The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), which will launch its inaugural season in Major League Soccer in 2018, unveiled its club crest in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday 7 January, at an event attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti, sporting legend Mia Hamm Garciaparra and movie star Will Ferrell.

Held at Los Angeles' historic Union Station, the unveiling attracted hordes of chanting soccer fans, who came to catch a glimpse of their new club's logo. Mayor Garcetti chanted along with the fans before taking the stage.

"There's been a lot of talk about bringing a new football club here to Los Angeles. Well it is here today," said Garcetti.

LAFC will have its first match in 2018, when its new stadium has been built to replace the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The development, which will bring $250m (£171m) in private investments to South Los Angeles, will be anchored by a 22,000-seat state-of-the-art venue in Exposition Park, covering 15 acres in the shadow of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and US soccer great Mia Hamm Garciaparra and her husband, baseball star Nomar Garciaparra, are among the joint owners of the fledgling club.

Hamm Garciaparra said: "You know, we wanted to be a part of this club, and I wanted to be a part of this club because of the influence soccer and specifically sports can have in people's lives," as movie star Will Ferrell invaded the stage.

The new team will compete with four-times MLS champions LA Galaxy for support in the city. LAFC's soccer stadium will be the first open-air professional sports venue to be built in Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962.

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