The Galaxy and LAFC have formed one of the best rivalries in Major League Soccer year in and year out with the El Trafico meetings.

What many might not realize is that the rivalry also runs deep at the academy level and also at the MLS Next Pro level.

On Friday, the team’s second teams, Ventura County FC and LAFC 2, will meet with a spot in the MLS Next Pro championship on the line, facing off in the Western Conference final.

“I think it’s going to be a crazy game,” VCFC defender Riley Delgado said. “Our mentality is that we’re going to win. It’s a win or go home. A big one for us. Not many of us have played LAFC in a Western Conference final, so it’s gonna be a big one.”

The game will be played at 7 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park. Admission is free.

The teams have met three times this season. LAFC won the first game 3-2 on May 16. VCFC recorded a 2-0 shutout July 18. Their Sept. 5 meeting ended in a 1-1 draw.

VCFC finished third in the Western Conference (53 points). LAFC 2 was sixth with 45 points. LAFC defeated Houston Dynamo 2 and Austin FC 2 to advance to conference final.

Tommy Mihalić leads LAFC 2 with nine goals.

“They’re a good team, we know that they’re aggressive, they got some good pieces in there,” VCFC coach Matt Taylor said. “There’s going to be some emotion, there’s an emotional part of the game and I think that’s the message to the guys is how we balance that, playing within ourselves, making sure that we’re staying the course, at the same time understanding that it is a derby and it is a Western Conference final.

“There is going to be a lot more that goes into the game, but that can’t be a distraction. That’s just got to be more motivation for us to stay locked in, in the right area. It’s a quality opponent and they’re going to be organized and intense.”

Taylor has had a young group this season. He said, in the last round, eight of the 11 had come through the Galaxy Academy, including Delgado.

“I think it’s been years in the making,” he said. “From one to year two, some good learning moments and then I think we learn the lessons from organizing the group. You got to get the pieces right, with the academy players coming up and with the players that are coming from outside the club. And I think what we’ve done a good job of is building that chemistry and making sure that we’ve got the right pieces and then as the team changes in the summer – which here happens I would say quite a bit, maybe a lot more than some of the other teams – is we found some ways to get some key pieces in as some key pieces left.

“I think we try to create an environment, a culture, a competitive, intense culture where the young players could grow and the guys, maybe with a little more experience, were able to contribute and build. And so once we were able to create that environment and then get the right players in, I think it’s been a fun experience.”