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 crew hosts Club Am rica 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 crew 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 declared We need to grab the opportunity What s more the winning club at BMO Stadium will be guaranteed at least million for its Club World Cup berth along with a shot at nearly million from the tournament s biggest-ever prize pool of nearly 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 gang and the biggest professional club in Mexico Los Angeles passion for all forms of Mexican soccer is famously rabid and Am rica 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 reported I think the stakes are ostensibly 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 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 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 Am rica 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 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 Giroud reported I ve never played in it It could be nice to meet Chelsea again but obviously it will be a massive competition 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 Am rica got this opportunity after FIFA disqualified Le n because of its rules against participation by multiple clubs owned by the same entity Le n and fellow Liga MX qualifier Pachuca are owned by the same group and Le n lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after attempting to change its ownership structure The decision was only finalized 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 Am rica already met in a preseason friendly in Los Angeles this year but the play-in is a different animal I believe this match will be prepared like a final noted LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris another World Cup champion It s going to be thought-provoking 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 winning the MLS Cup playoff championship in 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 Am rica is generally considered both the the bulk popular and the the greater part decorated club in Mexico and Las guilas have been on top of Liga MX for much of the previous three seasons Their Brazilian coach Andr Jardine attracted international praise while his group won three straight titles before losing the Clausura final to Toluca last Sunday night falling just short of becoming only the second gang in Mexico s history to win four consecutive championships AP soccer https apnews com soccer Source