Trafico at Rose Bowl sets MLS attendance mark

The LA Galaxy‘s Fourth of July matchup against city rivals LAFC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, has broken the MLS single-game attendance record after attracting 82,110 fans to the match.

The latest installment of the El Tráfico rivalry, which the Galaxy won 2-1, comfortably beat the previous mark of 74,479 set in Charlotte FC‘s first home game at Bank of America Stadium on March 5, 2022.

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“When you have 80,000 people and the energy in that type of stadium is around you … it comes with the sense of something much bigger than maybe just a normal match day,” Galaxy head coach and sporting director Greg Vanney said Monday.

Tuesday’s game, the 20th installment of one of MLS’ marquee matchups, was originally scheduled for the opening weekend of the 2023 season before being postponed by a storm that was battering the West Coast.

80k+ at the Rose Bowl. 🌹

This is the beautiful game in the US. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0hB3K1y6s0

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 5, 2023

It is the first time the two Los Angeles teams have faced off at the Rose Bowl. The Galaxy’s home stadium is the 27,000-capacity Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

It has been a season of turmoil for the record five-time MLS Cup-winning Galaxy, featuring the dismissal of previous club president Chris Klein and a season-ending injury for star striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

After winning their first MLS Cup last December, LAFC currently sits third in the Western Conference and reached the final of the Concacaf Champions League earlier this year.