A "Chance Guest" Awaits Its Club World Cup Debut

Qualified After a Playoff

                                              

A "Chance Guest" Awaits Its Club World Cup Debut

Chance played a role in Los Angeles FC's qualification for the Club World Cup in the United States, but the team is aiming for more than just a respectable showing in the tournament being held on home soil.

 Los Angeles FC secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Club América of Mexico to become the final team to qualify for the Club World Cup, following a highly exciting playoff match held in California.

Club América came agonizingly close to qualifying for the Club World Cup after taking the lead through a penalty converted by Bryan Rodrigo in the 64th minute. 

They held onto their lead until the final minutes of the match when Igor Jesus equalized for the American side just one minute before the final whistle, extinguishing the Mexicans' joy and forcing the game into extra time. Denis Bouanga then sealed the victory with a decisive goal in the 115th minute.

Mexican club León was initially slated to participate in the tournament, but lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against FIFA's ban. CAS judges rejected León's attempt to overturn FIFA's decision to exclude them from the 32-team tournament, as they share ownership with Pachuca, another Club World Cup participant. FIFA subsequently decided to hold a playoff match between Los Angeles FC and Club América to complete the Club World Cup lineup.

New FIFA regulations, designed to protect integrity, prohibit two or more teams from having the same owners in the Club World Cup. This rule has been in place for over 20 years in European competitions run by UEFA, and the issue is usually resolved through management changes at one of the clubs.

Los Angeles FC will compete in Group D of the Club World Cup, where they will face Chelsea FC, Flamengo SC, and Espérance Sportive de Tunis. Their opening match will be against Chelsea at Mercedes Stadium on Monday. Los Angeles FC becomes the third team from the United States to participate in the tournament, joining Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders.

Los Angeles FC finished as runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League and won three major domestic titles in their first seven seasons: the MLS Fan Shield in 2019 and 2022, awarded to the team with the best record in the regular season, and the 2022 MLS Cup as playoff champions.

In 2014, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that Los Angeles FC would be the second team based in Los Angeles. By its debut in 2018, the team had built a strong fan base and a squad that aimed to play attacking football.

In 2019, Los Angeles FC broke several league records, including the most goals scored in a single season with 85 goals in 34 games, and the biggest goal difference with 48 goals. In 2022, Los Angeles FC won the MLS Cup after a thrilling penalty shootout victory, thanks to a late equalizer from Gareth Bale in extra time.

Throughout its short history, many players have shone in the Los Angeles FC jersey, most notably Mexican Carlos Vela, who left Real Sociedad in 2018 to become the club's first-ever signing. The Mexican star has since become one of the most influential foreign players in MLS history. The former Arsenal striker scored a record 34 goals in the 2019 season, earning him the MLS MVP award.

After seven years with LA Galaxy, Vela retired as the club's all-time leading scorer with 78 goals, most assists with 59, most appearances with 152, and most minutes played with 11,194.

Also making his mark at LA Galaxy was Uruguayan striker Diego Rossi, who joined the team from Peñarol at the age of 19 in 2018. In his third season in MLS, at 22, he became the youngest player in league history to win the Golden Boot, after scoring 14 goals in 19 games during the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to FIFA's official website, Rossi, a two-time All-Star, scored 48 goals and provided 21 assists in 104 regular-season appearances for Los Angeles FC.

The Los Angeles FC roster also includes Gabonese international Denis Bouanga, who joined the team in 2022 from French club Saint-Étienne. He scored 48 goals and provided 14 assists in 84 regular-season appearances for the club, winning the MLS Golden Boot in 2023 after scoring 20 goals in 31 matches. The French-born striker continued his impressive form in the 2024 season, adding another 20 league goals.