Rose Bowl is poised to host a record-setting El Tráfico showdown with extra boom

LAFC forward Cristian Arango celebrates after scoring on Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond during a 2022 match. When a massive storm blew through Southern California last February, MLS determined it wasn’t safe to play the season-opening game between the Galaxy and LAFC at the Rose Bowl. So it came together fast.” Which is how Braun turned February’s rain into the Galaxy’s gain because the team has already distributed enough tickets — more than 85,000 as of Monday morning — to assure Tuesday’s game will have the largest announced regular-season attendance in MLS history, topping the 74,479 that showed up to watch the Galaxy beat Charlotte last season. “I do think it sets a different standard for our league, being able to pull something like this off.” The idea for the Rose Bowl game, the one originally scheduled for February, came together last fall when the unbalanced MLS schedule once again had the Galaxy and LAFC playing each other three times during the regular season in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. One game would be played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, the Galaxy’s home, and the other at BMO Stadium in Exposition Park, LAFC’s home.