Josh Gross – Orange County Register

LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo ready for what is likely his final El Tráfico

Josh Gross — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 01:03:15 +0000

As it stands now, Saturday night’s El Tráfico matchup at BMO Stadium will be the final encounter of 2025 between the Steve Cherundolo-led Los Angeles Football Club and its rival, the six-time Major League Soccer champion Galaxy.

Stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference, 14 points shy of a wild-card spot with 11 regular-season games left, chances are slim to none that the Galaxy (3-14-6, 15 points) will qualify for the MLS postseason.

A far more likely but not sure thing: the rivalry could renew in the Leagues Cup once that competition reaches the semifinal round of the knockout phase.

But if not, their second regular-season meeting this year, the 26th between the two in all competitions, represents the earliest and quickest conclusion to the annual derby series since it kicked off in 2018. Previously, the fastest they concluded was Aug. 24 during LAFC’s expansion campaign.

Over the past seven seasons, arguably the most compelling MLS rivalry took place three times per year and (in 2020, 2022 and 2023) as many as four.

“Judging from texts and comments from others around the league who are not emotionally attached to that game, I know a lot of people tune in,” Cherundolo said Friday. “What I take from that is the more games we can get where the intensity level is raised, the better the MLS looks. I love coaching in these games.”

Presuming they don’t cross paths again in 2025, Cherundolo shall depart for the next chapter of his managerial career after coaching 13 times against the Galaxy – the same total Bob Bradley accumulated throughout his four-year run with the Black & Gold.

Bradley pieced together a 3-5-5 record against the Galaxy, eventually nailing down an El Tráfico victory in LAFC’s sixth try during the 2019 postseason.

Cherundolo’s squads enjoyed more success after a dozen encounters, going 6-5-1 including the first draw since Bradley’s final season when LAFC (10-5-5, 35 points) headed to Dignity Health Sports Park in mid-May.

The 46-year-old coach said his most memorable El Tráfico came in his debut season, when LAFC won an MLS Cup Western Conference semifinal showdown, 3-2, at BMO Stadium.

French winger Denis Bouanga scored two goals on a night when LAFC took its initial step toward winning a first league championship.

To the delight of his head coach, his teammates and the supporters, Bouanga has reliably produced in big moments well into his fourth year with the Black & Gold.

On Saturday, Bouanga can become the first player to score in six consecutive derbies, surpassing Carlos Vela. If so, he will equal Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s El Tráfico total of nine goals, trailing only Vela’s 12.

“For every derby I want to score,” Bouanga said through an interpreter. “Since I was a kid I have dreamt about those games.”

On Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, a third straight clean sheet victory in eight days materialized for Bouanga and the boys after the 30-year-old three-time MLS All-Star bagged his 11th goal of the regular season, leaving him nine shy of tying Vela for the most in franchise history at 93.

Following the season-ending injury to captain Aaron Long, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was handed that role against Minnesota United FC.

Lloris excelled as captain over a record 121 games with the French national team, and across eight seasons with Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.

Coming into El Tráfico, wearing the armband is “not something I was looking to get, but it usually comes to me naturally,” Lloris said. “It doesn’t change my mind or my spirit or my approach to the game. Also the way I am in the changing room towards my teammates. With the absence of Aaron I will do my best to make sure the team is going in the right direction.”

GALAXY AT LAFC

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM

Manny Pacquiao ‘feels the fire’ in his heart in pursuit of boxing history

Josh Gross — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 22:07:22 +0000

Manny Pacquiao works out during media day on June 25, 2025, at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, as the former boxing champion is coming out of retirement to challenge welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer)

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HOLLYWOOD — Freddie Roach learned that Manny Pacquiao planned to come out of retirement like the rest of us. So in May, when ESPN reported Pacquiao was ending his four-year break from boxing to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the 65-year-old trainer found himself riding an emotional rollercoaster.

Roach remembered the good times and smiled at the thought of helping his guy add to an already legendary résumé by becoming the only boxer to win a world title as a Hall of Famer.

“But then part of me started thinking about maybe the negative side,” Roach recalled in late June. “Your mind wanders back and forth when you’re sleeping. Which one do you want? Do you want him to quit? At one point, I wanted to call him up and ask him and his wife to make the right decision and just retire. And then a couple hours later, I wanted to call them up and say, ‘Yeah, let’s make it happen.’

“I usually don’t let that get to me, and I usually go with the right decision. Because there is a wrong and a right decision. You don’t want one of your fighters to get hurt.”

The last time Roach worked Pacquiao’s corner, the inseparable duo lost on points following a flat-footed night in 2021 against Cuban Yordenis Ugás. That 42-year-old version of Pacquiao, who needed stitches for more than one cut on his face, bore little resemblance to the buzzsaw that won belts across eight divisions.

