The Los Angeles Chargers fans found their voice, even as their team hasn’t figured out how to win.

As this forlorn franchise navigates its way along the dual tracks of seeking victory and visibility, what happened Sunday in the Chargers’ second “home” game at StubHub Center was a little odd even as it was entirely familiar.

The 24-10 defeat at the hands of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs was the expected facet of Sunday’s game and the one appreciated by so many in San Diego.

The Chargers really are making it too easy for the hate watchers.


Not even the Rams were this gracious to St. Louis this early. The Rams started 3-1 last season, their first in Los Angeles, before spiraling to a final record of 4-12.

The Chargers are headed for that type of final futility.

Fight for L.A. might be a long-term proposition. Right now, they are waging a fight for LAst place that they will almost assuredly win (lose).

This fight might be over already. Three games in, they’re two games back of the next-closest AFC West competitor.


So that we figured when Sunday dawned over the Southland.

What happened Sunday afternoon in the stands around the field, however, was a little askew of the optics. And it was vastly different from what was expected, given the previous week’s showing and the tenor around this team in its new town.

Kansas City Chiefs fans wanted to turn the soccer building in Carson into Arrowhub Stadium. They showed up en masse in their red shirts. But show up is pretty much all they did.

There were a lot of them. More red this week than the aqua and/or orange of the Miami Dolphins fans last week. The announced crowd of 25,386 was probably a 50/50 split – red and blue – on Sunday.


That’s sad.

(Don’t come at San Diego about how much opposing fans filled Qualcomm Stadium. It didn’t happen in a severe way until Dean Spanos had alienated the fan base and Mike McCoy had bored it and the losing had deflated it.)

But, notably, it could have been worse for the “home” team Sunday. Chiefs fans were relatively muted. For most of the game, it was far louder inside StubHub Center when the Chargers were on defense.

“They showed up,” safety Jahleel Addae said of Chargers fans.


The Chiefs had to go to a silent count a few series. That’s how it should be for the visitors. We didn’t know if it ever would be here.

“It was better, I thought, than the Dolphins game,” center Matt Slauson said.

Who knows? Maybe these were Valley Chiefs fans. More laid back dudes and dudettes than the corn-fed Missourians who make Arrowhead Stadium among the loudest venues in the NFL.

We’re going to have to watch to see how this taking over of StubHub goes. It really is an ongoing sociology study.


We’ll know more next week. If the Philadelphia Eagles fans who swarm StubHub are a peace-loving bunch, we will know they’re transplants softened by the sun.

Make no mistake, there is little (if any) homefield advantage here for the team that is temporarily camping in Carson before moving to Inglewood after abandoning San Diego.

Here’s the level of intimidation the Stub provides for opposing players:

“I’m used to it, coming from Division II,” said Chiefs running back Tyreek Hill, who was drafted out of the University of West Alabama.


That the Chargers expressed pleasure they could easily communicate when on offense at home is also a sad summation of their situation.

And who knows if a stadium full of Angelenos in blue and gold screaming like Kobe and Shaq were running the floor at Staples Center would make a difference. The Chargers are a mess. As much as a conflagration of rubbish as either of the past two seasons. Maybe worse.

Oh, they have some good players. Exciting players. Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa could be stars in L.A. if L.A. knew they were there. Philip Rivers had a rough game Sunday. His 37.2 rating was the fourth-lowest of his career. And he is off to the worst statistical three-game beginning to any of his 12 seasons as a starter. But he is, as always, a kick in the pants to watch before, during and after plays.

The last two times they started 0-3 (2003 and ‘00) they ended up earning the No.1 pick in the NFL draft.


Maybe that’s how they can get L.A. interested. (The Fight for Sam Darnold? Let the USC quarterback come in and learn under Rivers for a year or two. Or trade Rivers. Free Rivers!)

Of course, that’s not how Rivers is looking at this. You remember his undying resolve and unfettered optimism, right?

“Long way to go,” was about all he could muster Sunday.

He actually seemed pretty down. I didn’t even have the heart to ask him about the crowd, a topic that has mildly fascinated him.


Didn’t need to anyway. It was actually a good crowd. Or good for this place and this team at this time.

Only near the end of the game did the Chiefs fans overwhelm their Chargers counterparts. When the Chargers’ “Fight for L.A.” bugler played the “Charge” fanfare with two minutes remaining, Chiefs fans thundered “Chiefs” over any shouts of “Charge.”

More than anything, though, that was because the bulk of the Chargers fans had departed.

It’s an L.A. thing.


kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com