Soccer <\/p>\n
How massive is the opportunity before LAFC<\/a> at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n John Thorrington, the club\u2019s co-president and general manager, put it into context ahead of Monday\u2019s Group D opener against English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea FC (3 pm ET | DAZN.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cI had a pinch-me moment,\u201d Thorrington explained earlier this week.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re going through our process \u2013 scouting, opposition analysis and what have you. You\u2019re doing your normal video meetings and the last game we did was LAFC vs. Kansas City<\/a>. I sat there and I was like, \u2018The next time I look at the screen it\u2019s going to say LAFC vs. Chelsea.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That isn\u2019t to suggest the Black & Gold, who enter the tournament with a 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, will be overawed by the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n If anything, striker Olivier Giroud<\/a> is encouraging his teammates to embrace facing world-class talents like Cole Palmer, Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez and Mois\u00e9s Caicedo \u2013 a trio that recently helped Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League.<\/p>\n \u201cI just told them, some of the youngsters, to grab the chance to play this kind of game,\u201d said Giroud, a World Cup champion who spent several seasons at Chelsea.<\/p>\n \u201cHave fun and enjoy the game. Seize the opportunity, the moment. Play with freedom and release your hand brake. Then you can really enjoy the moment with no regrets and no frustration because it\u2019s not going to happen every single year.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Denis Bouanga<\/a> fully believes LAFC can advance from a group that also includes tests vs. ES Tunis (Tunisia) on June 20 and Flamengo (Brazil) on June 24.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can be at the same level as the other teams,\u201d the two-time MLS Best XI forward said via a translator.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can play at the same level, we can lead, we can win these games. I think they don\u2019t know us much, so we can be that surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Presenting @LAFC<\/a>‘s schedule in the group stage of the @FIFACWC<\/a>. ???? pic.twitter.com\/yeIH0SZPLy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n LAFC reached this stage largely because of Bouanga, whose extra-time strike vs. Club Am\u00e9rica sealed an epic 2-1 comeback victory<\/a> on May 31. The sides met in a play-in game at BMO Stadium, with the winner replacing Club Le\u00f3n as the 32nd and final team when the Club World Cup unfolds this summer across the United States.<\/p>\n That match between MLS and LIGA MX powerhouses showcased the \u201cbest environment of a club game I\u2019ve ever seen in the States,\u201d according to Thorrington. And now it\u2019s time to carry that momentum forward, proving LAFC can more than compete.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what we\u2019re here for,\u201d said Thorrington, who\u2019s helped shape LAFC since well before their 2018 expansion season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know it\u2019s not easy to be in these moments, but we have been very bold and ambitious about our intention of being a global club and doing everything we can to put a team out there and run a business that can support us being in these tournaments.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSeize the moment<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Global ambition<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n