Among prizefighting’s biggest draws the past two decades with Roach at his side, Pacquiao (62-8-2) essentially experienced everything the sport could offer when he opted to retire and launched an ultimately unsuccessful Philippine presidential campaign in 2022.

However, Pacquiao’s recent decision to lace up the gloves again set the stage for something new: a rite of passage great fighters often come to experience despite intending to walk away.

“It is really hard to give up your passion,” Pacquiao said. “After four years, I realized that it’s good for my body to rest. And I can still feel the fire in my heart to push my limits, to continue my career.”

‘He wants it back’

Roach understands that universal truths about fighters, having been one himself, apply to pugs and superstars alike. Rare are those with enough awareness to recognize the proper moment to step away and the willingness to follow through.

Whatever early misgivings the 2012 Boxing Hall of Fame inductee had about “Pac Man” walking a perilous new path to the ring were put to bed when the two spoke. Roach might not have had input before reading headlines about Pacquiao’s return in the spring, but he wasn’t going to get the band back together without satisfying his concerns.

“I would never put a fighter back in the ring when he’s not prepared,” Roach said. “I would never do that.”

Pacquiao informed Roach that he was running twice a day, he wanted to fight for the right reasons, and he had the requisite hunger to do what was required to have his hand raised.

“I don’t think it’s ‘turn back the clock,’” Roach said. “He just misses what he had. He wants it back.”

What Roach missed most about not seeing Pacquiao around Wild Card Boxing, his famous Hollywood gym situated at the back of a strip mall near the corner of Vine Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, was Pacquiao’s “intoxicating” work ethic, which always seemed to elevate the level of competition and intensity in the place.

Shortly after Pacquiao’s comeback became public, it happened that the city of Los Angeles was honoring Roach’s 30-year contribution to the area, renaming it “Freddie Roach Square” on May 18.

From the day Pacquiao knocked on the steel door guarding Wild Card from the outside world and asked to hit mitts in 2001, he and Roach have been “addicted to each other,” said Hall of Fame publicist Fred Sternburg.

“They have such a good time. They work so hard,” Sternburg said. “And it’s probably the most productive partnership I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been working in boxing. And they just feed off of each other.”

A tall order

Reconnecting with Pacquiao was obviously wonderful, but Roach’s initial hesitation also extended to himself.

Was the trainer, who continues to work with a crop of up-and-comers, ready to run a training camp and properly prepare Pacquiao rather than falling into a trap of some pantomime show mimicking the days when they were at the top of their game?

Enduring Parkinson’s disease for more than half his life, Roach pondered if he could fully offer Pacquiao what he had to have in mind, body and spirit to navigate another 12-round championship bout against an opponent in his prime.

In 2023, Barrios, 30, did what Pacquiao was unable to by beating Ugás to claim the then interim WBC welterweight title and improve to 29-2-1.

The San Antonio-born boxer has plenty going for him Saturday beyond youth and vitality, and will bring something Pacquiao is very familiar with for the PBC pay-per-view fight on Prime Video: considerable size and reach advantages.

Standing seven inches above the Filipino’s 5-foot-5 frame, Barrios, the tallest opponent Pacquiao ever fought, weaponizes his physical gifts with fundamentals like a stiff and rangy jab, a dangerous counter right and meaningful body punches.

“This fight is unique,” Pacquiao said, flashing his endearing smile. “I love it. There’s a big question in the minds of the fans if, at 46, can Manny still fight? Can Manny still win?”

Pacquiao arrived in L.A. on a Sunday evening intent to find out. The next morning, with no sleep, he went for a typical early run and spent two hours at Wild Card that afternoon doing 12 rounds on the mitts. He returned the next day for more. A month into camp, any slippage from the four-year absence was no longer on anyone’s mind.

An admitted taskmaster, Roach pushed Pacquiao to rest and recover instead of taking daily mountain runs in Griffith Park. They agreed to spend some of those hours working out on grass to avoid the wear-and-tear that comes with preparing an aging body for unarmed combat.

Eschewing doubts and concerns for good vibes as the fight got closer, Roach said that the experience of seeing Pacquiao “in the ring showing the public what he can do and showing me what he can do is like living life all over again.”

LAFC moving forward after Aaron Long’s season-ending injury

Josh Gross — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 02:19:08 +0000

The Los Angeles Football Club was already in the market for center backs. Then team captain and defensive anchor Aaron Long ruptured his left Achilles tendon on Saturday night, making that a priority.

