The Home Depot Center

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Home Depot Center
nickname = Victoria Street, HDC|

location = 18400 Avalon Boulevard
Carson, California 90746
broke_ground = 2002
opened = June 2003
owner = Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
operator = Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
surface = Grass
construction_cost = $150 million
architect = Rossetti architects
former_names =
tenants = Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) (2003-Present)
Adidas Running Club (2003-Present)
C.D. Chivas USA (MLS) (2005-Present)
Los Angeles Riptide (MLL) (2006-Present)
USA Sevens (2004-2006)
U.S. National Team (2003-Present)
Los Angeles WPS (2009- )
seating_capacity = 27,000 (2003)
dimensions = 120 yds long x 75 yds wide (109 x 68 m)

The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is major hardware retailer The Home Depot. The $150 million complex was developed and is operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group.

The 27,000 seat main stadium was designed specifically for soccer, and as the top soccer venue in the United States, is nicknamed "The Cathedral of American Soccer." It is home to both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, and was the second stadium designed specifically for MLS teams.

When the stadium opened in June 2003 as the new home of the Galaxy, a number of special events took place in celebration. Pelé, who is widely viewed as the greatest soccer player of all time, was in attendance at the opening match along with many dignitaries from the soccer world, and L.A.-area celebrities.

Both the United States women's and men's national soccer teams often use the facility for training camps and select home matches. It was the site of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup final. It hosted the 2003 MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup in 2003 and 2004, and will host the MLS Cup for the third time in 2008.

The soccer and tennis stadiums of the Center are main venues each year for ESPN's Summer X Games. X Games events held each year at "the HDC" include skateboarding, in-line skating, auto rally racing, motorcycle racing, and BMX bicycle skills competitions.

The Home Depot Center hosted the first three editions (2004-06) of the USA Sevens, an annual competition in the Sevens version of rugby union that is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. It also is the location for the State Championship Bowl Games for high school football in the state of California. It also served as the host facility for the first two seasons of Spike TV's "Pros vs Joes" reality sports contests.

In addition to the soccer stadium, The Home Depot Center features a 2,500-seat velodrome, a 13,000-seat tennis stadium and an outdoor track and field facility that has 20,000 permanent seats and has seated up to 22,000. The Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse play their home games at the track and field stadium. It is also the home of the adidas Running Club, a member of the USA Elite Running Circuit, and the Adidas Track Classic.

The Home Depot Center is also home to Athletes Performance which trains elite athletes in a variety of sports.

Musical Events and Acts

*Soda Stereo - "Me Verás Volver Tour" - November 21 2007
*Curiosa Festival
*Dave Matthews Band
*Heroes del Silencio - "Tour 2007" - September 28 2007
*Green Day
*KROQ "L.A. Invasion" (formerly the Inland Invasion in San Bernardino)
*Maná - Revolución de Amor Tour - October 3 2003
*Vans Warped Tour
*Oscar De la Hoya vs. Stevie Forbes
*Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga
*Paul Williams vs. Antonio Margarito

External links

* [http://www.homedepotcenter.com/ The Home Depot Center official website]
* [http://www.aegworldwide.com/home.html AEG Worldwide]
* [http://www.rossetti.com Rossetti Architects]
* [http://www.uefa-archiv.de/losangeles.html LA Galaxy Home stadium]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=33.864019,-118.260484&spn=0.00441,0.00736&z=17 Aerial shot of the Home Depot Center]
* [http://www.lasports.org/lafacilities/display.php?s=Specialized&id=71 Los Angeles Sports Council]