3 Reasons why Sporting KC is one of the LA Galaxy's greatest rivals in MLS | OneFootball

The two bottom teams of the MLS Western Conference after the first fourth of the 2025 MLS season square off on Sunday. The LA Galaxy and Sporting KC have had some bad blood over the years.

Though neither club would be who you think of as their top rival in the league, both the Galaxy and Sporting have a few reasons to be heated with each other.

One of the recent transactions between the two soccer clubs, the trade of forward Dejan Joveljic, certainly added to the competitive nature on the field.

Here's a look at 3 of the most historic moments on why the LA Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City have the notoriety when they face each other.

1. LA Galaxy ends KC's season in the 96' MLS Western Conference Finals

As mentioned, the first inaugural season for Major League Soccer was in 1996. Of the ten teams in the league, only the New England Revolution and the Colorado Rapids failed to make the first ever MLS Playoffs.

The Los Angeles Galaxy had the best record in the Western Conference as they won 15 of their 32 games. Kansas City, along with the Dallas Burn and the then-San Jose Clash won 12 games each.

When the two teams met in the MLS Western Conference Finals, the LA Galaxy were the favorite. They earned 49 points in the standings as Kansas City had eight less with 41 points.

As the Galaxy knocked off the Clash and the Wiz upset the Burn, the stage was set to see who would win out of the West. The victor would go onto to face DC United after they took down the top-seeded Tampa Bay Mutiny.

The 1996 Western Conference Finals would come down to a shootout out with the Los Angeles Galaxy winning 3-1. That gave the Cobi Jones-led Galaxy the win to advance to the league's first-ever MLS Cup Finals. Kansas City would not.

2. The LA Galaxy didn't win an MLS championship before Kansas City did.

Major League Soccer debuted thirty seasons ago in 1996. The first two teams to appear in an MLS Cup Finals were DC United and the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Not only did DC knock off the Galaxy, they made sure to do it again in 1999. As United won their third MLS title, the LA Galaxy lost a second finals match.

That very next season, the Kansas City Wizards won, 1-0, against the Chicago Fire at RFK Stadium Memorial Stadium in the nation's capitol. With it being the fifth MLS Cup Finals ever, it was also the lowest viewed at the time.

In 2011, the LA Galaxy were once again stopped short in the quest for a league title. Two seasons later, the LA Galaxy finally won their first MLS Cup in 2002.

Kansas City returned to the MLS Finals in 2004 but would lose to DC United. The Los Angeles captured their second ever MLS title before the Wizards could do so. It wasn't until the Wizards renamed their team Sporting KC that would even make it back to the MLS Finals, again (2013).

3. Sporting KC prevented the LA Galaxy from a potential three-peat

The Chicago Fire interrupted DC United's reign on MLS in 1998. United won in the league's first two seasons and once more in 1999.

The Houston Dynamo won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 but have not won another since. In fact, the LA Galaxy defeated the Dynamo in consecutive years a few seasons later.

A similar path was taken by the LA Galaxy. MLS Champions in 2011 and 2012, the Landon Donovan and David Beckham led-Galaxy were aiming for the league's first ever three peat.

In 2013, the LA Galaxy failed to make it out of the MLS Western Conference semifinals. Eventual conference champion, Real Salt Lake, would face the re-branded Sporting Kansas City out of the Eastern Conference.

Coupled with the loss to Real Salt Lake and the win by Kansas City in the 2013 MLS Cup Finals, the LA Galaxy's hopes of a three-peat were dashed. The two clubs play for the 42nd regular season meeting on Sunday, May 4th at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.