MacArthur Park nurtured generations of soccer players. Now its fields are about the World Cup

Since last summer, when federal agents and National Guard troops descended on MacArthur Park as part of the Trump administration’s militarized mass deportation project, the site continues to make headlines as a place where crime runs rampant.

Following a recent crackdown on open-air drug sales at the park, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that on Labor Day he plans to have a picnic there with his family.

The beleaguered park “is going to be safe enough to have that picnic,” he promised, inviting federal agents, the LAPD, city officials and everyone else to join him.

But picnics at MacArthur Park are not a novelty.

It’s true the park grapples with organized crime and drug use. It’s also true that the site has long been a place where locals gather for recreation and to build community.

It is here, for instance, that cumbia legend Celso Piña gave a free concert to Angelenos in the historic Westlake neighborhood, just months before dying. It is here that parents push their children on swing sets and treat them to ice pops. And it is here that, virtually every day of the week, soccer lovers of all ages come together to play the beautiful game.

Generations of soccer players  

José, who hails from El Salvador, has been going to pick-up games at MacArthur Park since the 80s. (He declined to share his last name because of the seemingly constant presence of law enforcement personnel in the area.)

Back then, he told LAist, the northern part of the park, where soccer players usually gather, didn’t have goal posts or artificial grass.

“We used to play in the dirt,” he said. But to him, the palm tree-lined park, with downtown L.A. in the background, has always been beautiful.

After work, José and his colleagues would leave their restaurant jobs and head to the park, where they sometimes played for several hours. José was usually a midfielder or a forward. Now that he’s in his late 60s, he mostly comes to watch others play. As the 2026 World Cup continues to unfold, José said he feels torn. He’s equally rooting for Argentina, Brazil and Portugal.

MacArthur Park is also home to local youth leagues, where years-long friendships are forged. That’s how Skylarr met Aníbal.

Skylarr, a 14-year-old who prefers playing left wing, hopes Portugal will take the World Cup. He looks up to the team’s star, Cristiano Ronaldo, because the celebrated player “grew from the projects and made it out, through hard work,” he said.

Aníbal, a 13-year-old midfielder, wants France to win. “They have a stacked team,” he said in reference to Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and other world-class talent.

How to watch the tournament there

Throughout the summer, the city of Los Angeles will be hosting “Kick It In The Park” World Cup watch parties, including four at MacArthur Park.

On Monday, Angelenos gathered on the grass turf and neighboring hills to watch Saudi Arabia tie with Uruguay. Then, some stuck around for the next match. Skylarr, Aníbal and their friends practiced rainbow flicks during halftime.