GOAL's MLS and Liga MX correspondents make their case for each club in this preview ahead of Saturday night's affair

There is $10 million at stake when the battle between North American heavyweights arrives Saturday evening as MLS side LAFC host Club America in a one-game playoff for a berth in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The winner of the contest advances to this summer's marquee tournament, which features 32 of the world's best teams. The victor will join Group D in the competition, where they will compete against the likes of Flamengo, Esperance De Tunis, and Premier League side Chelsea FC.

The match, which kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, will be streamed live on DAZN and will be available on TNT and Univision in the USA as well.

LAFC qualified for the playoff as runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions Cup, while America progressed as a result of being the top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking after the 2024 Champions Cup. The winner will replace Liga MX side Club Leon in the competition, who were expelled as a result of breaching competition guidelines earlier this spring.

The two North American powerhouses last met in 2020, where LAFC won 3-1 in the semifinals of the Champions Cup, but this time around, a blistering affair awaits.

The ended the 2024 MLS regular season as Western Conference champions, and heading into Saturday night's match, sit sixth in the West – but are just four points out of second place with a game in hand. Club America, meanwhile, are coming off of a Clausura final appearance where they fell just short to Toluca and are looking to immediately bounce back by clinching a berth in this summer's tournament.

GOAL's MLS correspondent Jacob Schneider and Liga MX writer Alejandro Orellano detail the match ahead, offering insight into why each respective team might come out on top.

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowGetty Images SportWhy LAFC will win

SCHNEIDER: LAFC have a pair of serial winners on their roster in Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris; they're world champions with France from the 2018 FIFA World Cup. There's a pedigree that comes with that, and factor in that they're on an MLS team that has been a clear part of the hierarchy in the league for nearly their entire existence, and there are massive expectations for LAFC on Saturday.

Manager Steve Cherundolo is in his final year with the club, with the former U.S. international announcing that he is leaving the club at the end of the campaign to return to Germany. With very few competitions left with the club, Cherundolo will look to go out with a bang, too, meaning this is an opportunity he will want to capitalize on as well.

Following a shaky start to the season, LAFC have found form over the past month and are unbeaten in its last eight MLS matches, all of which they have scored at least two goals in. Their attacking form of late has been blistering, and against a resilient side like Club America, that could be the crucial – and the difference – as they look to clinch a berth in this summer's competition.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLAFC's X-factor

SCHNEIDER: Giroud is a world-renowned forward, but he's struggled immensely since joining the league, and this campaign has seen winger Denis Bouanga step up into an even bigger role than before as a result of the Frenchman falling short in the final third of the pitch.

Heading into Saturday evening's affair, Bouanga needs to continue being the difference maker for the . In regular season action this season, the winger has seven goals and three assists in 14 appearances, while he scored an additional three goals and recorded one more assist in six CONCACAF Champions Cup appearances this spring before the club was knocked out of the competition in the quarterfinals by Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.

Bouanga gives LAFC an option in transition and on the counter-attack, while also offering a threat from set pieces. Come Saturday, if the Gabon international is at his best, there's a good chance LAFC can potentially upset their Liga MX opposition.

AFPWhy Club America will win

AO: América must find strength after their heartbreaking loss to Toluca in the Liga MX final if they hope to defeat LAFC and secure a spot in the Club World Cup. The defeat not only denied them a historic fourth consecutive league title but also exposed a lack of cohesion in their attacking play – they failed to score in both legs of the final. Now, following that disappointment, André Jardine’s squad cannot afford to miss out on the Club World Cup.

The team’s possible participation in the summer tournament has been a hot topic over the past month, with some already speaking as if América has qualified – but that’s far from certain. The squad must shake off the media pressure and the emotional weight of a missed opportunity to further cement their legacy. Team captain Henry Martín remains questionable for Saturday’s decisive match at BMO Stadium after picking up a muscle injury during the second leg of the final. Reports indicate that he’s working hard to be fit in time for the crucial clash.

AFPClub America's x-factor

AO: While América’s attack fell flat in the final, U.S. international Alejandro Zendejas stands out as their most in-form forward heading into the showdown with LAFC. With Martín injured, Brian Rodríguez still recovering, Rodrigo Aguirre goalless since April, and both Javairô Dilrosun and Diego Valdés expected to leave the club this summer, the 27-year-old becomes crucial. Zendejas was a consistent offensive threat throughout the Clausura 2025, finishing with seven goals and seven assists.

Despite going four matches without scoring, his creativity and quality could be key to rescuing an América side that, not long ago, was a three-time defending champion—and now finds itself trying to avoid missing out on another potential trophy in the Club World Cup.