LAFC embrace surprise factor vs. Chelsea at Club World Cup | OneFootball

By Jonathan Sigal

Just how massive is the opportunity before LAFC at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

John Thorrington, the club’s co-president and general manager, put it into context ahead of Monday’s Group D opener against English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea FC (3 pm ET | DAZN.com).

“I had a pinch-me moment,” Thorrington explained earlier this week.

“… We’re going through our process – scouting, opposition analysis and what have you. You’re doing your normal video meetings and the last game we did was LAFC vs. Kansas City. I sat there and I was like, ‘The next time I look at the screen it’s going to say LAFC vs. Chelsea.’”

Seize the moment

That isn’t to suggest the Black & Gold, who enter the tournament with a 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, will be over-awed by the challenge ahead.

If anything, striker Olivier Giroud is encouraging his teammates to embrace facing world-class talents like Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo – a trio that recently helped Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League.

“I just told them, some of the youngsters, to grab the chance to play this kind of game,” said Giroud, a World Cup champion who spent several seasons at Chelsea.

“Have 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’s not going to happen every single year.”

Meanwhile, Denis Bouanga 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.

“We can be at the same level as the other teams,” the two-time MLS Best XI forward said via a translator.

“We can play at the same level, we can lead, we can win these games. I think they don’t know us much, so we can be that surprise.”

Global ambition

LAFC reached this stage largely because of Bouanga, whose extra-time strike vs. Club América sealed an epic 2-1 comeback victory on May 31. The sides met in a play-in game at BMO Stadium, with the winner replacing Club León as the 32nd and final team when the Club World Cup unfolds this summer across the United States.

That match between MLS and LIGA MX powerhouses showcased the “best environment of a club game I’ve ever seen in the States,” according to Thorrington. And now it’s time to carry that momentum forward, proving LAFC can more than compete.

“This is what we’re here for,” said Thorrington, who’s helped shape LAFC since well before their 2018 expansion season.

“We know it’s 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.”

Underdog role

It all starts Monday at Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where LAFC welcome the underdog role vs. Chelsea. From there, anything can happen.

“What I hope Chelsea and Flamengo and Tunis and all these teams – I hope they walk off the field with a great level of respect as to the quality of our players and the intensity and the commitment of our players,” said Thorrington.

“If we walk off the pitch every game with that, we will be proud and I trust that the results will fall our way.”

Added Giroud: "It’s a good test for the MLS teams and we need to grab that chance to show Europe what we’re made of."

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