LA Galaxy, Football

The LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play in 1996 as one of the league's eight charter members. The Galaxy was founded in 1994 and is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group. In their early years, the club played its home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Since 2003, they have played at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The team holds a rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clasico and used to play the SuperClasico against city rivals Chivas USA before that team folded in 2014. A new rival emerged in 2018 in the form of Los Angeles FC in the El Trafico derby. The franchise is Major League Soccer's most decorated club, with a record five MLS Cups, four Supporters' Shields, and two U.S. Open Cups. The club has appeared in a record nine MLS Cups, and won the Western Conference regular season title eight times. In 2017, the club added the dubious MLS Wooden Spoon to its trophy case for finishing bottom of the MLS league table. In international play, the team won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2000, one of just two American clubs, along with D.C. United, to win the regional tournament. In 2007, the club made international headlines with the signing of English player David Beckham from Real Madrid, the most high-profile transaction with Major League Soccer to that point. The club has fielded other high-profile international players including Ashley Cole, Robbie Keane, Luis Hernández, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos, Jorge Campos, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and American Landon Donovan who is the all-time leading scorer for both the club and the league.[3] Forbes estimates the franchise is the most valuable in the league, worth more than $300 million.[4]