The 2023 Major League Soccer season is upon us, but one of the biggest games of the weekend featuring two bitter rivals will not take place. Los Angeles FC, last year's reigning champs, were set to play Los Angeles Galaxy in a special edition of El Trafico in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather stemming from a shock blizzard warning in the area. It's the first blizzard warning in the area since 1989, and with it spoils what would have been the main event of the weekend.
It's an especially notable postponement because LAFC are already in Concacaf Champions League mode where they'll face Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense on March 9. With the league trying to play as many games as possible during standard Saturday kickoff times, this is a game that may take a while to get back on the schedule, especially since it was set to take place at a neutral site that houses over 89,000 fans.
"MLS, LA Galaxy and LAFC announce that the 2023 season opener at the Rose Bowl Stadium will be postponed due to safety considerations resulting from inclement weather and forecasted thunderstorms in the L.A. area," said the Galaxy in a statement. "Information about the rescheduled match to be announced at a later date."
With 75,000 tickets sold, the match was expected to break the league attendance record. It's the second season in a row that the Galaxy has seen a rivalry match postponed with last season's Cali Clasico at Stanford Stadium called off due to fires. That match versus the San Jose Earthquakes was moved over a power outage due to an equipment failure caused by the nearby Edgewood Fire.
Tickets purchased for the opener will be honored for the rescheduled match. LAFC will now kick off their season by hosting the Portland Timbers on March 4 while the Galaxy will travel to face FC Dallas on March 4.
