Los Angeles FC will christen the brand new Banc of California Stadium in April 2018, when the expansion club plays its home opener.
With more details regarding the 2018 MLS season emerging, there is some information coming out about LAFC’s home debut. It is expected that the club’s first game at Banc of California Stadium will take place on April 29, when LAFC hosts the Seattle Sounders.
That date will mark a major milestone for the club, but for now Banc of California Stadium remains under construction. According to LAFC president Tom Penn, the stadium is expected to be completed on budget and will open ahead of its originally anticipated debut of late May 2018. For further advantage, it also appears that LAFC will not have to schedule any off-site home matches. More from The Los Angeles Times:
LAFC will open its inaugural season in March in Seattle and will play at least five games on the road before its home opener. But with the stadium completion pushed up from late May, the team will be able to play all 17 of its regular-season home games at Banc of California.
By way of comparison D.C. United, which has been working on a stadium deal for years, won’t play its first game at Audi Field until late June, leaving it in need of a temporary home for between two and four MLS games next spring.
“We’re super excited to see the finish line on the building,” Penn said of LAFC’s 22,000-seat Exposition Park stadium, the most expensive soccer-specific facility in league history. “We’ve got some certainty that we’re going to have this thing done.”
With LAFC set to join MLS next year, the continuing development of Banc of California Stadium has been drawing some significant interest. Our own Jon Bruning recently previewed some of the stadium’s amenities as part of our ongoing Best of 2017 countdown.
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