LAFC announced on Wednesday a multi-year partnership with USL club Orange County Blues that will allow the 2018 expansion club to loan players to Orange County as early as next year.
“We are incredibly excited about this partnership, which will contribute significantly towards our goals of building a competitive roster in 2018 and growing the game here in Southern California,” LAFC executive VP of soccer operations John Thorrington said in a statement. “In the OC Blues, we have a fantastic partner with an owner and staff who closely align with our vision to bring world-class professional soccer to Southern California.”
The partnership will likely work in similar fashion to 2017 expansion club Atlanta United’s affiliation with the USL’s Charleston Battery. Several of the younger players that were signed by Atlanta earlier this year were loaned to Charleston, where they were able to continue their development ahead of the club’s 2017 entry into MLS.
LAFC will join MLS in 2018. The club will play at Banc of California Stadium in downtown Los Angeles, with the team set to pour foundational concrete later this week as the venue's construction proceeds.