After going down in the 76th minute of LAFC’s 2-0 victory over FC Dallas at BMO Stadium, Long, 32, underwent successful surgery on Monday evening to repair an injury that wasn’t immediately apparent to people in the stands or the press box.

On the field, though, there was no mystery.

“For me, as soon as I saw his face on the ground in the game, I already noticed what was happening,” said fullback Sergi Palencia, who has played together on the backline with Long and fellow outside back Ryan Hollingshead for most of the past two-plus seasons. “It was so sad. Not only are we going to miss him so much on the field. Off the field, also, he is a huge part for us.”

Long appeared in 104 matches in all competitions after joining the club as a free agent in 2023. Named captain in his third season in L.A., Long’s joking manner and way of speaking endeared him to the group as much as his sustained, hard-nosed play.

“As a footballer you just know how quickly it can be taken from you,” Hollingshead said. “And so you watch one of your best buds and captain and starting center back and such a rock for our defense go down like that in that way, and especially grueling for him because he’s dealt with this injury before, so it’s something that he knows well.”

In May of 2021, with the New York Red Bulls, Long ruptured his right Achilles tendon while landing from a jumping header.

Eight months later, he was back to training at full speed.

“He’s going to be in the gym showing the young kids what it’s like to recover from an injury,” a hopeful Hollingshead said.

Unavailable from the midway point of the season on, Long’s rehab gets underway as his team faces an important midweek trip to second-place Minnesota United FC, which has played three more MLS games than LAFC (9-5-5, 32 points) and is eight points above Coach Steve Cherundolo’s club in the Western Conference standings.

Opening league play by beating Minnesota, 1-0, on Feb. 22 at BMO Stadium, Cherundolo had five of the roster’s seven center backs listed on the team sheet, starting Long next to Marlon Santos.

Cherundolo is likely to have three on Wednesday night at Allianz Field against the Loons (11-4-7, 40 points) – Eddie Segura, Nkosi Tafari and first-team contracted LAFC2 regular Kenny Nielsen, a 23-year-old Irvine native who is in line to make his MLS debut.

Placing Long on the season-ending injury list means LAFC gets roster relief and can sign a player of equal value on top of the money it saved with the departures of Olivier Giroud and Marlon. Ahead of the summer transfer window, those resources, including $750,000 in general allocation money plus several million dollars in winnings from the FIFA Club World Cup prize pool, should go toward shoring up positions across the field.

Meanwhile, current players – including Long, who played 375 of LAFC’s 390 Club World Cup-related minutes – will split $1.8 million dollars from the CWC excursion.

On Tuesday, The Athletic reported a deal had been struck on June 27 between MLS and the players’ association.

Increasing the guaranteed money going to LAFC, Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami CF players by 40% above what is required in the collective bargaining agreement, each roster received $1.4 million, plus 30% of any performance prize.

MLS chief communications officer Dan Courtemanche said the league “provided the players with the most lucrative bonus package in the tournament.”

Hollingshead was less than impressed, noting that even though players remained committed to competing they were very much distracted by how negotiations unfolded.

A range of actions occupied his mind a month ago, including a strike, but ultimately he removed himself from talks that he felt went nowhere.

“We should have gone in with joy, everybody excited to split a huge amount of money that was being thrown at this tournament,” Hollingshead said. “Instead, it’s millionaires pickpocketing, pinching pennies over little amounts. So it’s frustrating.”

That said, the defender credited LAFC ownership for communicating well with the team and pushing hard for players to earn a greater share from a tournament that concluded Sunday with a notable Black & Gold footnote: The road to Chelsea FC’s tournament title began with a 2-0 victory over LAFC in Atlanta.

“We can compete against everybody,” Palencia said. “Even the winner of the Club World Cup.”

LAFC AT MINNESOTA UNITED FC

When: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Allianz Field, St. Paul., Minn.

TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM

LAFC shuts out FC Dallas for 2nd straight win

Josh Gross — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 05:28:55 +0000

LOS ANGELES — A confidence-boosting win on Wednesday gave the Los Angeles FC a result to build on.

And that’s exactly what LAFC did Saturday night, disentangling FC Dallas 2-0 to secure back-to-back three-point efforts at BMO Stadium.

Goals from Nathan Ordaz and Denis Bouanga before the break paved the way for consecutive wins in the league from LAFC for the first time since Matchdays 1 and 2.

“There is rhythm, that’s great to see,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “There is confidence, that’s also good to see. But it’s well-earned, I think. There’s a lot of good moments in training sessions the last couple weeks, where I think we’ve grown and realized things as a group that we need to sharpen up and we need to maintain in order to sustain performances and results like this.”

Throughout the opening half hour, featuring the same lineup that worked over the Rapids, LAFC attempted to break down another foe working out of a deep block.

