LA Laguna FC was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team based in the

Los Angeles area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

, United States. Founded in 2010, the team played in the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

(PDL) (now

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

), the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur association football, soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are no ...

, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team would play some of its home matches at

Santa Ana Stadium Santa Ana Stadium, also known as Eddie West Field or the Santa Ana Bowl, is a city-owned and operated 9,000-capacity American football and soccer stadium located in downtown Santa Ana. The field was named after Eddie West, a writer for the Oran ...

and others at Citrus College and Pomona College starting in May 2016.

History

After acquiring the PDL franchise rights to the Springfield Storm franchise that used to play in the PDL out of

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, the team began life as Los Angeles Storm under head coach

Chris Volk Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

, and made their debut in PDL competition in 2010, one of several teams joining the Southwest division as it expanded to nine teams. Playing at Citrus Stadium on the campus of

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, and Monrovia. Citrus Union High Scho ...

Glendora, California Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, east of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of Glendora was 52,558. World-famous Route 66 runs through the city. Known as the "Pride of the Footh ...

, Storm made an inauspicious start, tying 1–1 with the

San Fernando Valley Quakes San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American soccer team based in Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when ...

, but quickly recovered to register impressive back-to-back victories over

Fresno Fuego Fresno Football Club U-23, formerly Fresno Fuego FC, was an American association football, soccer team based in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 2003, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid ...

and

Bakersfield Brigade Bakersfield Brigade was an American soccer team based in Bakersfield, California, United States. Founded in 2005, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after which ...

. However, Storm's mid-season form proved to be their downfall, as the team slumped to five defeats in six games (including a humiliating 0–4 to the eventual divisional champions

Southern California Seahorses Southern California Eagles are an American soccer team based in La Mirada, California. Founded in 2001 as the Southern California Seahorses, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They also field a team ...

), ending their first season playoff hopes. A morale-boosting 5–0 win over

in their penultimate game was a positive, but eventually they finished sixth in the table.

David Niemeyer David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

was the Storm's top scorer in their freshman year, scoring 7 goals in his 15 games, while MLS-bound Mexican midfielder Erasmo Solorzano was the assist king with 3. Goalkeeper Lance Friesz was also a standout – so much so, that he was drafted by

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

in the offseason. The Storm's second year began in terrible fashion, suffering a 5–0 defeat to the

on the opening day of the season. They did not register their first victory – 2–1 over new boys

San Jose Frogs San Jose Frogs was an American soccer team based in San Jose, California, United States. Founded in 2005, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise ...

– until their third game, and from then on the Storm's season was one of see-sawing inconsistency. Back-to-back 3–1 wins over

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an amateur American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of th ...

and Lancaster Rattlers was followed by a 1–5 disaster at home to

, which was followed by a 5–1 thrashing of

... and so it went. By the end of the season, Storm were struggling to pick up wins wherever they went, but at least they started seeing some consistency; however, the four ties in their last six games ultimately consigned them to 5th place in the table, outside the playoffs for a second year. Ross Schunk was by far their outstanding goalscorer, tallying goals 10 in a season which included a hat trick at home to Lancaster Rattlers. Alex Bengard registered 5 assists. 2008 saw a name change, with Storm becoming Los Angeles Legends following a merger between two local youth soccer organizations, and a coaching change, with Azusa Pacific soccer coach Phil Wolf taking over the reins from

. The Legends started the season in magnificent form, downing

1–0 in their opening game, and then registering two back-to-back 5–0 home victories over Lancaster Rattlers and

, the first of which featured a hat-trick from striker Davis Paul. Legends' blistering early-season success saw them qualify for their first ever

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

, where they faced USL2 side (and eventual quarter-finalists)

Crystal Palace Baltimore Crystal Palace Baltimore was an American professional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, US. Founded in 2006, the club was originally named Crystal Palace USA and was affiliated with English side Crystal Palace. The club was a member of t ...

at home in

Azusa AZUSA refers to a ground-based radar tracking system installed at Cape Canaveral, Florida and the NASA Kennedy Space Center. AZUSA was named after the southern California town Azusa, California where the system was devised in the early 1950s. ...

. Sadly for the Legends their foray into the Cup was a short one, as they were beaten 2–1 off a late winner by Baltimore's Pat Healey. Legends continued the year as high scoring entertainers: they put six past

in mid-June, then conceded six away at

in the very next game. However, as the season wound down, the team's early season form deserted them, as four defeats in their last five games left them out of playoff contention. Legends ended the year a comfortable mid-table 6th; Davis Paul was top scorer, knocking in an impressive 10 goals, and contributing five assists for his strike partner, Ross Schunk. Legends relocated from the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

in 2009, hired a new head coach in the shape of ex-

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

striker Brent Whitfield, and signed ex-

defender

Mike Randolph Michael Horace Randolph (born December 3, 1985) is an American soccer player. Career College and amateur Randolph attended Canyon Hills Junior High, where he played basketball, and Ruben S. Ayala High School. He is said to be one of the best ...

to lead a new-look team; the change in fortunes on the field as a result was remarkable. Despite losing their opening two games of the season 3–2 to Lancaster Rattlers and 3–0 to

, the team bounced back magnificently, and embarked on a 12-game unbeaten run through the middle of the season which kept them in the hunt for the divisional title throughout the year. Legends were the division's high-scoring entertainers; they put six past Lancaster in the return game, hammered Fresno 7–1 on the road, beat

Ogden Outlaws Ogden Outlaws is an American soccer team based in Ogden, Utah, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Co ...

