History of soccer in Los Angeles

Soccer has long struggled for popularity in the mainstream of the American sporting public. When it arrived in the United States in the 1860s it should have established itself as the nation's second sport behind Baseball. The University players who took the rules decided that the rules of Rugby were better and in turn adapted those rules to become American Football. Despite being well attended in the 1920s and the national team reaching the semifinal of the first World Cup in 1930 the game still struggled to gain any support and watched as first Basketball and then Ice Hockey achieved what soccer seemingly couldn't.

The game was little more than a pastime in Los Angeles up until the mid 1950s when the former owner of the Fall River Marksmen, Sam Marks moved his soccer passion west creating the first pro soccer team in Los Angeles in 1955. The team's name has changed over the years (Danish-Americans 1955-57; Kickers, 1958-66; Wolves 1966-67; Toros 1968-73, Aztecs 1974-85, Lazers 1986-89, Heat 1990-93, Salsa 1994-95, Galaxy 1996-Present), due to a changes in ownership/leagues; however, Los Angeles has been one of the most successful soccer cities in the United States.

When Alderac Entertainment Group purchased the rights to be a founding member of Major League Soccer in 1996, the Galaxy took soccer to new heights in the city with average attendances hitting 30,000. In 2003 they opened the Home Depot Center the first soccer specific stadium in Los Angeles area. Previously, teams had played in the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Los Angeles also sports an European style soccer derby when CD Chivas USA and the Galaxy play during the season.

Los Angeles Soccer Year-by-year

"* top recond in league"

Attendance averages

The following averages are from regular season only and do not include play-offs "'Teams in bold" won the title.

1955: 10,097
1956: 13,298
1957: 14,906
1958: 12,564
1959: 14,762
1960: 20,003
1961: 19,234
1962: 17,392
1963: 17,823
1964: 21,396
1965: 22,671
1966: 19,871
1967: 17,773
1968: 12,441
1974: 15,098
1975: 18,307
1976: 18,027
1977: 19,643
1978: 19,235
1979: 24,333
1980: 22,097
1981: 15,814
1982: 17,387
1983: 16,465
1984: 26,098
1985: 15,768
1986: 17,907
1987: 24,287
1988: 21,089
1989: 19,984
1990: 19,871
1991: 23,048
1992: 22,198
1993: 25,290
1994: 23,037
1995: 27,095
1996: 30,129
1997: 23,626
1998: 21,784
1999: 17,632
2000: 20,400
2001: 17,387
2002: 19,047
2003: 21,983
2004: 23,089
2005: 24,204
2006: 20,814
2007: 24,252

In 2006 Los Angeles Galaxy attracted higher average attendances than three English Premier League clubs while Chivas bettered the lowest attended club Portsmouth by literally an average of one person. At the second level of English soccer Galaxy would have been the eleventh best supported club and Chivas thirteenth, this time coming in just one person per game less than Hull City.

ources

Attendance figures taken from www.RSSSF.com, UEFA and The Football Association.