Though they did not put a shot on target until the 22nd minute, LAFC created moments of danger, showcasing some of the improved play Cherundolo complimented his players on in the wake of the win against Colorado.

“Against us, teams are just going to do that naturally when you have dangerous threats,” Ordaz said. “We just have to play, be confident, trust in each other’s movement, tactics and it went well today.”

Ordaz did his part in the 31st minute, making the most of a Dallas (5-10-6, 21 points) turnover in their defensive third. When the ball bounced to Mark Delgado, the midfielder dished it to Bouanga, who took a nice touch before finding Ordaz in the box.

The 21-year-old L.A. native, an international for El Salvador, controlled the pass and, in one fluid motion, turned to slot his shot low inside the far post and beat Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes.

“We capitalized on the mistakes, which maybe we were struggling to do a couple months back,” Ordaz said. “But we’re trying to start a streak and go to first place in the league.”

The Van Nuys product’s fifth score in MLS play this season gave him goals in consecutive games for the first time in his career, and upped Bouanga’s team-leading assist total to seven. Delgado was credited with his sixth assist of the season.

Shortly before halftime, Bouanga’s team-leading goal tally hit double digits for a third straight season, joining Diego Rossi as the only LAFC players to accomplish that.

Making the most of a wide open transition moment, Delgado fed Bouanga, who powered into the box and split a pair of Dallas defenders, prompting a foul on Shaq Moore and the winger’s fifth successful penalty conversion in MLS this year.

Ignoring the pause in league games that came with qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup, LAFC has lost once in its last 12 MLS contests going back to mid-April. Coincidentally or not, Bouanga, who went goalless in the club’s first half dozen league games, scored 10 goals and tallied six assists over that successful stretch.

For the players, a confidence boost “means that we’re coming back to the rhythm we had before the Club World Cup,” midfielder Timothy Tillman said this week. “Before the Club World Cup, we were very successful, very confident, and that’s where we are now, especially emotionally. We just need to keep the confidence high and keep performing.”

Owning possession 62% to 38% in front of announced crowd of 22,117, LAFC peppered Dallas, unleashing 17 shots (10 on target) compared to 10 total for the visitors, who forced Hugo Lloris into one save en route to his seventh shutout of the year in his 50th appearance for the Black & Gold.

The outcome elevated LAFC (9-5-5, 32 points) into the sixth spot in the Western Conference prior to visiting second-place Minnesota on Wednesday.

LAFC may have to take the trip minus team captain Aaron Long, who went down with an apparent non-contact injury to his left leg in the 75th minute. Long had to be helped off the field by his teammates and was carted to the locker room.

“Obviously it didn’t look good,” Cherundolo said. “Aaron will get through this, and so will we. Of course, it’s never great to see in any match, but I think, as bitter as it is in sports, the team always comes first. Individuals have to put their needs, wants just kind of on the back burner for now and Aaron will get through this. He’s been through it before. We need to keep moving forward as a group, and I thought the performance from the group was excellent tonight.”

LAFC’s Nkosi Tafari stays patient amid roster crunch

Josh Gross — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 01:11:43 +0000

Where the universe leads, Nkosi Tafari aims to follow.

“I know the universe has a plan and I’m here to just sorta see that out in any way, shape or form,” the 28-year-old LAFC center back said Friday. “Just letting things unfold, you know?”

One year ago, suiting up for LAFC wasn’t something the 6-foot-4 FC Dallas product ever contemplated. Then in January, LAFC exchanged $300,000 in 2026 general allocation money plus an international roster slot for the same year to acquire a center back who LAFC general manager John Thorrington lauded as a “player of great promise,” one capable of fulfilling his potential with the club.

As preseason wrapped and the season opener was on deck, the difference between Dallas and the place the universe sent him to this time was clearly defined in Tafari’s mind.

“There were certain moments in Dallas where the environment in training wasn’t what it could be to where things start to diminish and you don’t reach what you’re trying to reach,” the New York City native said on Feb. 15. “Here, it’s more like a ‘kill or be killed’ type of thing. If you really want to reach what you’re trying to get to, you can go grab it but if not then you might just fall amongst the shuffle.”

In his perfect world coming out of a hopeful preseason, Tafari, which translates to “he who inspires awe” in Amharic, spoke about wanting to stay healthy and play every game.

Five months and 28 matches later, it hasn’t fully worked out that way.

Tafari remains fit, however playing time has been tough to come by behind Aaron Long, Eddie Segura and Marlon Santos.

With Marlon’s departure at the end of June, an ongoing fixture crunch and an unclear timetable for Maxime Chanot’s return from concussion concerns, the door appears ajar for Tafari to receive his first starting assignment since April 5 on Saturday night when LAFC (8-5-5, 26 points) hosts Dallas (5-9-6, 21 points) at BMO Stadium.

