It was a night of many firsts. LAFC’s first ever match against a Brazilian club came with the world tuned in, as the Black & Gold took on CR Flamengo, the four-time national champions, in both teams’ final match of group play at the FIFA World Cup 2025. By night’s end, LAFC had scored its first goal of the competition and held the Mengao from victory for the first time at the competition, earning a 1-1 draw in front of nearly 33,000 spectators in Orlando, almost all them supporting the visitors from Rio de Janeiro.
“Their fans were loud tonight,” LAFC defender Aaron Long said. “They were rocking. It was a great atmosphere; they definitely showed out. We had some fans behind our goal as well. It felt like an important game.”
For LAFC, it was an important game. Having gone without a point and without a goal in its first two group-stage contests, pride was on the line for the Black & Gold—along with one more chance to present itself on the world stage and against the world’s best. The result was LAFC’s finest performance among the three matches it played in the group stage. It was also the best result anyone had achieved against Flamengo, which won Group D with seven points by defeating second-place Chelsea FC of England (six points) and third-place Espérance Sportive de Tunis (three). Flamengo and Chelsea officially advanced Tuesday night and will face Group C survivors Bayern Munich of Germany and Benfica of Portugal, respectively, in the Round of 16.
Among the other firsts, Cherundolo unveiled a change in structure and personnel, installing a 3-4-3 setup with midfielder Timmy Tillman making way in the starting eleven for centerback Marlon, and Denis Bouanga moving to a new spot in the center of LAFC’s front three.
Flamengo coach Filipe Luis made seven changes to the eleven that had started Flamengo’s 3-1 defeat of Chelsea, with no dropoff in quality or energy. The Brazilians’ intent to win Tuesday’s group-stage finale, despite having already won the group, was made clear in the opening moments, when veteran defender Danilo rushed the goal and redirected a corner kick into LAFC’s far post.
A few minutes later, LAFC midfielder Mark Delgado sent a curling effort off of Flamengo’s post following a short corner kick from Bouanga. “I saw there was a window,” Delgado said, “and Denis ended up playing me the ball, and I took a good touch and, yeah, gave it a good strike. Just didn't curl enough at the end of it.”
A nearly identical hit by Flamengo’s Giorgian de Arrascaeta curled into LAFC’s goal frame two minutes later, setting the stage for a back-and-forth contest that tested each side’s endurance. After another short LAFC corner and a chipped pass by Delgado led to a headed goal by Marlon that was negated by an offside flag, the strategy for the remaining hour, Delgado said, was “to cover a lot of ground, be defensively compact, and just make the game difficult.”
LEGENDARY LLORIS
In the end, LAFC would concede just four goals in three games against elite global competition while absorbing hours of pressure in accordance with its counterattacking style. At the heart of the resistance was goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who in the 30th minute against Flamengo collided with teammate Eddie Segura while punching away a pass then remained on the ground holding his midsection. Lloris would rise and turn in his third straight world-class performance, leaving his feet to parry away a blast by Evertton in the 58th minute and securing a shot from distance by Luiz Araújo in the 64th.
LATE FIREWORKS
Lloris was helpless, however, against a 70th-minute strike from De Arrascaeta that banged off the crossbar from 20 yards away. Seeking control of the game, Cherundolo subbed on Tillman, who promptly earned a foul at the halfway line, then sent the ensuing free kick beyond Flamengo’s high back four, timing it to meet the diagonal run of a barely onside Bouanga. With his second touch Bouanga sent Tillman’s pass beneath Flamengo 'keeper Agustín Rossi and into the back of the net for a 1-0 LAFC lead. It was just the second goal the Rubro-Negro had conceded in 264 minutes of group-stage play.
“It was part of our analysis of Flamengo,” Tillman said. “We knew that they were a little bit slow after giving away free kicks, so I just took the chance, and Denis made the run, and it turned out well.”
Two-and-a-half minutes later, a substituted Flamengo midfielder created the equalizer. Jorginho, who had entered just before Bouanga’s goal, picked out Wallace Yan at the top of Lloris’ area and watched Yan’s right-footed shot tie the match 1-1. The stadium erupted as if it were the famed Maracanã in Rio, the Brazilians’ celebration continuing through and well beyond Cherundolo’s postgame interview on the sideline.
“We defended like lions,” Cherundolo said, “so I am not disappointed at all. Of course when you concede late you think about what could have been, but I think it's a fair result and I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”
“It feels like a loss conceding so late,” said Long, “but again it's an amazing team in Flamengo and it was a great atmosphere.”
Bouanga, whose goal was his 82nd for LAFC in just two-and-a-half seasons, said in French: “Unfortunately, they tied it up at the end. I'm happy about it, but also not happy about it because I thought we really could have done more with this game.”
