The L.A. soccer rivalry is relatively new, but stars like Carlos Vela (l) have helped make it intenseGETTY IMAGES
LAFC hosts the Galaxy in the MLS Cup Playoffs tonight, and it only took a "little more than 18 months for these matchups to morph into one of MLS' strongest, tensest and most entertaining rivalries," with tonight's western conference semifinals -- the "first with real stakes -- promising to add to the rapidly developing plot," according to Noah Davis of ESPN.com. It is "remarkable how quickly El Trafico has become a thing, but it shouldn't be all that surprising." The Galaxy "always thought of themselves as MLS' glamour franchise." Then LAFC "showed up, all black-clad and badass, bringing a downtown cool." A good rivalry "needs more than exciting games to attract the casual fan." It needs "characters and villains." El Trafico "succeeds there, too." Galaxy F Zlatan Ibrahimovic "talks the talk and walks the walk." There is a "real venom in his comments about LAFC, an obvious dislike that occasionally crosses the line." LAFC F Carlos Vela is an "elite enigma with the league's best left foot hidden behind a grinning, aloof expression." The two stars "get there in different ways, but they are equally captivating, and the rivalry benefits" (ESPN.com, 10/23). In L.A., Kevin Baxter writes while the record books "show Vela has had the best season in MLS history, Ibrahimovic has arguably been the most dominant player ever." And both have "gone about it in different ways -- Vela with the skill and deception of a magician and Ibrahimovic with the strength and irrepressibility of a rampaging rhino -- that reflect both their own personalities and the teams for which they play" (L.A. TIMES, 10/24).
HOT TICKET: SI.com's Avi Creditor noted secondary ticket prices have been "soaring for fans hoping to catch a glimpse of what's rapidly become MLS's best head-to-head matchup" (SI.com, 10/22). In L.A., Dylan Hernandez notes following the Galaxy's win over Minnesota United on Sunday to secure a date with LAFC, the "cheapest tickets for the second-round match at Banc of California Stadium were selling on the secondary market for almost $200." That was "more than the asking price for the least expensive tickets to the season-opening game between the Lakers and Clippers on Tuesday." To "accommodate the 300-plus reporters covering the game, LAFC will have risers in its press box and provide overflow seating on its concourses" (L.A. TIMES, 10/24).
STARTED FROM NOTHING: The TIMES' Baxter noted LAFC is currently "favored to win the MLS Cup." Club Owner & Exec Chair Peter Guber said, "It's a Cinderella story, truthfully." He said creating a good culture was the team's "business plan" from the outset. Guber: "We looked for people that certainly had the aptitude, but we really focused on their attitude." LAFC co-Managing Owner Bennett Rosenthal said, "We focus so much on the culture of the club. It's all about hiring great people with great integrity who are all aligned and excited about the mission." Baxter noted from the beginning, Guber and his "unwieldy investor group, which has grown to 31 co-owners, decided to ignore the blueprint other fledgling teams have followed and use a different model." LAFC President Tom Penn, who previously had no background in soccer, said, "Because we had no legacy, no systems, we had to, by definition, create everything." Only three teams since '02 have "finished an MLS season with the best regular-season record and an MLS Cup trophy." However, Guber "insists that just getting this far in two seasons has validated the team's approach" (L.A. TIMES, 10/22).