After doing that in five of the first dozen LAFC matches this year, Tafari played a total of 28 minutes in the past 15 games, including a stretch of 10 straight without leaving the bench. The bulk of that time (26 minutes) came Wednesday night in a 3-0 victory over Colorado.

If the universe, via LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, inserts Tafari into the starting lineup against Dallas, it will come against an opponent he made 107 regular-season appearances for, including 84 starts, totaling 7,885 minutes after being selected 14th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

“I don’t make any of the decisions based on playing time, but I still have a mandate to conduct myself in the highest manner,” Tafari said. “I just go about doing that on an everyday basis. If I can push myself to try and get better everyday then that means the lads in front of me are getting better everyday. And they know what it is. This is a high efficient club where competition is essentially the cause of what makes us better. Whether I’m in or I’m out, I’ll be ready. And I still enjoy training as much as anything else. It’s just a part of the process.”

Utilizing a mobile, aggressive backline that likes to play higher up the field, center backs in LAFC’s game model must slide through laterally more than vertically, which is one tactical adjustment Tafari worked on in recent months.

“He’s done fine,” Cherundolo said. “I just think he has two really good center backs ahead of him. That’s it. There’s no reason to overcomplicate it. Nkosi is a wonderful teammate and human being around the training facility and locker room. He’s a pleasure to coach. I feel he’s still improving. That’s the reality of playing for LAFC sometimes. There’s a lot of good players on the roster.”

FC DALLAS AT LAFC

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM

LAFC shuts out short-handed Rapids for 1st win in a month

Josh Gross — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 05:08:58 +0000

LAFC forward Denis Bouanga prepares to convert a penalty kick for a goal during the first half of an MLS match against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

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LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Football Club has ground to make up over the second half of the MLS season if it wants to win the Western Conference for the third time in four years under head coach Steve Cherundolo.

LAFC (8-5-5, 29 points) didn’t let a good chance go to waste on Wednesday night, handling the Colorado Rapids, who were forced to play with 10 men for most of the match, 3-0, in front of an announced crowd of 22,230 at BMO Stadium.

Attackers Denis Bouanga, Nathan Ordaz and Javairô Dilrosun powered LAFC to its first win since June 8. For the second time this season, LAFC’s three starting forwards got on the scoresheet.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris returned to the starting lineup after missing one league contest following the conclusion of the FIFA Club World Cup, making a pair of saves to preserve his sixth shutout of the season.

When LAFC last crossed paths with Colorado in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League series at the end of February, the Rapids accused defender Sergi Palencia of using discriminatory language during an exchange with center back Chidozie Awaziem.

Within a week the confederation cleared Palencia of wrongdoing and the two teams went about their business. But months after the fact, the Spanish defender and the Rapids quickly mixed it up again.

Six minutes after kickoff, Palenica jumped for a header in front of the Colorado bench. When 20-year-old Rapids defender Jackson Travis barreled into Palencia, the Mississippi native received a straight red card from referee Jair Marrufo for direct contact to Palencia’s face with his left arm at speed.

Watching in front of the bench, the action that resulted in the earliest red card by an LAFC opponent did not look malicious to Cherundolo.

“I don’t think there was any real intent there to hurt Sergi by any means,” Cherundolo said. “Just a hard play and the ref made his decision. He could have called a yellow card, too, but he made his decision. That’s why they’re refs and we’re not.”

Down a man, Rapids head coach Chris Armas removed forward Darren Yapi for fullback Keegan Rosenberry and the visitors sank into a low block to limit LAFC’s chances, ceding possession or any semblance of an offensive attack in the process.

“Playing in a controlled manner against a deep block has not been very easy for us,” Cherundolo said. “But tonight I think the guys did an excellent job of playing with control but also the right time to create some dynamic movements in the final third.”

Colorado (7-10-5, 26 points) didn’t take a shot on goal until the 68th minute and by then LAFC was comfortably ahead, a welcome change from recent results when the team fell behind in seven of its past eight games.

Scoring once over its previous 360 minutes of game action, including three group stage games at the Club World Cup and a 1-0 defeat in LAFC’s previous appearance at home on June 29 against Vancouver, breaking the Rapids down wasn’t so simple.

Compared to its futile performance against Vancouver, when individual attempts outweighed collective effort, “it’s a really good step in the right direction for us,” Cherundolo said.

Bouanga, the man most responsible for LAFC getting on the scoreboard the past three years, cracked open the game doing what he does best in the 40th minute.

