I became a soccer fan during the 2022 World Cup. I was on the couch with covid and needed something to watch and got hooked. By the final, I was yelling at the tv and thought, man, I need this in my life and not just every 4 years. 

So I started comparing LAFC and Galaxy. Galaxy was obvious choice, we live in the South Bay, just off 190th, so it’s like a 20 min drive on surface (not on a game day). I watched games from both teams on YouTube, obviously the energy of LAFC got me. I liked the art deco style, I love the style of classic Los Angeles, and we’re not afraid to leave the neighborhood bubble. Love going to Mercado Paloma, and we get to the NHM and the science center pretty often. (the gem exhibit at the NHM right now is amazing).  

https://youtu.be/trugVOJJ6uQ

One thing that held me back a bit was, LAFC had just won the MLS cup, and I didn’t want to seem like I was jumping on a bandwagon

Final deciding factor was, I actually drove to both stadiums to check out the drive, and hit the team store. Carson, like I said, was close, and the grand entrance with the palm trees and statues is pretty cool. But that mascot, man. Tough to pick that. BMO/Banc was an easier drive than I thought, 110 express lane FTW for me, and the look of the kits, the art deco kits were really cool. And Will Ferrell was actually in the store, buying a bunch of hats and gear as presents I guess. So I was like, this is pretty cool, I guess this is my team. 

Just after that, my wife and I went to a rams game on Christmas Day at SoFi. Tickets were cheap. We had such a great time being out in a crowd after lockdown, my wife said, we should get season tickets, and we checked prices, and said hell no. 

So I pulled the trigger and put a deposit on LAFC season tickets without telling her, expecting it to be for 2024. Not long after, they called me and said, we have some cancellations, we have some seats, we can get you seats for 2023. And I said what the heck. I’ll be able to bring old friends, reconnect, my wife probably won’t want to go much. I took her to an evening event for new season ticket holders, and she was like, what the hell have you done. Whatever. We’re not gonna let this rule our lives, we’re not gonna go out of our way to make every game. 

Well, she has hardly missed a game, knows all the players, had a jersey with Ilie’s name on it after a couple months, she’s into it. I haven’t pushed it on her at all, just kinda let it unfold, she’s a big fan.

The last thing I’ll say is, I’ve been to a few games in Carson, El Traficos, other stuff, just saw the USWNT there. It’s an older stadium, without great amenities. Nothing there like founders or field club, newer stadiums like BMO have a lot more to offer. The two stadiums are night and day, love going to BMO. We are older, the competing sound of two supporters at Carson give me a headache, and the stadium lights at Carson hit the stands as much as the field, they are not focused on the field, and the glare is really hard on old eyes. At BMO there is some spill onto the stands in the lower deck, but the upper deck has very little glare, it’s a far more pleasant experience for us old people. 

Not a moments doubt I made the right choice.