HTLA: The LAFC ARE Champs... The Fans Helped Them Get There

Episode 27

Brian De Los Santos  00:00

So, everyone. This may be news to you, [LAFC game ambi- sportscaster speaking] but the LAFC is headed to the finals. [LAFC game ambi- sportscaster and audience cheer wildly]

Brian De Los Santos  00:13

[music in] After upsetting its crosstown rivals the LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Football Club will face Austin on Sunday. Whatever team wins that game will go on to compete for the MLS Cup in November. Now, I don't know if you follow soccer in LA, but for a lot of Angelenos, this is a big deal.

Jimmy Lopez  00:32

It's surreal. I, I can't describe it. It's just this strong feeling, and you want something so bad that when it comes to life, you're just like, wow, we're here.

Brian De Los Santos  00:41

This is How to LA, and I'm your host, Brian De Los Santos. That was Jimmy Lopez, but more about him in a minute. [music out] Just for a little background on LAFC, it's the second men's soccer team in town. It was established in 2014, and it started play in 2018. But this team actually plays in the city of LA, in Exposition Park across from USC. The LA Galaxy is definitely the OG team going back to 1996. But the LAFC has a pretty solid fan base since coming onto the scene. And [LAFC game ambi] it's a pretty diverse one as well. And that is what we're gonna talk about today. People who have not only become diehard supporters of this soccer team, but who've also created community along the way.

Jimmy Lopez  01:26

But it's been so successful because it's always Los Angeles first.

Brian De Los Santos  01:29

That's Jimmy Lopez.

Jimmy Lopez  01:31

And you have that sense of pride, orgullo of where you come from, or your adopted city if you come from another country but you identify more with LA now. It doesn't matter where you're from, it's where you are now. And with us its culture, community, music, and passion. That's what you get with both LAFC and the 3252.

Brian De Los Santos  01:47

He's a founding member of the Independent Supporters Union for the LAFC, the 3252. It's kind of like the umbrella organization over all the team's fan groups.

Jimmy Lopez  01:56

We have a Korean chant that we sing. We have a few songs in Spanish. We have songs in English. We took influences from South America, Europe, Germany, and some from Africa as well. And we brought it all together from like the global sport and all the different supporter cultures. It's a big melting pot of cultures.

Brian De Los Santos  02:15

I don't think it can be denied that the local LAFC fans have helped get the team where it is today. And as Jimmy will tell you, these folks helped make the experience of going to a game positive and a welcoming one for everyone.

Jimmy Lopez  02:27

It's been always all inclusive. It doesn't matter what you identify as or who you love or whatever. As long as you're good person, you're welcome.

Brian De Los Santos  02:35

[music in] So we're gonna talk more about that with my colleague, Julia Barajas. She's a community engagement reporter at LAist and has been reporting on the LAFC fanbase. [music out] Hey, what's up, Julia?

Julia Barajas  02:49

Hey, Brian, how are you?

Brian De Los Santos  02:50

So I have not been to an LAFC game at Expo Park, but I hear it's quite the fun scene.

Julia Barajas  02:58

So the first time I went to the stadium was actually back in May. May was when the LAFC was playing against Philly. And I remember like there was like no parking anywhere, and so I had to park like way past USC and I remember uh, as soon as you turn off the car, [LAFC fan ambi] you can like already hear the LAFC fans like kind of going at it. You hear this kind of like heartbeat. Boom, boom, boom. And the closer you get to the stadium, like the stronger it gets, and it was just like really powerful. I almost felt like, like being summoned? They sit in the north end, which is like the cheapest, but I, arguably the best seats in the house are there. And they spend the entire game on their feet. They're like chanting, they're dancing, they're jumping, they're cheering. And when I showed up, I showed up like all dorky with like my radio equipment. And then there was a point in the game- So they have all these different chants, right? There's a chant I'm not gonna sing because no one wants to hear that, but it goes kind of like, "Jump for LA Football Club! Olé! [ambi of fans chanting] Olé!" And basically what happens during is like when they're chanting, they're jumping up and down, but also left to right at the same time that you would jump all the way to the left, all the way to the right. And I was kind of recording it. And the next thing I know, I got like, kinda like sucked into it.

Brian De Los Santos  04:09

I love that. It's like you're, got sucked up like an ocean and you're just like, Alright, I'm here with the crowd now.

Julia Barajas  04:14

Yeah, yeah! Exactly like that, like a wave.

Brian De Los Santos  04:17

We heard from Jimmy and the 3252, but who are these other folks in the stadium?

Julia Barajas  04:21

So most of the people here are part of LAFC fan clubs. But just so you know, they prefer to be called “supporters groups.” The basic thing is that they're there to support the LAFC, but there's like different, you know, flavors. But most folks aren't just there for the game. For the soccer fans, it's also really about transforming the stadium experience, and over the years, they've worked hard to make the stadium a welcoming space for everyone. Take Daisy Chavez. She's part of a group called Lxs Tigres del NorthEnd.

Brian De Los Santos  04:54

[music in] That sounds super familiar.

Julia Barajas  04:56

Yeah. Oh, so yeah, they're named after the Mexican norteño band. And they also spell "los" with an X instead of an O. I'll let Daisy explain.

Daisy Chavez  05:05

We decided to use the X in our name, Lxs Tigres del NorthEnd, because we believe [music out] that visibility matters. And we want to make sure that we uplift every single person that is non-binary, that is part of the LGBTQ community, that is female, and often left out.

