El Tráfico — the derby between the LA Galaxy and LAFC — is the most important rivalry in American soccer. Here’s why.

Last weekend, el Trafico — the crosstown rivalry between the LA Galaxy and LAFC — broke through the clutter. It was a “proper” derby match, as a British commentator might say. It had animosity and drama and, because of the Galaxy’s hapless record so far, real competitive significance, despite its being an early regular season game.

It all got me thinking about rivalries in America soccer — a favorite topic of mine.

Few things inspire fandom more than rivalry. It motivates people to pay more attention, drives players to dig deeper, and gives communities reasons to care regardless of how the team is doing otherwise. (See: LA Galaxy 2025.)

The biggest soccer rivalries are, of course, legendary and renowned the world over: Boca-River, Real Madrid-Barcelona, Chivas-América, Liverpool-Manchester United, etc.

Many have colorful names, full of local allusions that fire the imagination and sometimes make us chuckle. The Old Firm (Celtic-Rangers). Il Derby della Madonnina (AC Milan-Inter). The Derby of the Eternal Enemies (Panathinaikos-Olympiakos).

In North America, soccer rivalries are largely a work in progress. For many reasons:

• not enough time to build up meaningful animosity;

• too much distance between teams, making it difficult for away fans to travel;

• not enough competitive moments with real consequences — ie, other than the occasional playoff meeting, a win rarely means much and a loss rarely breaks your heart;

• too few cultural differences between cities and communities for fans to feel like the rivalry represents something more than a soccer game.

Despite this, North American soccer has developed real, meaningful rivalries, including the Cascadia Cup (Seattle-Portland-Vancouver), Hell Is Real (Columbus-Cincinnati), and the Canadian Classique (Toronto-Montreal), to name a few.

For MLS, rivalries have become a strategic initiative, which has led to the creation of Rivalry Week and regular storytelling about the league’s best rivalries.

Same with the USL, which has made a concerted effort to elevate its best rivalries, such as the Derby del Camino Real (New Mexico-El Paso), the Henny Derby (Richmond-Madison), and the relatively new Louisville City-Lexington SC rivalry. (The name of the latter is TBD, but I like one suggestion I saw: el Bluegrassico.)

The NWSL has picked up the rivalry theme, too. This August, the league will debut its own Rivalry Week, featuring Portland-Seattle, Angel City-San Diego, and Gotham-Washington. Clearly, these matchups need cool nicknames!

But the truth is no American soccer rivalry has done more to grow the game than el Tráfico, the rivalry between the LA Galaxy and LAFC. (Sidenote: I can’t tell you how much executive pushback we originally got for calling it el Trafico, despite it originating in the fan community. Absurd.)

There have been many memorable moments:

• Zlatan’s scoring on a volley from midfield on his Galaxy debut in 2018;

• the 5-3 goalfest in the 2019 playoffs — the first of two playoff clashes;

• Chicho Arango’s 93rd-minute winner in the 2022 playoffs that set the stage for LAFC’s Cup-winning run;

• the wild comeback win for the Galaxy late last year before a title run of their own;

• and last weekend’s magnificent late equalizer from Marco Reus.

The matches, however, make up only a small part of el Tráfico’s significance. The real story is el Tráfico’s broader impact in driving interest in the clubs, the league, and the domestic game. It has inspired fandom and inserted MLS into the mainstream sports culture like few things not named Messi have. Here’s why:

• Los Angeles is an iconic international city that will always draw attention for a buzzy event.

• It regularly features globally recognized players on both sides — Zlatan, Vela, Chicharito, Giroud, Chiellini, Bale, Lloris, dos Santos, Reus,...

• The celebrities in the stands — especially when LAFC host — often take the starpower quotient to another level.

• Culture clash. The Galaxy are polished, global in their brand promise, and the most successful club in MLS history. LAFC are cool but gritty upstarts, ingrained in the coolness of downtown LA, and torchbearers for the league’s new guard.

All together, it makes for real animosity between the clubs, the players, and the supporters. It gives every match — even regular season meetings — real meaning.

Which, ultimately, is what makes so many people care.

And nothing will grow American soccer like having more people care.