It is very well known that San Diego sports fans hate Los Angeles, especially after the city took the Chargers away from us. And that hatred is seen on the field and in the stands with many of our local teams. While some of these may not necessarily be “rivalries”, it is fun to look at the best San Diego-Los Angeles matchups among our professional teams.
1. Sockers-Fury
Rivalry Night in San Diego for the San Diego Sockers is always a blast, and in the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of tension between them and the Ontario Fury. In the 2020-21 season, the 4-6 Sockers took down the 7-3 Fury in the MASL Finals in Ontario. This past season, the Fury were the only team to defeat the Sockers in the regular season. The Sockers have won six of the last 10 matches between the two clubs.
2. Loyal-Galaxy
These USL Championship matches are always a ton of fun, and San Diego Loyal SC and LA Galaxy II play Saturday for the second of two regular-season matches this season. They previously finished in a 2-2 draw that saw LA score two extra-time goals to tie the game. SD Loyal has the all-time advantage, winning six of nine matches to LA’s one victory, the first time the two sides met in 2020. It is also Landon Donovan versus the minor-league affiliate of his former team, the LA Galaxy, creating a fun and tense atmosphere already.
3. Gulls-Reign
Hockey rivalries are always a ton of fun, and the American Hockey League’s (AHL) San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign are no different. The top minor-league affiliates of NHL rivals Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings, Gulls and Reign players already have a dislike for each other, so always expect a few fights on the ice. Ontario held the advantage in the 2021-22 season series, winning nine of 12 games, but between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the Gulls had won 11 of 19 games.
4. Growlers-Aviators
As 2015 American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) expansion teams, the San Diego Growlers and Los Angeles Aviators have competed against each other for seven seasons and have represented the West Division in the AUDL Championship Weekend each of the last three years. The Growlers and Aviators both earned playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019, with the Aviators taking the 2018 West Division Finals and the Growlers winning 2019. After no season being played in 2020, the Growlers took the 2021 West Division Finals against the Dallas Roughnecks, ending LA’s streak of four straight playoff appearances between 2016 and 2019.
5. Wave-Angel City
San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are off to great starts, and the two expansion clubs will meet in the regular season for the first time Saturday in LA. They met in the NWSL Challenge Cup and drew with one goal each in the first meeting before San Diego took the second match, 4-2.
6. Padres-Dodgers
The biggest rivalry is not always the best, and that is the case for the San Diego Padres as they continue their quest to become better than the Los Angeles Dodgers, who before the 2021 season, had won the NL West for eight consecutive seasons, although only winning one World Series during that span. After taking seven of the first 10 matchups last year, the Padres have lost 14 of the last 16 games against their SoCal rival. Since 2020, the Padres are 13-23 against the Dodgers.
7. Legion-Giltinis
San Diego Legion was one of seven founding teams in Major League Rugby (MLR), and the LA Giltinis joined in the 2021 season. After being just a second away from winning the MLR championship in 2019 and a 5-0 start to 2020 before the pandemic canceled the season, the Legion took a step back in 2021 while LA took advantage, winning both matches between the two teams and winning the 2021 title. In 2022, the Legion and Giltinis split the season series, and when LA was disqualified for not cooperating in league investigations, San Diego took their playoff spot in 2022.