LAFC chases 'massive' $9.5M Club World Cup spot

Olivier Giroud has won the World Cup and UEFA Champions League during his decorated career, yet adjacent Los Angeles FC's famed French striker is impressed by the bonzer quality of the stakes erstwhile his squad hosts Club América connected Saturday night.

The victor of this one-game play-in lucifer gets the last spot successful the FIFA Club World Cup and the singular accidental for a North American squad to look satellite shot powers successful the biggest-ever variation of this summertime competition.

"To get the accidental to play that benignant of contention is simply a large accidental for the boys," Giroud said. "We request to drawback the opportunity."

What's more, the winning squad astatine BMO Stadium volition beryllium guaranteed astatine slightest $9.55 cardinal for its Club World Cup berth, on with a changeable astatine astir $100 cardinal from the tournament's biggest-ever prize excavation of astir $1 billion.

Even the mounting is tantalizing: Thanks to adjacent summons distribution, LAFC's sold-out arena volition beryllium packed with raucous supporters of some the location squad and the biggest nonrecreational nine successful Mexico. Los Angeles' passionateness for each forms of Mexican shot is famously rabid, and América has legions of Southern California fans.

No wonderment the players and coaches progressive are expecting a career-defining acquisition successful this big-money match.

"It's massive," LAFC halfway backmost Aaron Long said. "I deliberation the stakes are astir apt arsenic precocious arsenic it tin get. Two titans of North America battling it out. I'm definite BMO volition beryllium connected a antithetic level. I'm definite fans from some sides are going to beryllium going all-in, giving 100%. If you're a fan, these are the games you privation to spell and see. It's going to beryllium incredible."

The Club World Cup includes 32 teams for the archetypal time, and it is being held crossed the U.S. 1 twelvemonth earlier the FIFA World Cup returns to North America. Two Major League Soccer clubs and 2 Liga MX clubs person already qualified for the event, and LAFC oregon América volition articulation them based connected the results of this 1 match.

Giroud has done conscionable astir everything successful satellite shot - but this. Chelsea won the Champions League with Giroud successful 2021 to gain a Club World Cup spot, but Giroud near for AC Milan earlier it happened.

"This is the benignant of lucifer you request to play astatine 110%," Giroud said. "I've ne'er played successful it. It could beryllium bully to conscionable Chelsea again, but evidently it volition beryllium a monolithic crippled (first)."

Indeed, the victor of the play-in lucifer volition look Chelsea, Brazil's Flamengo and Tunisia's ES Tunis successful radical play.

LAFC and América got this accidental aft FIFA disqualified León due to the fact that of its rules against information by aggregate clubs owned by the aforesaid entity. León and chap Liga MX qualifier Pachuca are owned by the aforesaid group, and León mislaid its entreaty to the Court of Arbitration for Sport aft attempting to alteration its ownership structure.

The determination was lone finalized 3 1/2 weeks ago, necessitating this speedy one-game playoff for the last spot.

The matchup volition besides service arsenic an informal referendum connected the usually affable contention betwixt MLS and Liga MX for unofficial designation arsenic North America's apical nonrecreational league. LAFC and América already met successful a preseason affable successful Los Angeles this year, but the play-in is simply a antithetic animal.

"I judge this crippled volition beryllium prepared similar a final," said LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, different World Cup champion.

"It's going to beryllium absorbing to look 1 of the champion Mexican clubs, and it's going to beryllium tough, challenging, but it's besides what you play shot for," Lloris added. "When I signed for LAFC, I didn't expect to person this benignant of opportunity. I cognize that successful beingness and successful football, erstwhile you person this benignant of opportunity, you person to bash everything to instrumentality it."

LAFC has enjoyed dependable occurrence since its MLS debut successful 2018, winning the MLS Cup playoff title successful 2022 and earning 2 Supporters' Shields for the champion regular-season record. LAFC is unbeaten successful 8 matches since a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier nonaccomplishment to Club World Cup invitee Inter Miami past April.

América is mostly considered some the astir fashionable and the astir decorated nine successful Mexico, and Las Águilas person been connected apical of Liga MX for overmuch of the erstwhile 3 seasons. Their Brazilian coach, André Jardine, attracted planetary praise portion his squad won 3 consecutive titles earlier losing the Clausura last to Toluca past Sunday night, falling conscionable abbreviated of becoming lone the 2nd squad successful Mexico's past to triumph 4 consecutive championships.