El Tráfico

El Tráfico is a soccer rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in the Los Angeles area, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. The rivalry is one of the two crosstown series in the league, alongside the Hudson River Derby in the New York City area, and replaced the SuperClasico, played between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.

Los Angeles FC was established shortly after the dissolution of Chivas USA, an MLS franchise based in Los Angeles and owned by C.D. Guadalajara. Chivas shared the StubHub Center in Carson, originally known as the Home Depot Center and now known as Dignity Health Sports Park, with the Galaxy but had far lower attendances during its final years of operation. The two teams competed in the SuperClasico, named for the Mexican rivalry between Guadalajara and Club América. The two teams met 31 times in ten seasons, with the Galaxy winning 20 matches and Chivas winning four.

Los Angeles FC built a new stadium in Exposition Park, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north of Carson on Interstate 110. LAFC’s owners have also expressed interest in hosting rivalry matches at the larger Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, also located in Exposition Park.

Los Angeles FC’s fanbase consists of new MLS fans as well as former LA Galaxy and Chivas USA fans. A mural commissioned by LAFC in Pico-Union was vandalized with the colors of the Galaxy within hours of being completed and unveiled. This followed an earlier incident where paint in LAFC’s colors was sprayed over a Galaxy mural at Hawthorne Memorial Park and a Galaxy billboard. Both fanbases later defaced property during the inaugural year of the rivalry.

“El Tráfico” (literally “The Traffic” in Spanish) was a name created by MLS fans and adopted by media outlets following polls by SB Nation blogs LAG Confidential and Angels on Parade. It refers to the notorious traffic congestion in Los Angeles, among the worst in the United States and the world, while also serving as a pun on “El Clasico”. MLS has no plans to trademark the name. The rivalry has also been called the “Los Angeles Derby”, a moniker that was also used for the SuperClasico. The name has faced opposition from executives within LAFC, coach Bob Bradley, and the president of the 3252, LAFC’s largest supporters group.