Julia Barajas  05:25

So the group is made up of Angelenos from all walks of life, including teachers and day laborers. And at the stadium, you might see them drumming or waving a giant rainbow flag. And Daisy said that back when LAFC first started playing, some fans were using an anti-gay slur during the opposing team's goal kicks.

Daisy Chavez  05:44

When the game first started in 2018, we heard the chants that we hear in Latin America. We heard the chants that are oppressive, that are homophobic...

Julia Barajas  05:55

Daisy says it took organizing to put an end to it.

Daisy Chavez  05:59

You don't hear them anymore. And that was all community led. That was all us telling our friends and family and, and then people who we don't know. But when we say we're standing shoulder to shoulder, that means that I'm your brother, I'm your sister, I'm your sibling. So if I'm telling you to stop doing something, take it out of respect for our community. And so we were able to stop that early on.

Brian De Los Santos  06:24

After talking with Jimmy and you, it seems like inclusivity is at the heart of this LAFC supporters like, group here. And it seems like it's very intentional. Can you talk to me a little bit more about why?

Julia Barajas  06:36

When I was talking to the, you know, different members of all the supporters groups, they talked about how like, in the beginning, for example, like when, yeah, when the, the when the LAFC started playing, you would hear those homophobic chants, or the kind of stuff you usually see at like men's soccer stadiums. Not always, of course, but that is not uncommon. And they were like, we don't want this, right. Like, we want this to be a place where you can bring your friends, where you can bring your family and you don't have to be worried about getting harassed for like, who you are. They talked about how like, at the very first game, like the very first home game, when you started hearing these chants and seeing this behavior, and right away, the club itself, the team captain and the other players, like they came out, and they're like, we're not going to stand for this. We're not going to tolerate it. It was really like everyone telling each other like, Hey, man, like, cut it out.

Brian De Los Santos  07:22

So who else did you talk to?

Julia Barajas  07:24

I talked to Luke Klipp. He's part of another supporters group called Pride Republic, which is for LGBTQ fans and allies. And he used to be like a casual fan, and now he has season tickets.

Luke Klipp  07:36

It was originally just kind of uh, Well, this will be fun. Let's do this. And now it's like, I have, I don't know, a couple dozen scarves, you know, several hats. Half my wardrobe is black and gold. [laughing] I mean, it's kind of, it's sort of taken over my life, but I, I love it.

Julia Barajas  07:54

[music in] And it was that story that Daisy shared about squashing all the homophobic talk at the stadium that really made Luke embrace LAFC.

Brian De Los Santos  08:05

You know, I was talking to Jimmy Lopez earlier about the 3252. And he mentioned he stepped down [music out] as president because his vice president, you may know him as "Mo," he, he died. Mo seemed to really embody this whole beautiful, inclusive spirit that the LAFC group say they're all about.

Julia Barajas  08:21

Yeah, his name was Mauricio Fascio, and you're right, everyone called him "Mo" and he was one of the LAFC's his biggest fans. But at the height of the pandemic, he died due to COVID-19. He was one of the people that we lost. He was known, for example, to break up fights because sometimes there's fights at the stadiums. He was also someone who like readily stood up when there was like a homophobic comment or any [Brian: Mmm.] kind of misogyny, he would speak out against that. He was just this like, welcoming dude.

Brian De Los Santos  08:45

It sounds like he was just like, a really good man from the community.

Julia Barajas  08:48

Yeah. When Mo passed, LAFC fans reached out to his wife, Anna Rivera, asking if they could help with funeral expenses. And instead she suggested building a memorial in Mo's honor. So now the supporters groups are raising money to build an indoor soccer court named after him. And because Mo grew up in Huntington Park, it's gonna be built in Southeast LA. Here's Luke Klipp again.

Luke Klipp  09:11

When this idea for this football court came up, it was just an automatic given that we would do whatever we could to help make this a reality because the man he was, the life he lived, the, the, the, the people he brought together, will be embodied by this court which is gonna provide the opportunity for [music in] so many new folks to get together to be able to experience the beautiful game.

Brian De Los Santos  09:45

Julia, you are born and raised in LA. You are Latina. You have gone to see soccer matches in Mexico and other places in the world. Reporting on this story, what did it make you feel?

Julia Barajas  09:58

I, I was born here. I was raised here also [ ], and I have friends and people I love, but I don't think I always feel like, this is my home. And I think when I was at the Bank of California at the LAFC game, it felt like, like belonging somewhere? [Brian: Mmm.] Like all the beautiful things you love, that I love about being like Mexican and be- and, and part of this community. It's also like, minus all the stuff that like hurts me.

Brian De Los Santos  10:25

That sounds like an awesome feeling. I will have to go to an LAFC game now.

Julia Barajas  10:28

Yeah, we're gonna go together and we're gonna be in the north end.

Brian De Los Santos  10:31

Aaay! I'm down [Julia laughs] with that idea. Julia, let me know when you go, so we can go together. Okay?

Julia Barajas  10:33

Absolutely.

Brian De Los Santos  10:34

The LAFC plays Austin this Sunday at home. We've got some details on LAist.com or get on our newsletter subscribe@LAist.com/HowtoLA. That's it for us today. This is How to LA. I'm Brian De Los Santos. See y'all next week. Have a great weekend.

Brian De Los Santos  10:59

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people. [music out]