LAFC, Club América are anticipating their 'massive' play-in match to join Club World Cup field
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Olivier Giroud has won the World Cup and UEFA Champions League during his decorated career, yet even Los Angeles FC's famed French striker is impressed by the extraordinary nature of the stakes when his team hosts Club América on Saturday night.
The winner of this one-game play-in match gets the final spot in the FIFA Club World Cup and the remarkable chance for a North American team to face world soccer powers in the biggest-ever edition of this summer competition.
'To get the opportunity to play that kind of competition is a big chance for the boys,' Giroud said. 'We need to grab the opportunity.'
What's more, the winning team at BMO Stadium will be guaranteed at least $9.55 million for its Club World Cup berth, along with a shot at nearly $100 million from the tournament's biggest-ever prize pool of nearly $1 billion.
Even the setting is tantalizing: Thanks to equal ticket distribution, LAFC's sold-out arena will be packed with raucous supporters of both the home team and the biggest professional club in Mexico. Los Angeles' passion for all forms of Mexican soccer is famously rabid, and América has legions of Southern California fans.
No wonder the players and coaches involved are expecting a career-defining experience in this big-money match.
'It's massive,' LAFC center back Aaron Long said. 'I think the stakes are probably as high as it can get. Two titans of North America battling it out. I'm sure BMO will be on a different level. I'm sure fans from both sides are going to be going all-in, giving 100%. If you're a fan, these are the games you want to go and see. It's going to be incredible.'
The Club World Cup includes 32 teams for the first time, and it is being held across the U.S. one year before the FIFA World Cup returns to North America. Two Major League Soccer clubs and two Liga MX clubs have already qualified for the event, and LAFC or América will join them based on the results of this one match.
Giroud has done just about everything in world soccer — except this. Chelsea won the Champions League with Giroud in 2021 to earn a Club World Cup spot, but Giroud left for AC Milan before it happened.
'This is the kind of match you need to play at 110%,' Giroud said. 'I've never played in it. It could be nice to meet Chelsea again, but obviously it will be a massive game (first).'
Indeed, the winner of the play-in match will face Chelsea, Brazil's Flamengo and Tunisia's ES Tunis in group play.
LAFC and América got this opportunity after FIFA disqualified León because of its rules against participation by multiple clubs owned by the same entity. León and fellow Liga MX qualifier Pachuca are owned by the same group, and León lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after attempting to change its ownership structure.
The decision was only finalized 3 1/2 weeks ago, necessitating this quick one-game playoff for the final spot.
The matchup will also serve as an informal referendum on the usually friendly competition between MLS and Liga MX for unofficial recognition as North America's top professional league. LAFC and América already met in a preseason friendly in Los Angeles this year, but the play-in is a different animal.
'I believe this game will be prepared like a final,' said LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, another World Cup champion.
'It's going to be interesting to face one of the best Mexican clubs, and it's going to be tough, challenging, but it's also what you play football for,' Lloris added. 'When I signed for LAFC, I didn't expect to have this type of opportunity. I know that in life and in football, when you have this kind of opportunity, you have to do everything to take it.'
LAFC has enjoyed steady success since its MLS debut in 2018, winning the MLS Cup playoff championship in 2022 and earning two Supporters' Shields for the best regular-season record. LAFC is unbeaten in eight matches since a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier loss to Club World Cup invitee Inter Miami last April.
América is generally considered both the most popular and the most decorated club in Mexico, and Las Águilas have been on top of Liga MX for much of the previous three seasons. Their Brazilian coach, André Jardine, attracted international praise while his team won three straight titles before losing the Clausura final to Toluca last Sunday night, falling just short of becoming only the second team in Mexico's history to win four consecutive championships.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
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