If there's one thing LAFC are doing, it's re-setting the standard. Building their club centred around a collective community, this latest match up between LAFC and LA Galaxy academy sides gives a glimpse as to what they stand for and how they are going about their business, before any first team has got near a pitch.
Imagine lining up for your academy side and you're met with flairs and an ensemble of ultras. Incredible, no? In building from their youth sides upwards, that's exactly the route that LAFC are paving. Not just throwing out buzzwords or infectious jargon, everything they seem to do is rooted in passion and pride for their area they represent. What's more, it's thought out and the collective support from their impressive number of super-fans is embraced. For a side that has yet to kick a professional ball, they have already gained huge support 'Ultra' groups seem to continuously growing.
Sure, it'll raise eyebrows as to how excited one can get about a club that has more caps on the sidelines than it does pitchwards but it's the future that is an incredibly exciting prospect. New stadium in the works and a hell of a lot of work going on behind the scenes means they're not worried about a lack of history, they're more focused on creating a super-charged and damn cool future. That's something you can't help but be caught up in, from as afar as well as on the ground.
With this game as an example, a fixture that took place on Mother's Day in the US, each of the LAFC players held a rose as the teams lined up ahead of kick off. It's the type of stuff that you don't see at the very top, let alone on local level. Bringing in human values to a game that can often run away with it's commercial self, it's another tick in the thoroughly nice sentiment box for LAFC. All this before we even mention the score...
Visually, from how the club are developing their stadium to the ultra support and academy development, the creative element from LAFC is every bit considered. Just take a look at their site and socials and you'll be glowing black and gold before you know it.
Photography by Scott Dukes