5–0, and overcame

4–3 in a seesaw game in early July. Each of these four games was highlighted by hat tricks from player/coach Brent Whitfield, who would eventually go on to score 14 goals in his 9 appearances for the Legends, good for third nationally. Legends briefly topped the division as the regular season wound down, but a 2–0 loss to Fresno in their penultimate game handed the division to the

Hollywood United Hitmen Hollywood United Hitmen was an American soccer team based in Los Angeles. The team was founded in 2009 and played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the USL Premier Development League (PDL). The team played its home games in Cougar ...

, with whom they had previously been involved in an astonishing 0–0 tie which featured seven red cards. The Legends secured second place in the division, and a first trip to the postseason, with a 1–0 win over

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

, but Fusion got their revenge in the divisional playoff semifinal with a 2–1 victory which ended Los Angeles' title hopes at the first hurdle. During the 2009–2010 offseason the Legends were bought out by the owners of the long-standing Los Angeles-based amateur side LA Blues, and re-branded themselves as the Los Angeles Azul Legends. The team's new logo was unveiled on their new website in April 2010. During the 2010–2011 offseason the team re-branded themselves again, this time as the Los Angeles Misioneros. The team's new logo was unveiled on their new website in January 2011.

Players

Current roster

''As at April 29, 2012''.

Notable former players

''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.'' *

Joe Barton Joseph Linus Barton (born September 15, 1949) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he represented in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 t ...

Tony Beltran Anthony Benjamin Beltran (born October 11, 1987) is an American former soccer player who spent nearly all of his entire professional career at Real Salt Lake. Career Youth career Beltran was a two-time Parade All American at Claremont High Sc ...

* Alex Bengard * Javier Castro *

Kraig Chiles Kraig Chiles (born May 14, 1984) is an American soccer player who plays for the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League. Career Youth and college Chiles played high school soccer for Poway High School in Poway, California, and rema ...

Gabriel Farfan In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

* Michael Farfan * Lance Friesz *

Erlys García Erlys García Baró (born July 28, 1985, in Havana) is a Cuban footballer who plays as a defender. Career Cuba García began his career in his native Cuba, playing with Ciudad de La Habana in the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba. While p ...

* Maxwell Griffin *

Lester Moré Lester Oriel Moré Henningham (born 15 July 1978) is a Cuban former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the Cuba national team's all-time record goalscorer, with 29. Club career Moré played for over a decade for his hometow ...

* Kyle Nakazawa * Davis Paul * Adrien Perez *

* Ross Schunk * Erasmo Solorzano * Brent Whitfield *

Gerson Mayen Gerson Levi Mayen Villavicencio (born 9 February 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera División club Municipal Limeño. Born in the United States, he plays for the El Salvador national team at international ...

* Edwin Miranda * Vincent Weijl * Mohammed Takiyudin

Year-by-year

Head coaches

(2006–2007) * Phil Wolf (2008) * Brent Whitfield (2009) * Salvador Moran (2010) * Lloyd Kinnear (2010) *

Marlon Iván León Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...

(2011–2012) *

Ever Morataya Ever may refer to: Music * ''Ever'' (Love Spirals Downwards album) (1996) * ''Ever'' (IQ album) (1993) * "Ever" (song), a 2010 song by Gackt * "Ever", a song by Flipper from the album ''Album – Generic Flipper'' * "Ever", a song by Diaura f ...

(2012–2013) * Cruz Hernandez (2014) * Fabian Sandoval (2015–present)

General Managers

* Freddy Avellaneda(Club Administrator) (2011–present) * Jose Antonio Jimenez (2012–present) * Daniel Collazo (2014–present)

Stadia

* Citrus Stadium;

(2006–2007) * Cougar Stadium;

Azusa, California Azusa ( Tongva: ''Azuksa'', meaning "skunk") is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and located east of downtown Los Angeles. Its population wa ...

(2008) * Keegan Stadium at

Bishop Mora Salesian High School Bishop Mora Salesian High School ("Salesian High School") is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school founded in 1958 and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the community of Boyle Heights in ...

;

East Los Angeles, California East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

(2009–2010) * Ayala Stadium;

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino's surroundings ha ...

1 game (2009) * Stadium at

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls arou ...

;

Crenshaw, California Crenshaw, or the Crenshaw District, is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California. In the post–World War II era, a Japanese American community was established in Crenshaw. African Americans started migrating to the district in the mid ...

4 games (2010–2011) * Stadium at

Morningside High School Morningside High School was a public high school in Inglewood, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. A part of the Inglewood Unified School District, it is the second largest high school in the city after Inglewood High School. In 2 ...

;

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

(2011) * Stadium at George Washington Carver Middle School;

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(2012; 2015–present) * Stadium at

California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is part of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in th ...

;

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

(2013–2014) * Stadium at Linda Esperanza Marquez High School- Citrus College- Glendale Sports Complex; Huntington Park-Glendora-Glendale, California (2014) *

(2016) *Stadium at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

(2016)

Average attendance

Attendance stats were calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match.United Soccer Leagues (USL)
/ref> * 2006: 338 * 2007: 512 * 2008: ''not yet available'' * 2009: 155 * 2010: 716 * 2011: ''not yet available'' * 2012: ''not yet available'' * 2013: ''not yet available'' * 2014: 3930

References

External links

Official Site
{{Greater Los Angeles Area Sports Association football clubs established in 2010 USL League Two teams Soccer clubs in Orange County, California Sports in Santa Ana, California 2010 establishments in California it:Los Angeles Legends nl:Los Angeles Legends