In the early days of MLS, some teams opted to play in NFL stadiums while they secured their own soccer-specific venues. Today, in an ironic twist, an NFL team announces they’ll be playing in an MLS stadium while their new home is being built.
The National Football League officially announced the relocation of the San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles on Thursday morning, and while the Chargers will keep their moniker, with a widely panned new logo, they’ll need a temporary home while their shared stadium with the Los Angeles Rams is being built. Shortly after the relocation announcement, the Chargers announced that the LA Galaxy’s StubHub Center would serve as their home venue for the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons.
“We are excited to welcome the Chargers to StubHub Center,” said AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman. “This is a world-class facility that will give fans and our community a unique and intimate experience during NFL games.
“We’ve had a longstanding friendship with the Chargers and the Spanos family and I would like to commend the Chargers on this bold and innovative decision to move to StubHub Center. It is truly a testament to how strongly the Chargers feel about the fan experience and their willingness to create something special for people in Southern California.”
The soccer-specific stadium is tiny compared to most NFL stadiums, holding only 27,000 at maximum capacity, coming in at less than half the capacity of the next-smallest stadium, the Oakland Coliseum at 56,000. While the Chargers will surely be displeased with the 2017-18 digs, the Galaxy and Major League Soccer have even more of a right to gripe. In addition to possible field damage during the course of an NFL match, the NFL’s Sunday-focused schedule could pose issues for the league’s attempt to get the Galaxy on their national Sunday broadcasts. With the MLS schedule set to release Thursday as well, it’ll be interesting to see whether the league potentially planned for this situation.
The Chargers move after 56 years in the San Diego area has been met with significant backlash from local fans and has been heavily-criticized league-wide. The new shared home with the Rams, Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park, is expected to complete construction in August 2019.