Shrugging off a defender at midfield, Bouanga sprinted toward the Rapids’ net, reached the box, split two more Colorado players, and went down after being fouled by Andreas Maxso.

Bouanga’s ninth goal of the season marked his 50th regular-season finish in 87 MLS appearances.

A hammered shot into the upper portion of the net made the Frenchman the 15th MLS player to score that many goals in fewer than 90 league games, joining Carlos Vela (50 goals in 61 games) as LAFC players to accomplish the feat.

Bouanga tied Vela for the most game-winning goals in an LAFC uniform at 19, and with 83 goals in all competitions is 10 behind the Mexican legend for the most in club history.

“I hope to get the numbers of a player I consider an icon of the football world and LAFC,” Bouanga said through an interpreter, assistant coach Marc Dos Santos. “If I have the chance to pass those numbers I want to keep on doing it to become an icon in the club myself.”

LAFC sealed the three-point night early in the second half when Ordaz, playing at center forward, tapped in his fourth goal of the year with a rebound off a Dilrosun shot.

Before the hour mark, Dilrosun, on loan from Club América from June 11 through July 24, scored his first goal for LAFC on a left-footed finish to the far post as Bouanga and Timothy Tillman assisted the Dutch winger inside the box.

Dilrosun, 26, is the 14th player to score for LAFC this year.

“It’s good for the team because everybody participates in the attack,” said Bouanga, who received his third straight selection as an MLS All-Star. “We’re not just focusing on one player and it’s important that that keeps up.”

LAFC seeks consistency entering 2nd half of its MLS schedule

Josh Gross — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 01:50:17 +0000

At the start. In the middle. And by the end.

For the Los Angeles Football Club, each checkpoint along the way in 2025 means games against the Colorado Rapids.

Beginning Feb. 18 in Commerce City, Colorado, leg one of its opening CONCACAF Champions Cup series, expectations for LAFC were where they’ve been since Steve Cherundolo led the team to the MLS Cup title in his first season as head coach.

High, very high. Internally and externally, the lens to judge LAFC has always magnified results.

Losing 2-1 to the Rapids but grabbing a spirit-lifting late goal in its season debut, LAFC recovered quick, beating Minnesota, 1-0, in its MLS opener and taking care of Colorado by the same score a few days later, part of a strong two-week start that produced four shutouts and arguably the best performance of the 27 games the club has played to this point, a 3-0 domination of Columbus.

Then LAFC slipped, conceding five goals in Seattle before holding on for dear life during arguably the team’s weakest performance of the year, the second leg against the Crew.

Great performances mixed with lethargic ones – consistency or a lack thereof – has been the theme so far for Cherundolo’s final season with LAFC.

“The potential you’ve seen from the group has been great in both directions,” Cherundolo said. “That’s something we need to clean up for the second half of the season in the MLS. We need to have less great performances and more really good performances and certainly less poor performances. Everything needs to balance out a little bit in order for us to reach our goals in the tables that we have and to catch up in points and to put ourselves in a position to play for a trophy. Breeding some consistency in performances but also results is the objective over the last half of the season.”

What will be a differentiator?

“I think it’s really important not to waste any moments,” Cherundolo said. “Moments meaning games you can win. Moments also meaning chances in each game.”

Instead of finishing half the league schedule by May 31 against Colorado at home as originally planned, LAFC rallied past Liga MX giant Club América to claim the final spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. More MLS matches were postponed as a consequence, leaving LAFC (and Inter Miami) with two to four games in hand on the rest of the league.

Due to its Club World Cup berth, LAFC waited a month to play MLS game No. 17, on June 29, a 1-0 home loss to Vancouver.

Based on the initial MLS schedule, LAFC was supposed to reach regular-season match No. 21 by July 5, with a trip to Austin, Texas.

Since the game was postponed due to the catastrophic flash floods that cost the lives of more than 100 people in central Texas, the beginning of the second half of LAFC’s regular season was pushed to Wednesday against the Rapids.

Both on 26 points near the playoff line, Colorado (7-9-5) enters with four more MLS matches under its belt than LAFC (7-5-5).

“When you are in a good moment and winning games, that’s also a great time to have a congested schedule because things are flowing and going in the right direction,” Cherundolo said coming into a stretch of five games in 17 days. “It’s important to get things going, get the ball rolling in the right direction [Wednesday].

“Time is running out and the schedule is what it is. We cannot change that.”

The regular-season finale on Saturday, Oct. 18 – against the Rapids in Colorado – is right around the corner.

COLORADO RAPIDS AT LAFC

When: Saturday, 7:25 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/Radio: Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM

LAFC adds Giorgio Chiellini to ownership group

Josh Gross — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:04:09 +0000

Less than two seasons after retiring from professional soccer as a member of the Los Angeles Football Club, legendary Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini officially returned to the Black & Gold on Tuesday as the 25th member of the club’s ownership group.

