impressive fight throughout the tournament showing just how much potential this young squad has ahead of them. With all these accomplishments under the belt already, there is no doubt that LAFC is here to stay and will continue to make noise domestically and internationally for years to come!
Sports Fan Products
Retired Number
*Blue is this team’s history