At 6-2-2, LAFC off to best start in 20-year history of MLS expansion teams

Bob Bradley - side shot - LAFC

Los Angeles Football Club have enjoyed a very good start to life in MLS.


How good? We’re talking “best expansion team in MLS history” good, at least in several notable statistical terms, as noted by longtime stats guru Paul Carr.

LAFC are 6-2-2 in their first 10 MLS games, good for second place in the Western Conference standings and fifth in the overall league table. It’s even better when you look at the Supporters’ Shield standings on the basis of average points per game, where the newcomers are level with the New York Red Bullsin third place with 2.00 PPG.


As Carr notes, LAFC’s 20 points are the most of any expansion side in league history over a season’s first 10 games, and so are their 22 goals in that span. The SoCal side are currently on a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2), fuelled by an undefeated four-game homestand at their brand-new Banc of California Stadium.


Their plus-6 goal differential is also quite good, second only to the 1998 Chicago Fire, who you may remember were also coached by one Bob Bradley, and went on to win both the MLS Cup and US Open Cup.