Entering its eighth season as an MLS club, LAFC can finally, officially, call itself a quintessential Los Angeles sports team. With the start of a new MLS season upon us, the expectations for the club have not only remained unchanged, but as the case seems to be with all the other successful Los Angeles teams, the feeling coming into this season is one of accepting the journey, while understanding the destination will be all that matters in the end. Meaning, LAFC are a team that are looking to take it a match at a time, especially because this is a team that knows it will be judged not by the amount of matches they win, or amount of goals they score, but by how many trophies they can lift.
Matchday: #LAFCvMIN
⏰ 1:30 PM PT
🏟️ @BMOStadium
🖥️ @AppleTV with #MLSSeasonPass
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🎧 @ESPNLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/O2yN73ddXB— LAFC (@LAFC) February 22, 2025
“The excitement is there for sure, there’s just a lot of build up from the offseason and finally getting into the MLS season” said LAFC Captain and defender, Aaron Long, when speaking to media ahead of the team’s MLS regular season opener this afternoon. “No overall big goals right now, as a group we’re kind of taking it one game at a time” he continued after being asked about the team’s goals for the season. “I know we have three home games coming up in a row, so I think to start this next stretch with a win at home to start the MLS season and hopefully have that build some confidence and carry over into Tuesday would be Fantastic, so that’s our only goal right now.”
Long’s statements mirrored the sentiment we have seen from the team as a whole throughout the preseason. Of course, we all know they have goals, and for a club like them, goals are simple if not difficult to achieve, winning trophies. However, unlike in seasons past, the club aren’t being too vocal about it, they know the standard they have set, they know the desires they hold, but they also know the road is long and today is just the beginning. Last season, the team went on a run where they enjoyed over 20 matches unbeaten, mostly wins, featuring plenty of goals, yet the only thing everyone talked about were the four finals appearances that resulted in losses. It wasn’t until the team finally snapped the streak with a first-ever U.S. Open Cup trophy win that the noise subsided.
HISTORY 🏆
2024 U.S. OPEN CUP CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/LDkK4pa6uj
— LAFC (@LAFC) September 26, 2024
This year, the club are back in the Champions Cup, a competition they have reached the finals in each time they have competed in it, but one they have yet to win, especially after Seattle Sounders beat them to the honor of being the first MLS side to win said competition. That Tuesday match Long mentioned? The second leg of the opening round of the Champions Cup, a round LAFC find themselves down on aggregate, but just by a goal. This is also a club that will be aiming for a return to MLS Cup glory after watching their cross-town rivals lift the cup last year. Expectations are as high as ever, but the team are taking it in stride, trying their best to make sure every step of the journey is a positive one.
The goals, if not lofty, are simple. The path will be difficult, and in true Los Angeles sports fashion, the path will be enjoyed only as much as the destination reached. For the club that has positioned itself as the next big club in America from its inception, for the club nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, for the club that has reached the finals in just about every competition they are involved in, but come away empty handed more times than not. For that club, the goals are always silverware, and with a bolstered roster of new faces and fresh talent, LAFC will once again be judged by the amount of trophies lifted when its all said and done.
How To Watch
LAFC make their MLS regular season debut this afternoon! The team will host Minnesota United with kickoff set for 1:45pm PT from BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The match will be broadcast live and can be streamed on AppleTV with MLS Season Pass. The match will also be broadcast live on FOX.
Thoughts on LAFC coming into the 2025 MLS Season? Leave a comment below!