LAFC — and the Galaxy, for that matter — has been built on star power. That’s just how things work in Hollywood. They’ve got the draw, right? LA is known worldwide. It’s got beaches, entertainment, and a dreamlike quality surrounding it that continues to draw athletes, moguls, and dreamers alike to its hazy city limits. La-La Land, the City of Angels, Tinseltown. There’s no more fitting place to shoot for the stars, is there?
From club icon Carlos Vela to aging superstars like Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale, the Black and Gold have seen some of the league’s most notable names rep their colors, and they did it in style. Since joining the league in 2018, the club has won the 2022 MLS Cup, the 2019 and 2022 Supporters’ Shields, and the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. They’ve seen three of their players earn the MLS Landon Donovan MVP award (Carlos Vela in 2019, Diego Rossi in 2020, and Denis Bouanga in 2023) and watched Vela set the single-season scoring record (34) in his MVP-winning campaign. It’s a short story, but it’s definitely Hollywood-worthy, wouldn’t you say?
The trophies aren’t very far behind us — nothing is for LAFC — but things have changed. Nowadays, the star names shine a bit … differently. Sure, World Cup winner Hugo Lloris tends the goal; that’s cool. But his fellow Frenchman, Olivier Giroud, came and went, and you’d be forgiven for forgetting his time with LAFC. France’s all-time leading goalscorer only managed to score three times in MLS after being shoehorned into a style of play that didn’t really suit him. Yet another World Cup winner, Antoine Griezmann, reportedly flirted with joining LA’s youngest MLS club during the last few transfer windows, ultimately opting to extend his stay in Europe. If the initial post-Vela strategy was to reassemble the 2018 World Cup champions, that ship appears to have sailed.
Here’s the point that I’m slowly circling: Though they were built on stars, the current DNA of this LAFC team is not what it once was. Their most well-known name is their aging goalkeeper. Denis Bouanga remains one of the league’s most threatening attackers, but his profile is much closer to the dreamer that goes to LA to become a star, rather than the established powerhouses that these California clubs have historically brought in. To put it bluntly? They’re not as scary as they once were.
Perhaps this is bulletin board material, but if it bothers any of the LA folks, it’s probably because they know there’s a grain of truth here. Even if LAFC comes to Allianz Field and crushes the Loons 5-1 (I don’t think that will happen, but I’m no clairvoyant), the point stands: I’m not scared of them like I used to be. I’ve watched this MNUFC defense keep Bouanga quiet for an entire game. I’ve watched them struggle against teams that they once handled with ease. The tides are slowly changing; it’s time for something new.
Whether Will Ferrell’s favorite soccer team goes out and makes a splash with another import from Europe, or they opt to develop some of the fantastic young talents they’ve already got at the club, it feels like we’ve reached a pivot point in the story of the only MLS club that’s actually in LA. With Head Coach Steve Cherundolo set to step down at the end of the season, Giroud already out the door and a Club World Cup performance to forget, it feels almost like 2025 is a free hit for LAFC. Whatever happens, happens, and whatever’s next will come when the dust of 2025 gets a second to settle.
If any Angelenos have read this far, I assume they’re pretty fired up from my perspective. Here’s a clarifier for you: I realize that LAFC has won more than Minnesota United has, and they’ve done it in less time. To that point, congratulations. I am genuinely an admirer of the spark they’ve provided for American soccer and the work they have done thus far. But I’m also a realist. One that sees the differences between starting a professional club in La-La Land vs. starting one in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Different struggles, different timing, and different results along the way.
But I’m not talking about the Loons right now. I’m talking about LAFC.
The stars are growing dimmer, and some are already out. Bouanga’s still shining, but he can’t light the sky by himself. Sure, these guys will almost certainly make the playoffs, and they might even make a run. They’ve got good bones. But no one thinks this team is the finished product anymore, because they simply aren’t. I don’t know what LA looks like without stars, but unless something changes soon, we might be about to find out.