“When I arrived here three years ago as a player, I immediately felt that there was something special about this club,” Chiellini said in a statement announcing the news. “It is an ambitious organization, built by extraordinary people and supported by a community that truly makes you feel at home. That is why, last year, I expressed my desire to become an owner, and now I’m proud to continue this journey and give my support to a project I deeply believe in.”

On the field with LAFC, Chiellini made 38 starts in 45 appearances across all competitions, winning the 2022 Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup while finishing runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, Campeones Cup and MLS Cup.

When Chiellini’s 22-year competitive career concluded in December 2023, his influence at LAFC switched to a front office and a player development role, which had less to do with coaching than it did exposing the 40-year-old defender to the full panoply of the organization’s structure.

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, whose first season coincided with Chiellini’s arrival, called the ownership news “amazing” and described the Italian as someone who lights up any room or stadium he enters.

“To have him permanently part of the LAFC family is great news for Los Angeles,” Cherundolo said Tuesday. “And even better news for LAFC. It’s awesome to see him here. The more of Giorgio, the better.”

Calling his minority ownership status with LAFC as a “great honor for me,” Chiellini remains affiliated with Juventus, the Italian club where he was named Serie A defender of the year three times and became famous while winning nine straight league titles, among other accolades over his 18 years with the Bianconeri and another 117 appearances for the Italian national team. He is also an investor in the women’s side of Italian football.

“We are thankful to have the opportunity for Giorgio to continue his legacy with LAFC as a member of our ownership group,” LAFC lead managing owner Bennett Rosenthal said in a statement. “Giorgio has always brought tremendous leadership, professionalism, and character everywhere he goes, and his values perfectly align with the long-term vision we have for LAFC. We are grateful to have Giorgio as our friend and now partner.”

LAFC enters pivotal stretch amid injuries, packed slate

Josh Gross — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 21:14:43 +0000

Midway through Major League Soccer’s regular season schedule, the Los Angeles Football Club knows the fewest number of games it will play this year is 47.

The most?

A whopping club record, 57.

That 10-game margin, bookended by what would be a disastrous end to Steve Cherundolo’s four-year run as head coach of LAFC or a massively triumphant departure on his terms, shall tell the Black & Gold tale for 2025.

Piggybacking on a record 103 games for an MLS team the past two years, LAFC can reach 160 by the conclusion of this season.

That means advancing out of the Leagues Cup group phase, which begins on July 29, and winning twice more to reach the tournament final.

Then, pending wild card and best-of-three series possibilities, another five to seven games would put LAFC in its third MLS Cup final of the Cherundolo era.

Wherever LAFC lands within the sad-happy spectrum is difficult to discern through its 27 matches so far, including six CONCACAF Champions Cup appearances and four more related to the FIFA Club World Cup.

Currently seventh in the MLS Western Conference standings and middle of the pack in the Supporters’ Shield race, after this month LAFC (7-5-5, 26 points) will have a better sense of how it stacks up against the league.

Saturday at Austin FC (7-8-5, 26 points), LAFC begins a stretch of six MLS regular season dates in 21 days, including a road trip to Minnesota and home contests against Colorado, Dallas, the Galaxy and Portland.

With games in hand and the MLS secondary transfer window opening on July 24, messaging from Cherundolo at the moment is clear.

“We need results,” he said. “And that’s it. That’s the bottom line.”

LAFC missed out last Sunday when it lost 1-0 to second-place Vancouver at BMO Stadium, where solo efforts superseded teamwork and Cherundolo’s group was left with little to show for its first MLS match at home since the Club World Cup.

“It’s nothing new,” Cherundolo said of his team’s misstep. “Nothing earth-shattering. It’s a repeat of things in the past. So as we make steps forward, sometimes we make steps back.”

Inconsistent performances have defined LAFC’s season up to this point, shifting from collective moments of brilliance to general listlessness. Players seem to freelance on their own to find goals rather than operating within the ideas expressed by the coaches.

“Sometimes we’re really good at it,” forward Nathan Ordaz said about playing as a group. “Sometimes we’re not. Usually, when we are, we win games. So we should probably follow it.”

After absorbing a knock to his head during the Club World Cup that forced him to rest, Ordaz is ready to contribute. That should be positive news considering the club’s packed schedule this month means attackers, highlighted by 2025 MLS All-Star Denis Bouanga, will take on a heavier load in the wake of Olivier Giroud’s departure.

Defenders also need to step up following the expiration of Brazilian center back Marlon Santos’s contract on June 30.

