Los Angeles Chargers fans are feeling re-energized after an offseason full of change, and what better way is there to start a season than a matchup against their biggest rival.
Sunday’s season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders will be the first game as Chargers head coach for Jim Harbaugh. The former then-San Diego Chargers quarterback was hired to helm the squad in January, fresh off of winning a National Championship for the University of Michigan Wolverines in the college ranks.
Other than the coaching changes, the Chargers’ offense will have some new faces. The team and new general manager Joe Hortiz traded wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears and allowed another pass catcher, Mike Williams, to leave for the New York Jets in free agency.
The team chose to build out its roster through the draft, adding names like new right tackle Joe Alt and wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice, son of NFL legend Jerry Rice.
The new changes seem to be energizing the fanbase.
KTLA’s Olivia de Bortoli took a trip to Thunder Alley, the premier Chargers tailgate outside of SoFi Stadium, and spoke to some of the team’s biggest fans.
“Thunder Alley is where it’s at,” said Chargers fan Katie. “Everybody who is a die-hard Chargers fan comes here.”
Starting the season against the team’s arch rival could be intense, but fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This game is everything because it’s the first game of the season, it’s the rival game,” Katie added. “The Chargers-Raiders games are always the biggest.”