L.A. Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

While crosstown rival soars, L.A. Galaxy languish in basement

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 4/10/23

Saturday marks the 18th incarnation of Major League Soccer's El Trafico, the hotly contested Los Angeles derby. Two very different Los Angeles franchises will play against each other in 2023 — one at the top of the standings (LAFC) and another (Galaxy) languishing, hopelessly, at the bottom.

It has almost always been this way in Los Angeles. The city has played host to two MLS franchises since the early aughts, but rarely do both have success simultaneously.

The L.A. Galaxy were the undisputed city champs for nearly a decade in the 2000s, riding high on the so-called "David Beckham Experiment" and selling out stadiums across the country. Now the Galaxy are tied for last in the Western Conference with Sporting Kansas City.

The Galaxy have failed to win any of their six games in 2023, scoring only three goals total. Defending MLS champ LAFC, meanwhile, scored three goals in Saturday's 3-0 win over Austin and are undefeated.

On Saturday, the Galaxy played dreadfully.

"That was unacceptable," head coach Greg Vanney said of his team's red card-fueled 3-0 loss. "It was disrespectful to our brand and to who we want to be... it just has to be better now. The motivation is everybody's here to win. Everybody is here at the L.A. Galaxy to win."

Douglas Costa has to be in the top 3 worst #LAGalaxy DP discussion. Selfish.pic.twitter.com/higxwn2RIV
— Galaxy Fan Talk (@LAGalaxyFanTalk) April 10, 2023

Things are so bad for the franchise — both on and off the field — that a full overhaul is unquestionably the only way forward. A win in its biggest fixture might soothe fan stress, but it could also serve as a false positive that postpones the Galaxy's necessary rebuild.

The team's staff is already dangerously close to that line of thinking. A day after deeming his side's Houston loss "disrespectful to our brand," Vanney took a different stance with The Athletic.

"When you're in our business, and you're on the inside, you trust the process, and the process will lead to results," he said. "You don't live on results, you live on the process... and we have a good process."

LAFC, for their part, doesn't seem bothered by El Trafico, and why would they be? LAFC are at the top of the table, buoyed by stunning performances by Denis Bouanga, who may be the best striker in MLS.

Denis Bouanga is taking over. pic.twitter.com/Yyq3Fk64xZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 9, 2023

For the Galaxy, though, this early-season match could determine how the season goes. When even winning becomes a potential loss for the club, you know you're in deep trouble.

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