This, plus the attitudes to domestic soccer that I encounter during promotion/relegation debates, starkly underlines the difference between certain types of fan mentality here versus the UK. Over there, support for a team tends to come from a locale or family member, or of course, from the team's reputation and success. Nobody uses a lack of marketing or community outreach to refuse to support the prominent local sides. By virtue of being in your area, they represent you and if you don't support it, the question is a pointed "why?". I'll wager you'll find few serious soccer nations where you could just plonk a new top-flight team in a city that not only has high-profile a club but also an historically successful flagship outfit. In fact, I'm certain that if you dropped a new team in Manchester tomorrow, somehow put them in the EPL, nobody would take their fans seriously. Yet even though these LAFC guys weren't passionate enough about Los Angeles having a major soccer team, to drive to southern LA County every couple of weeks, they're being lauded as this great fan base because they coordinated their hooligan cosplay well.
I mentioned elsewhere that I watched half of a Wednesday night Galaxy game at my 24 Hour Fitness. When I asked to have the channel changed, a nice young hispanic man helped me, and he chatted with me about soccer and the Galaxy a bit. He said something like "What's the name of that new team?" I told him LAFC - he said, "Yeah, that's who I support!" I resisted comment. Or eye-rolling.
A couple weeks ago I was working with a guy that had a LAFC hat on. I started talking to him. I asked him about the hat and he said “Oh yeah, do they play yet?” Lmao.
I'll just leave this here... https://www.ocregister.com/2019/07/...n-client-funds/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
I liked this part: Officials with LAFC declined to comment on the SEC allegation that Sugarman, co-owner of the Los Angeles Football Club, received $9 million in “I’ll-gotten gains” from the fraud, but did note that LAFC play in a downtown stadium rather than in Carson.
I also noted that their fans threw a bunch of stuff at the goal scorer. Reminiscent of last season’s playoff fiasco. That Fanbase is not good when they lose which hasn’t happened much this season. It will be very revealing just who that Fanbase is when things inevitably turn for the worse for them.
I had a new LAFC fan interaction last night. It’s just so perplexing I cant help but ask how they became fans of a team when there was already a team in their city. I was in Santa Ana walking around an area full of bars. There were a bunch of LAFC fans inside a bar that I was hanging out in front of and one guy was outside so I started up a conversation. I told him I was a Galaxy fan and I was curious how LAFC has so many fans and how he became a fan and why. He said because it is LA’s team and they actually play in LA. I asked what he was doing watching it in Santa Ana then. He kept saying how it is actually an LA team unlike Carson and started talking crap about Carson. I laugh because I tell him Carson is a shit hole but I’m not from there and don’t care about it. Anyway he says it’s because they are the new thing and Galaxy is done. He says “You know Zlatan is leaving at the end of the year so you guys are finished”. I told him we will just get Messi then. He says it’s something to be a part of and the new thing unlike just hearing about Galaxy’s cups(he asked if it was 5 or 6) way back in the day since neither of us were there. I said I was at the last 3 Galaxy cups. It wasn’t way back. He said we will just see and let the winner be the winner on the field. I told him we already have 5 cups and they have catching up to do to even have a competition. He says it’s only their second year so I say they had a decade as Chivas USA with nothing and he says they aren’t affiliated. I told him “You know you guys are just a rebrand right?”. He didn’t believe it. Anyway he was pretty condescending throughout but I let him talk and look foolish. He also had never heard of the Riot Squad which is pretty crazy for such a huge fan of an MLS team. So much in fact he had his jersey and his scarf at some bar 30 miles away from their stadium. He was a part of the 3525 but he obviously didn’t know anything about anything. Apparently his parents are still Galaxy fans lol. He proved what I assumed LOLFC fans were. Bandwagoners who will be gone when it starts looking bad again.
"He said because it is LA’s team and they actually play in LA. I asked what he was doing watching it in Santa Ana then." lol!! Thanks for the research and report. Well done. I don't know how old the guy was but what I hear mostly is the usual young person thing. You know it because we all had it. For most of us when we were in our teens up through our early 20's we - based on very limited knowledge and understanding - we "knew" our parents were stupid and just didn't understand. Meanwhile we had moved past them to much cooler things our peers had shown us. This gross underestimation of one's predecessors has existed throughout history. It may be lasting longer these days with extended adolescence now lasting into the 30's (for some). The Galaxy have a tall order in changing these perceptions. Once you are no longer "cool" (to the typical MLS naive 20-40 yo) it's hard to undo that. If we go on another sustained run of excellence we can do it. The signings we make this off-season and next are going to be critical.
I think rather than be cool. We could just be the boring lame team that keeps cranking out MLS Cups, boring big name recognition signings, offers a boring uncool hooligan free fan experience for fans of all ages. I think the Galaxy shouldn’t try to be cool. You know ... try some but don’t try. Absolutely don’t try. But do try to win. And you figure most serious Galaxy fans, if you assume it took a few years to become serious then the oldest their kids could be is 19? I can’t see any kid whose formative years were spent watching the Galaxy get excited about lafc. I mean this guys parents are Galaxy fans maybe he’s a bit older twenties so when his parents werent becoming Galaxy fans until say LD and Keane and he was a contrarian teenager who didn’t want to go to MLS cup and stayed home to hang out with his cool friends who were die hard Chelsea fans.
Yeah when I said I was at most of the cups he was surprised and asked how old I was. When I said I was in my 30’s he told me that he thought I was 19. Haha well I’ll take it. The guy didn’t know what he was talking about and when he tried to get my girlfriend on his side against me she snapped back “I don’t know who you think you are talking to”. I cooled her off and kept it to friendly jabs about us having a vast history. I do agree that we should definitely try to remain relevant. The one good thing is that our FO can’t sleep on the fan experience now that there is competition for their money.
I think what will help too is to not have a second rate marketing department. The Gs don't need to be cool, but the entire organization should have the mentality that it always boast about and that is that it's America's premier soccer team. So no more chamipon, congradulations, and Irbahimovich moments and moments of claiming to have looked far and wide for the best coach when in reality, they just looked down the hallway. People can respect excellence.
Was just thinking the other day - our sporting director Dennis is a big improvement, but we still have Chris Klein back there in the FO. They let LAFC steal a bunch of their thunder, but hopefully the rivalry will be to our benefit for attention.
Since I know you all are dying to know - in global soccer rankings from 538 LAFC is currently the 97th best team in the world. How does it compare to clubs in the better leagues around the world?* England: LAFC's SPI is just below the worst EPL team - Sheffield United 63.8, LAFC 63.2. SPI would be 3rd in Championship. Italy: Similar to EPL in that LAFC is rated slightly below La Liga's worst team. But would be best in La Liga 2 and crush the bottom half. Liga 2 apparently has some really weak teams, many Cincinnati/mid-USL level. Germany: 13th of 18 in Bundesliga. Italy: 10th, smack dab in the middle of Serie A. Mexico: Would be best team in LigaMX, slightly better than Club America? (Not sure I believe that.) Brazil and Argentina: Would be 3rd best team in each countries. (?? again). * How clear is it that I don't want to do my regular work right now?
Yep. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/global-club-soccer-rankings/ for all clubs, https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/ broken down by league.