By Lucas Camacho
So, this is 2025 (feels about the same to me, but that’s my opinion), and it’s a year filled with new promise. Last year, Los Angeles put itself back on the map in several ways: the city gave a preview to the world of the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics, and the Dodgers won the World Series. The Dodgers, bringing home a championship threw down the gauntlet for all the other LA based teams to pick up their game. The soccer team LA Galaxy has already picked up said gauntlet, winning the MLS Cup for their record 6th time. The other headliner teams such as the Lakers and Rams are certainly feeling the pressure. Here is something each team can do to make 2025 their year (and hopefully make Los Angeles the City of Champions once again).
MLS – LAFC
Going into the playoffs last year, LAFC emerged as one of the favorites to win the MLS Cup. Unfortunately, they fell in the semi-finals to Seattle Sounders FC, and was forced to watch their cross-town rival, the Galaxy, win the trophy. What was most painful for LAFC was losing to a Sounders squad that they’ve had no trouble dealing with in the past. But an own goal killed their momentum and doomed their hopes. LAFC had a lot of questions going into the offseason. They’ve already brought back Carlos Vela, but no word yet on Lewis O’Brien. The depth at midfield is looking thin, so bringing back O’Brien is a top priority. There will be challenges for LAFC to bounce back from such a painful end to the season, but nothing has ever come easy to any team that calls Los Angeles home.
MLS – LA GALAXY
Last year was a year for the Galaxy to remember. They won their 6th MLS Cup, which puts them in a distinguished honor: they are the only LA based team to have more championships in their respective league (not even the mighty Lakers can say that as they are one championship down from the NBA leading Boston Celtics). Now, this is good and bad for the Galaxy. The good news is they won, the bad news…they went all-in. What that means is there isn’t much wiggle room to work with in the offseason. The toll meant trading away the MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman. This is the time when truly brilliant minds make something work with little to work with. We’ll have to see if the Galaxy can be one of those brilliant teams in order to maintain a champion caliber squad or else lose their title.
WNBA – LA SPARKS
The Sparks finished at the bottom of the barrel last year, and then they couldn’t even win the Draft Lottery, losing out on the chance to get Paige Bueckers. So the question is: how do they get out of this mess? Well, with every rebuild comes one thing: a new coach. The Sparks hired Lynne Roberts, the coach of the Utah women’s basketball team, to be the new head coach. Roberts has had plenty of success in the NCAA, having led Utah to the conference regular-season title and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023. The Sparks still have Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, and All-Star Dearica Hamby. All three are great players, and Jackson in particular definitely improved quite a bit. However, they need more talent and more out of their players. That’s where Roberts comes in. The Sparks also have the number 2 pick in the draft. Now, they don’t need another forward, but there’s no way they’re passing up on a player like Kiki Iriafen from USC (after all, the Raiders didn’t pass up the chance to draft Brock Bowers in the NFL Draft despite already having a tight end). We’ll see if 2025 is the year the Sparks turn things around.
NHL – LA KINGS
As of right now, the Kings are looking to be in great shape. They currently sit 4th in the Western Conference. The Kings certainly look like they could compete in the playoffs, especially after beating the team that has given them more playoff disappointment in the last few years than anyone: the Edmonton Oilers. For three straight seasons, the Kings have been bounced from the first round of the playoffs by the Oilers. The Kings’ greatest strength is their defense. They’re second in the league in fewest goals allowed, despite not having star defenseman Drew Doughty, who is considered month-to-month after surgery late last year. Their biggest New Year’s resolution must be finding a way to finally break out of the first round of the playoffs. Kings’ fans have had to endure playoff disappointment the last few years…if they can’t do it again…there is going to be hell to pay.
NBA – LA CLIPPERS
I look back at last year and remember covering the opening of the Clippers’ new stadium. The stadium had a lot of promise, as did the Clippers who were finally stepping out of the shadows of their “big brother”: the Lakers. I will say this, I have never doubted that the Clippers are a playoff contender with a talented roster, including Terance Mann (who I remember from the Intuit Dome opening calling the place “dope”). Of course, they’re behind the Lakers in the standings, still waiting for Kawhi Leonard to make his debut, and now there’s a scandal brewing involving a former strength and conditioning coach. I’m sure this is not where owner Steve Ballmer wanted his team at this point in the season, but at least the Clippers will contend for a playoff spot. They should be good enough to avoid one of the play-in games, but you never can tell in sports (this is a marathon, not a sprint…as the adage goes).
