The Galaxy and the Los Angeles Football Club will represent Major League Soccer against Mexican clubs Chivas and America in a doubleheader this summer at SoFi Stadium.
The games will pit the Galaxy against Chivas and LAFC taking on America in a doubleheader on Aug. 3 in what is being billed as a Leagues Cup Showcase.
Next year will be the first year of the expanded Leagues Cup between teams in Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX.
“When top clubs in MLS get to play against top clubs from Liga MX, I think it’s an amazing spectacle for the game in North America,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “It’s exciting for our fan bases, so to see those teams playing each other inside of SoFi, which is one of the greatest, if not the greatest stadiums in the world, just makes for a wonderful day, an occasion, both for the fan, for players, for coaches, for everyone involved.
This will be the first meeting between the Galaxy and Chivas since 2007. The Galaxy defeated the popular Guadalajara-based team in penalty kicks in the 1999 CONCACAF Cup of Champions, then Chivas defeated the Galaxy, 2-1, in 2007.
Chivas is also where the Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez started his career in 2006 before moving to Manchester United in 2010.
“It’s always special when you face the teams that mean so much in your life,” Hernandez said. “It’s going to be amazing. For me, the two best teams in each country, the Galaxy and Chivas, the best team and most successful in Mexico, so I think it’s going to be a great game.”
LAFC and Club America, which is based in Mexico City, have not met since the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. LAFC won that meeting, 3-1.
“I’m so happy and excited to get an opportunity to play against America and to play in a big stadium like SoFi Stadium,” LAFC’s Kwadwo Opoku said.
The game will be the first soccer event for SoFi Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers.
“SoFi Stadium was designed to host a variety of events and we are thrilled to welcome the Leagues Cup Showcase as our first soccer match,” Jason Gannon, the managing director of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, said. “We look forward to bringing Liga MX, MLS, and soccer fans from around the world together on August 3 to watch this historic doubleheader. This will mark the first of many memorable soccer matches at SoFi Stadium.”
The showcase will lead to next year’s Leagues Cup competition between the two leagues. For the first time, each team in MLS and Liga MX will compete in a monthlong tournament, with the eventual champion earning automatic qualification into the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16.
Additional information regarding the Aug. 3 doubleheader will be announced at a later date.