LAFC's Bouanga relishes Club World Cup playoff: 'better than the MLS final' | OneFootball

Between MLS Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup, Denis Bouanga has been a part of LAFC reaching five major finals since he arrived in the summer of 2022.

And while Saturday night's playoff against Club America for a place in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup isn't technically a final, in Bouanga's mind -- and likely that of most players involved for both sides -- it's even bigger.

"It’s a great opportunity, it’s even better than the MLS final," Bouanga said, through an interpreter, during Friday's official media availabilities. "It’s going to open doors."

With Club Leon disqualified from the tournament because they share ownership groups with another entrant, CF Pachuca, LAFC earned their playoff spot as the loser to Club Leon in the 2023 Concacaf club final. Club America is here by virtue of their best ranking among Concacaf clubs in FIFA's ratings.

Most of the media focus on the stakes of Saturday's contest has centered on the minimum of $9.55 million the winning club will receive for reaching the 32-team tournament.

Beyond prize money

But for the match's players, the chance to replace the disqualified Club Leon in Group D also represents a very rare chance to face some of the world's most storied sides, in this case, England's Chelsea and Brazil's Flamengo. (The group is rounded out by ES Tunis).

"In our region, it’s hard to get to the world stage," said LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead. "And so to be able to play against some teams that you can usually only see on TV is special. I don’t want to discount, though, what this club has done and what kind of a club we are, too."

And perhaps Hollingshead and Bouanga believe, on some level, that the berth should've already been there.

After reaching the 2023 Concacaf final against Club Leon, Bouanga snatched a late stoppage time away goal in the first leg that LAFC believed would set them up well for the return leg at home. Instead, the Black-and-Gold conceded midway through the first half and never really generated enough of a serious threat to make Club Leon uncomfortable en route to its first-ever continental honor.

Which makes Saturday one of the most precious opportunities of all: A second chance.

"There’s not very many of us left that played in that final against Leon," Hollingshead said. "And so to be a part of that final, this means even more to me because I know how much we fought to put ourselves there. ... We still obviously have some major regrets in that game. But this in a sense is a way to redeem that and get us that berth into the Club World Cup."