NBA – LA LAKERS
There is no team that is feeling the pressure to bring a championship home following the Dodgers’ World Series run than the Lakers. After all, they’re the most decorated team in Los Angeles in terms of the number of championships. Now that Boston has passed them up again in the number of NBA Championships, the time has come. The Lakers already made a big move trading D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. First time coach JJ Redick was quoted saying, “There’s a real value in creating cohesion and continuity and connectedness. And the more time you have to do that, the better I think your chances are when you get to April and May and hopefully June.” The Lakers are currently 6th in the West with a respectable record of 19-14, but the pressure is still on to deliver a championship as Father Time slowly catches up to both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
NFL – LA CHARGERS
This time last year in 2024, the Chargers were languishing at the bottom of the barrel. They had just fired their coach after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the division rival Las Vegas Raiders (in a blowout that Chargers fans from the regular fans to the famous “Charger Girl” would very much like to forget). Then came one of the biggest underrated moves of last offseason: the hiring of coach Jim Harbaugh (I admit I laughed at the idea of the Chargers hiring him until it happened). Coach Harbaugh then sprinkled some fairy dust on loan from Tinker Bell, and lo and behold…the Chargers are in the playoffs. Credit the coach for taking this team from zero to hero as they look like legitimate playoff contenders. They’ve had setbacks of course, but they always seem to pick themselves up. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the star playing of quarterback Justin Herbert, who has thrown only 3 interceptions ALL YEAR! Now, the wide receiving corps still needs a lot of work, but the Chargers’ defense is looking pretty good. A certain sports analyst said the Chargers have no chance against the AFC’s elite…but this particular analyst has been wrong MANY times before. After all, according to the “experts”, the Dodgers should never have won a World Series, so why can’t the Chargers shock us all and win the Super Bowl?
NFL – LA RAMS
What can I say about the Rams? Well, they know how to take a punch. After starting the season 1-4, they came out of their bye week and won 9 of their next 11 games. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the Rams did the exact same thing the season before. Coach Sean McVay has done a marvelous job in directing the Rams through some pretty tough waters. Despite everyone, especially the “experts”, counting them out…quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the Rams refused to yield. Now they’re NFC West Division Champions, and they’re playoff bound. It’s a funny team though, when the offense gets going…the defense seems to slip and vice versa. A consistent game on both sides of the ball will allow the Rams to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the NFC. I know the “experts” will say to bet against the Rams, but anything can happen (that’s why we play the game in the first place). Some of the biggest upsets have come unexpectedly throughout the history of sports: everything from the miraculous career comeback for boxing legend James J. Braddock to the Miners of Texas Western College (known today as the University of Texas at El Paso or UTEP) upsetting the mighty Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA Basketball Tournament Finals (and that’s just a few examples). The point is, don’t underestimate the teams that know how to pick themselves up when the chips are down. Who knows…we may get the Rams facing the Chargers in the Super Bowl this year. If both teams can play their cards right (and maybe do some minor tweaking here or there), anything is possible…especially in the world of sports.
MLB – LA DODGERS
For the first time in four years, the Dodgers are champions and are once again the premier sports team in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will go into next season with the bulk of their squad still intact. World Series hero and fan favorite Walker Buehler, however, has left to sign with the Boston Red Sox and bullpen veteran Daniel Hudson retired after last year’s World Series along with Kevin Kiermaier. However, the Dodgers already had a replacement in the form of Blake Snell, who signed with the Dodgers for a 5-year, $182 million contract. They also brought in former San Franscico Giant outfielder Michael Conforto. The Dodgers have also brought back reliever Blake Treinen, utility man and NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, and fan favorite Teoscar Herńandez. Recently, the Dodgers also acquired South Korean KBO League Gold Glove winner Hyeseong Kim. But they’re not done yet, the Dodgers have their eyes on Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, as well as bringing back fan favorite and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. The veteran Kershaw has been a staple of the Dodgers for over a decade, and it stands to reason he wants to end his career in Dodger blue. The World Series champs loved the parades and the accomplishments of last year…but their busy offseason suggests that they’re not happy to just stand pat. And that should scare the entire MLB as the Dodgers look to try and make the 2020’s their decade.
