Not every team needs a century to build an identity. Los Angeles FC was born on 30 October 2014, when MLS decided to give Los Angeles a new expansion team following the dissolution of Chivas USA. Today the club celebrates only its 12th birthday. In that short time, though, it has filled its trophy cabinet and created a shirt that is recognisable at first glance: black, with gold details. Let's see how a club with no past built its own style so quickly.

A club born on paper

At first LAFC had neither a name nor a stadium. The lead owner when the club was announced was Henry Nguyen, and in 2016 Brandon Beck, Larry Berg and Bennett Rosenthal took over as managing owners. The wider ownership group also included famous names, such as actor Will Ferrell and women's football star Mia Hamm. The official name, Los Angeles Football Club, was confirmed on 15 September 2015.

Black and gold, with a flash of red

The colours and crest were presented on 7 January 2016, at an event at the historic Union Station. According to the club, the black and gold express the success, the urban character and the glamour of the city. Next to them came a "flash" of red, showing that the team sits in the heart of Los Angeles, while grey works as a secondary colour. The combination was unusual for American football. So from day one LAFC stood apart from its neighbour and rival, the Galaxy.

A wing and the letters "LA"

The badge was designed by Thai Nguyen, Tue Nguyen and Matthew Wolff. The outline of the shield comes from the official seal of the city. In the centre sit the letters "LA" together with a wing, which points to the "City of Angels" and symbolises power and mobility. The four blades of the wing stand for the club's pillars and also for the founding of the city on 4 September. The typeface is inspired by the Art Deco architecture of downtown, which flourished in the 1920s.

From YouTube TV to BMO

LAFC's shirt is made by adidas. The first front-of-shirt sponsor was YouTube TV, announced in January 2018. In 2019 Target became the first sleeve sponsor, and in 2021 FLEX took over as main sponsor. In February 2024 BMO was announced, the bank that also gives its name to the stadium. The designs change every year, but black and gold always stay at the centre, as on the adidas men's Authentic shirt you can find in our shop.

A home for The 3252

LAFC played its first official match on 4 March 2018 in Seattle and won 1-0 with a goal by Diego Rossi, assisted by Carlos Vela. On 29 April of the same year it made its debut at its new ground, today's BMO Stadium in Exposition Park, with a capacity of 22,000. In the north end stand The 3252, the club's supporters union. The name comes from the number of places in the safe standing section, and its digits add up to 12, a tribute to the "12th man". Fans christened the derby with the Galaxy "El Tráfico", a play on El Clásico and the city's famous traffic jams.

Trophies in record time

In 2019 the team won the Supporters' Shield with a record 72 points, while Vela was named MVP and won the Golden Boot. The high point came in 2022. In the MLS Cup final against Philadelphia, Gareth Bale equalised at 3-3 in the 128th minute and LAFC took the title on penalties, completing a double with another Supporters' Shield. In 2024 came the U.S. Open Cup, with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. In August 2025 the club made the biggest transfer in MLS history, bringing in Son Heung-min from Tottenham.

Twelve years may sound like little, yet LAFC has already left its own mark on American football. Happy birthday to the black and gold of Los Angeles and to everyone who fills the north end every week!

See Los Angeles FC shirts and merchandise at sportarena.gr.

Photo: BMO Stadium – Sander Valdre, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.