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LAFC missed out last Sunday when it lost 1-0 to second-place Vancouver at BMO Stadium, where solo efforts superseded teamwork and Cherundolo’s group was left with little to show for its first MLS match at home since the Club World Cup.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, ESPN App, 980 AM