In the latest installment of our Tailgate Experience series, The Washed-Up Crew heads to the Banc of California Stadium to capture the vibes at the most recent El Trafico derby between LAFC and LA Galaxy.
For LAFC, the third time’s the charm. The first two El Trafico derbies from this year didn’t go so well for the club, with LA Galaxy convincingly taking both by a combined score of 5-2. But both of those matches were played at Dignity Health Sports Park, where the Galaxy have never lost to LAFC. In fact, the home team has lost just once in the entire 16-match history of the rivalry — a Galaxy 2-0 victory in front of an empty stadium in 2020.
The home crowd energy brings an entirely different atmosphere to the teams playing, and that could be seen at The Banc of California Stadium on July 8, when LAFC took home a 3-2 triumph over their crosstown rivals. The Black and Gold have yet to drop a derby match with the booming 3252 in attendance, and they hope to keep things that way.
Prior to the match, LAFC hosted a fan fest outside of the stadium in Christmas Tree Lane, along with the normal tailgates that precede each match. Food trucks, live music, and drinks were plenty, and we were on the scene to capture it all.
Julio Monterroza and Ramsey Abushahla, aka The Washed-Up Crew, descended on The Banc to check out the vibes and talk to some fans (and friends) before kickoff. In addition, Feefa, the most recent guest on the Urban Pitch Podcast, came by and took the mic for some interviews as well.
All in all, it was another raucous El Trafico derby, and we can only hope we get another this year come playoff time.
Photography by Roy Cho for Urban Pitch.
