Two among the handful of teams from North America that participated in the FIFA Club World Cup will clash for the first time on Friday night.
Facing C.F. Pachuca at BMO Stadium for the second of three Leagues Cup matches determining which teams from MLS and Liga MX advance to the knockout round, the Los Angeles Football Club could use three points after Mazatlán edged the Black & Gold in a 12-round penalty kick shootout on Tuesday when Denis Bouanga skied his second attempt over the crossbar.
Bouanga, the Leagues Cup’s all-time leading scorer, is “a guy that always wants to compete on the highest level,” LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman said, “so he’s for sure mad about missing that PK but that might help us against Pachuca.”
For a depleted, fatigued roster that must be protected from overuse until new options arrive during the transfer window, Pachuca marks the 34th of at least 47 matches LAFC is guaranteed to play this year.
At the moment, the Mexican side is in much better shape than it was one month ago, when the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League winner washed out of the Club World Cup group stage without a point, giving up five more goals than it scored, finishing near the bottom of 32 teams.
“It left us with a lot of lessons learned,” said Jaime Lozano, who was named Pachuca head coach two weeks before the start of the competition.
Since suffering in the deep end of a competitive preseason, Lozano’s team, capable of scoring in transition and the run of play, has won four straight games – a trio in a quick start to the Liga MX Apertura schedule plus Tuesday’s 3-2 Leagues Cup opener at San Diego FC.
Homegrown talent Alexei Dominguez, who at the age of 20 has drawn comparisons to Mexican star Chucky Lozano, scored two goals against SDFC. Venezuelan target Jhonder Cádiz is “unorthodox for a Liga MX style” player, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said.
Pachuca has shown it can win one-on-one situations on the flanks, or target players in the box.
“We will give it our best shot,” Cherundolo said. “It’s a team that can hurt us, that can score against us. But I also see vulnerabilities and I also see moments LAFC can hurt Pachuca. We will treat this game with utmost respect and try to win it.
“I expect our team to play with a fast tempo, with a high rhythm and if we do things right and have a good day technically I think we can cause Pachuca some problems in the defensive end.”
LAFC, like Pachuca, did not survive the Club World Cup group stage.
Despite a dismal second half in its second match against Esperance that felt like a gut punch when Bouanga failed to convert an equalizing PK in the last seconds, LAFC players found confidence drawing with Flamengo and hanging tough with eventual champion Chelsea FC.
How LAFC stacked up in a tournament no one anticipated at the start of the year, which required Bouanga scoring the latest game-winner in franchise history to capture the intense $9.55 million match against Club América, turned more than a few heads.
“Bouanga we know,” said Lozano, who instructed his players to help defend the Frenchman and deny him space. “He’s a very good winger, for sure. For his team he’s a very important player. We have to pay attention to him.
“They’re a rival that we’ve watched in Mexico quite a lot.”
C.F. PACHUCA AT LAFC
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+/710 AM, 980 AM
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