For one more match on Saturday, at least, they will play in front of a goalkeeper not named Hugo Lloris. The legendary Frenchman is expected to miss a second straight league contest with an arm injury.

Following the Vancouver defeat, which saw backup David Ochoa start, LAFC has lost all three MLS games without Lloris in the lineup since his arrival last year.

LAFC AT AUSTIN FC

When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas

TV/radio: Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM

LAFC shut out by Whitecaps in 1st match since Club World Cup

Josh Gross — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 04:16:14 +0000

LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman, front, kicks the ball against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the first half of an MLS match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

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LOS ANGELES — Hoping a return home for league play following two weeks at the FIFA Club World Cup would push LAFC in a positive direction leading into the second half of the MLS season wasn’t enough to get it done on Sunday.

Instead, the Vancouver Whitecaps made one shot on target and a 1-0 advantage last through the final whistle, as the visitors frustrated LAFC, remained near the top of the Western Conference standings, and snapped a five-game winless streak at BMO Stadium.

Exiting the Club World Cup after three group stage matches, LAFC (7-5-5, 26 points) walked onto its home field with at least two games and as many as four games in hand on its conference foes, offering the team an opportunity to rocket up the conference table if results go its way.

But after conceding five goals and the top spot in the west to San Diego FC on Wednesday, Vancouver (11-3-5, 38 points) reaffirmed its status as the least-scored-upon unit in MLS (19 goals allowed) by stopping LAFC from getting its busy summer schedule off on the right foot.

“We knew it was going to be a tough task tonight, but I don’t think fatigue played a role in that,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “Our opponent played this week as well on Wednesday, so I just think it’s maybe a little lack of quality we’re missing tonight and cohesiveness offensively.

“What we’ve been good at is being able to punish teams on the other end, and that wasn’t the case tonight and that’s why I think we lost.”

Vancouver, which tied LAFC, 2-2, in Canada in May, entered the contest missing seven players, including 2025 MLS All-Stars Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter, who are with the U.S. men’s national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

LAFC placed four of 15 shots on target against its short-handed opponents, yet it was the third time this year that the team failed to score in an MLS match. LAFC had been unbeaten in nine straight MLS matches dating to April 12, including a 4-0-1 run at home. For the seventh time in eight games, LAFC also conceded the opening goal.

In the 20th minute, Vancouver forward Emmanuel Sabbi cashed in a play he initiated at midfield. Maintaining his balance with the ball before connecting on a give-and-go through midfielder Jeevan Baldwal, Sabbi ran deep into the box, deftly controlled a driving cross, and in one fell swoop struck his shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Ochoa, who received his first playing time in place of Hugo Lloris.

“I’m always going to think I can save it,” said the 24-year-old Ochoa, who admitted to playing a “shaky” opening 20 minutes. “It’s tough though. You don’t have too much time to think. The way I saw it, he took a great touch. He shouldn’t be receiving so easily. But he takes a great touch and I thought just make myself as big as possible. I thought that’s what I did but unfortunately it still goes in.”

LAFC lost all three MLS regular-season matches Lloris did not play in since he joined the club last season, and midway through the 2025 schedule, the Black & Gold are 1-5-4 when they fall behind first.

Appearing in his final game with LAFC after mutually agreeing to part ways following less than a year in L.A., French center forward Olivier Giroud made his first MLS start since April 27, joining Denis Bouanga and Javairô Dilrosun in his MLS debut.

Giroud, 38, sought to make a difference, drilling a left-footed shot over the bar in the 17th minute and trying another inside the box before the half among his game-high four attempts, but the striker’s effort looked a lot like many of his other matches with L.A.

A step slow. A hair off. Just not sharp enough.

As he departs for the French top flight with Lille in Ligue 1, Giroud predicted LAFC is “going very far this year in the league, and I hope so but they need to keep going, being more consistent in the small details.

“Like tonight, I felt we had the game in hand but conceded the goal. It was too easy. The player did great control and good finishing, but we can’t let that happen. Because we put so much effort to stay in the game and to attack. Consistency is the word I would say to keep improving and win something this year.”

Despite producing well below the expectations he arrived with last summer, the announced crowd of 22,126 wished Giroud a fond farewell when he was subbed off in the 60th minute for LAFC homegrown Nathan Ordaz. The young forward was among four changes Cherundolo made in the second half as the team searched for an equalizer.

“Our attack looked very individual tonight instead as a group,” Cherundolo said. “We were lacking one or two more passes in the final third to finish some of those attacks and movements. And we’ll work on that. We’ll show the players that there were some golden opportunities out there that we missed due to poor decision-making, very similar to what we saw at the Club World Cup and prior to that.”