The Los Angeles Derby between LA Galaxy and LAFC will open the 2023 Major League Soccer season. It will be a treat for fans, as the match is scheduled to be in the monumental Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which can accommodate more than 90,000 attendees!

This year's MLS playoffs are not over yet. The semifinals of both conferences are currently underway. The league's grand final is scheduled for November 5. Before we know the teams that will compete for the most valuable football trophy in the USA and Canada, the schedule of the first round of next season has been announced. To give the inauguration a special status, it has been decided that Los Angeles Galaxy and LA Football Club will compete in the increasingly popular ,,El Tráfico’’ derby. As if that were not enough, the event is to take place in the legendary American arena.

Rose Bowl in Pasadena will host both teams on February 27, 2023. The monumental facility was opened almost 100 years ago and has witnessed many epic events. It has hosted the Super Bowl five times. It was also home to the football matches at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Football fans, however, remember the 1994 World Cup final best. It was Rose Bowl where a match between Brazil and Italy happened and a missed penalty shot by Roberto Baggio decided that the title was won by Canarinhos.

© Ken Lund (cc: by-sa)

The authorities of both clubs hope that such a prestigious match at this stadium will break the attendance record at a single MLS meeting. This would not be possible at either LA Galaxy's Dignity Health Sports Park or Banc of California Stadium, which is owned by LAFC. Both arenas have 22,000 and 27,000 seats respectively. Charlotte FC's achievement fromof March 5, 2022 is therefore seriously at risk. Then, 74,479 fans watched the game from the stands.

LAFC board member and Business Director, Larry Friedman, emphasizes this will be not only a special moment for the ,,City of Angels’’, but for the entire community centered around MLS: I am very happy that a competition like ,,El Tráfico’’, providing more and more energy and joy, will take place at one of the most iconic sports venues in the world. Thanks to these amazing moments, I would like to see the engagement in it and also its prestige grow steadily.

© R. Scott Duncan

LA Galaxy president Chris Klein said everyone at the club is excited that 2023 will mark a unique chapter in the city's history with the consecutive a derby. In his opinion, Rose Bowl is one of the most important monuments of Los Angeles. Fans will be able to feel special at the thought that the competition in ,,El Tráfico’’ will gain even more importance.

Before the 2023 MLS season kicks off, both teams will face off in this year's playoffs. The game between LA Galaxy and LAFC will take place on October 20 at Banc of California Stadium. The winner will play in the Western Conference Finals of Major League Soccer.

© Ken Lund (cc: by-sa)