Tillman saw the brighter side, “I think we all gained some confidence in this game because Flamengo’s a really good team. They played very hard and played very well, and it was very hard for us, but we managed to get through it, and now in the end, we're not happy because we still conceded one very late – but we can build on that.”
BRAZILIAN BROTHERS
The final whistle marked the beginning of a warm reunion between Brazil-born LAFC midfielder Igor Jesus and the club with whom he signed his first pro contract at age 18. Before Jesus departed Flamengo for Europe, then Los Angeles, he played briefly with Luis, the legendary fullback who retired in 2023 and began rising through Flamengo’s coaching ranks.
“I talked to him and said hi,” Jesus said in Portuguese of Flamengo’s current manager. “I admire him a lot and I’m happy I got to play by his side and be coached by him. I talked with the other players I played with [at Flamengo]. Ever since I was there they have all supported me and cheered me on.”
On the eve of Tuesday’s match, Cherundolo recalled that it was a coaching colleague at Flamengo who first told him about the young defensive midfielder who joined LAFC in January 2025. “For a young player to have the composure [Igor] has, the experience he has already, the professionalism that he has, is not common,” Cherundolo said. “At times you see, to use a cliche, ‘the Brazilian come out of him’ in the way he plays. Igor has been amazing for us. He's a wonderful, wonderful young man, a very good pro, and I think he has a very bright future. And if Flamengo was producing players like Igor and can afford to let them go, then they must have a very good academy.”
Jesus, who turned 22 in March, called the draw against his former club “a big game for my career. It was a result that was deserved. I will be cheering for Flamengo for the rest of the tournament.”
Of his first FIFA Club World Cup, in which he played 261 of a possible 270 minutes, Jesus said, “It was an incredible experience. Our objective was to advance [but] it was a great opportunity to compete against these big teams, an important experience for us players and for the whole club.”
GOING FORWARD
Delgado, who started all three matches, said that the level of competition in this Club World Cup “definitely forced us to pick up our level of play, our attention to detail, our sharpness and pushing each other for the whole 90 minutes, every game. It definitely brought out a lot of character from everyone, forcing everyone to step out of their comfort zone. So definitely something really good to take forward going back into the MLS season.”
“We simply have to keep working hard,” Bouanga said in French. “I think that during these three games, we were able to play against three really good teams, and so now we have to go back, keep our spirits high, and continue in MLS where we can focus on obtaining victories.”
“Our team will recover from this,” said Cherundolo. “We will learn from this. We will get even better, and we are very grateful for this experience.”
Added Tillman: “I feel like we played almost five good halves, not perfect halves but good halves here at the World Cup, five out of six. We just had one very bad one against Espérance, and that cost us a lot in the end. But like I said, we can still take a lot from that game and learn from it.”
“You gotta be sharp from start to finish against these top teams,” Delgado said of the lessons learned. “There's no time, there's no lapse, you can't turn off at all. You’ve just gotta be sharp for the whole 90 minutes because those few moments that you turn off for a second, those are the moments that make a difference."
Cherundolo agreed that the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has given his team an education. “I think it's been fantastic to watch the clash of styles, the differences in priorities that certain teams and countries have when they play football,” he said. “In three matches in 10 days we have learned so much, and we will take that and use that hopefully to our advantage this coming Sunday [against Vancouver in MLS play].”
ODDS & ENDS:
INTERESTING INTROS
A hot topic across the entire competition, and online, has been FIFA’s choice to introduce players one by one as they walk across the pitch instead of the customary team procession. “It's very American for sure,” Delgado said with a smirk. “It's very different. I wouldn't say I'm not a fan, but it's very different. I would keep it very traditional. I think this takes a little bit too long, but I see what they're going for there.”
“I think it's a good entrance,” said Bouanga. “I think it makes it easier for fans to get closer to the players and to get to know players a little bit better. I like it.”
THE OTHER TILLMAN
While Timmy Tillman has been playing on the world stage over the last week, his younger brother Malik has been earning the praise of U.S. Mens’ National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino during the young attacker’s stellar performance at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
“Of course I'm following the Gold Cup, I'm following the U.S. National Team, following my brother especially,” the older Tillman, who debuted for the USMNT in February 2024, said. “He's doing very well. I think he has found his position, found his standing in the team, and I can see that he's playing with a lot of confidence right now. That's what he needs, that's when he's very good, and I'm very proud of him right now.”
LAFC returns to MLS regular-season play on Sunday, June 29, against the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV as well as available via radio on 710 AM ESPN LA and 980 AM La Mera Mera.
