So it’s not the end of the world.” LAFC forward Carlos Vela holds the trophy after his team defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 to win the MLS Western Conference final on Dec. 2.

Still ahead is Saturday’s MLS Cup final in Columbus, Ohio, where LAFC has a chance to become the first team to win back-to-back league titles in more than a decade.

Cherundolo said LAFC’s uneven start was magnified by the team’s success in winning two Western Conference championships, a Supporters’ Shield and an MLS Cup in the last two seasons.

Last winter, LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington knew what he was staring at when looking ahead to the 2023 season: The chance to make history in myriad ways.

LAFC also won the Supporters Shield in 2022 for the second time in four seasons. It became just the fourth regular-season champion in the last two decades to hoist the MLS Cup in the same year.

LAFC, who won the MLS Cup in thrilling fashion over the Philadelphia Union last November, will seek to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the LA Galaxy did in 2011 and 2012.

Even in his 310th MLS appearance, the 29-year-old remains a key piece in successful MLS sides, and LAFC quickly learned that on Saturday. He made 62 successful passes and had 0.28 expected assists.

LAFC were among the preseason favorites to win the Supporters’ Shield, and with Decision Day right around the corner, last weekend they officially became MLS’s top regular-season team in 2022.

LAFC collected both the Supporters’ Shield (given to the team with the best regular season record) and MLS Cup in 2022, but this year it’s St. Louis City, playing their first season in MLS ...

Rossi finished fourth in the league with 16 goals and started to attract heavy international interest. Just one game into LAFC’s 2020 campaign, however, MLS suspended the season.

LAFC doesn't have the rich nearly 30-year history in MLS that their rivals the LA Galaxy do, so instead for their new Retrograde Kit design, they decided to deliver a nod and throw it back to Los ...