Sixteen months ago, LA Galaxy defender Raheem Edwards was on the field as the MLS single-game attendance record was set. Behind Efraín Álvarez’s thunderbolt strike from nearly 40 yards out, LA spoiled then-expansion side Charlotte FC’s first-ever home game and silenced most of the 74,479 fans in attendance at Bank of America Stadium.
Now, with July 4th here, Edwards and the Galaxy are set to play before a new record-setting crowd for the 20th edition of their El Tráfico rivalry with LAFC – this time at the Rose Bowl. A sell-out and record-breaking crowd of more than 80,000 fans are expected Tuesday evening at the historic venue in Pasadena, California (10:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free).
“It's going to be a spectacle,” Edwards said at training earlier this week.
That much is true, with fans encouraged to arrive two hours early to ensure they don’t miss kickoff. The Galaxy’s longstanding July 4th firework display will follow the final whistle, only adding to a matchup where LA lead an all-time series (8W-6L-5D) that averages 4.32 goals scored per game.
With that backdrop, LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta said the excitement is palpable.
“It's a huge game,” said the US international. “Personally I've never been to the Rose Bowl, so I'm just excited to be around it and take it all in. It's huge, it's making history. To be a part of that is going to be super cool.”
LAFC, who won a 3-2 thriller at LA’s Dignity Health Sports Park earlier this year, are trying to ignite their season. The Black & Gold, reigning MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield champions, have lost seven of their last 10 matches across all competitions since dropping the Concacaf Champions League final in early June – all as injuries, a jam-packed schedule and travel have taken their toll.
The silver lining for LAFC is they’re still second in the Western Conference table, only behind expansion side St. Louis CITY SC. Aside from the expected record-setting crowd, head coach Steve Cherunodolo said that offers plenty of motivation.
“It's our job to blend all that out, to be honest with you,” Cherundolo said. “We are focused on what goes on on the field. If it ends up being an MLS attendance record, wonderful, that means we're moving in the right direction. It's great. Hopefully we can focus on our jobs to make sure the quality of the game is at a level that this game deserves. We're focused on that.”
The Galaxy similarly could benefit from a big result, sitting second-from-bottom (13th place) in the Western Conference standings and nine points adrift of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pace. They enter five games unbeaten (1W-0L-4D stretch), and head coach Greg Vanney is seeing incremental progress while dealing with long-term injuries to two veterans in striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and defender Martín Cáceres.
“We probably feel like we should have picked up a few more points – four of those were on the road, one at home,” said Vanney. “It's not been the easiest stretch, just in terms of challenges to build momentum, but the guys have certainly shown resilience, we've shown some good moments of football inside of that. From that perspective, we found a solid foundation and now it's doing the little things inside of the game to win the game.”
As the tactical and in-game battles unfold, players return to eagerness surrounding a match that originally was scheduled for MLS is Back weekend in late February before inclement weather forced a postponement.
“It's a game that we've been waiting to play,” said LA midfielder Riqui Puig. “We're looking forward to that. I think it's going to be great. My family is here and it's an important game for the Galaxy.”
“It will be a beautiful evening,” said LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini.
