A very special edition of El Trafico will be played on Tuesday night, as the biggest rivalry in Major League Soccer will hold an Independence Day edition of the league's most high-profile match.
The LA Galaxy will return to their old home the Rose Bowl to host LAFC, with a fireworks show set for after the final whistle.
The match is expected to shatter the league attendance record, which was set by Charlotte FC in their home opener in their inaugural season last year.
A few players are missing for international duty at the Gold Cup, but that won't dampen the spectacle of this coveted matchup of two great rivals.
MORE: How LA derby came to be called "El Trafico" and list of results since it began
LA Galaxy vs LAFC live stream, TV channel
The July 2023 edition of El Trafico will be broadcast worldwide on MLS Season Pass, as one of the week's selected free games.
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV is the exclusive home of Major League Soccer broadcasts for the next 10 years. While use of the platform is largely subscription-based, each week a few matches are selected for free access.
This week, LA Galaxy vs. LAFC will be aired for free by Apple TV, for all viewers across the globe to watch.
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
What time does LA Galaxy vs LAFC kick off?
This LA derby match at the Rose Bowl kicks off on Tuesday, July 4 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Pasadena, California.
Here's how that time translates across all major time zones in North America:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern | Tue, July 4 | 10:30 p.m. |
| Central | Tue, July 4 | 9:30 p.m. |
| Mountain | Tue, July 4 | 8:30 p.m. |
| Pacific | Tue, July 4 | 7:30 p.m. |
LA Galaxy vs LAFC lineups
The LA Galaxy are missing promising young center-back Jalen Neal, who's having an excellent season, as he continues to impress with the U.S. national team at the Gold Cup. It's a huge loss for the Galaxy, who are terribly thin at the position behind him and have already conceded the joint-most goals in the league.
That center-back depth is further hampered by a serious knee injury to Martin Caceres who is out for the season, while Sega Coulibaly is sidelined with a leg injury. Also out for the year is forward talisman Javier Hernandez, after the 35-year-old Chicharito tore his ACL.
Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney has seemingly made a switch at striker, benching Dejan Joveljic for the past three games in favor of 24-year-old Preston Judd. That's resulted in goals by Judd in two of the previous three matches, and therefore he'll likely get the nod here.
LA Galaxy starting lineup (4-3-3): 1-Bond (GK) — 2-Calegari, 18-Leerdam, 17-Mavinga, 44-Edwards — 8-Delgado, 5-Brugman, 6-Puig — 10-Costa, 31-Judd, 11-Boyd.
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo clearly had one eye on this match when he set his lineup over the weekend in the 2-0 loss to FC Dallas. Carlos Vela and Kellyn Acosta both came off the bench, while Giorgio Chiellini was withdrawn at halftime and got 45 minutes of rest.
All three players start in the Rose Bowl, although Acosta has been working his way back from a nagging injury. Still, LAFC are loaded in midfield, with Timothy Tillman able to step in ahead of Jose Cifuentes, who starts on the bench.
Aaron Long is not an option for LAFC in defense, as he is on international duty with the United States at the Gold Cup. Maxime Crepeau has still not returned from his horror broken leg suffered prior to the 2022 World Cup. Left-back Diego Palacios is out due to yellow card accumulation.
LAFC projected starting lineup (3-4-3): 77-McCarthy (GK) — 24-Hollingshead, 14-Chiellini, 2-Maldonado — 18-Duenas, 6-I. Sanchez, 11-Tillman, 23-Acosta — 10-Vela, 22-Opoku, 99-Bouanga.
LA Galaxy vs LAFC betting odds & lines
LAFC are expected to win, given they sit near the top of the Western Conference standings, while the Galaxy are near the bottom.
Still, games between these two sides have historically been wild, and the Galaxy upset LAFC in Open Cup play last time they met just over a month ago. That sees LAFC saddled with just around even-money odds, which isn't quite what you'd expect from a match between two teams on opposite ends of the table.
Goals are always expected when these two meet, but LAFC's goalscoring prowess seems to have taken a step back in the last few weeks, shut out in the U.S. Open Cup defeat to the Galaxy in late May.
MORE: List of biggest MLS attendances with El Trafico expected to break the league record
| LA Galaxy win | Draw | LAFC win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | LAFC -0.5 | LAG +0.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | +225 | +270 | +105 | -175 / +125 | -160 / +115 | -105 | -135 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | +247 | +278 | -107 | -192 / +121 | -156 / +122 | +100 | -127 |
