Steve Cherundolo’s decision to field a heavily rotated lineup against the Portland Timbers was not tactical pragmatism—it was hubris, and it cost LAFC the kind of regular-season conviction that defines champions. By treating a June match at Providence Park as a glorified scrimmage, the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners sent a dangerous message: that points in the standings are optional luxuries, not debts to be repaid with maximum effort. This is the same arrogance that has quietly eroded LAFC’s aura over the past month, and it directly undermines the competitive intensity MLS must project ahead of the 2026 World Cup, when the league will be under a global microscope.
The evidence was laid bare in the first half alone. With Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz relegated to the bench until the 60th minute, and Cherundolo handing starts to fringe pieces like Tomás Ángel and the still-rusty Lorenzo Dellavalle, LAFC’s attack lost its knife edge. Portland, meanwhile, seized the invitation. Evander punished a ponderous backline with a stunning free kick, and Juan Mosquera’s relentless overlapping runs exposed the lack of defensive cohesion that comes when a team’s spine—including Ilie Sánchez and Ryan Hollingshead—is given the night off. The 2-1 result was not an upset; it was a predictable consequence of a manager who believes his squad can flip a switch at will. It cannot. Not in a league where the gap between top and bottom has narrowed, and where Portland’s own playoff ambitions are stoked by every point gifted to them.
The implication extends far beyond LAFC’s Western Conference standing. If the black-and-gold—arguably the league’s most talent-dense roster—openly prioritizes rest over results in midseason fixtures, what message does that send to the entire competition? MLS has spent the past three years working to shed its reputation as a retirement league, pushing for intensity, parity, and meaningful every-game accountability. The 2026 World Cup demands a domestic product that looks urgent, not calculating; where a side like Portland can believe it belongs on the same pitch because its opponent respects the fixture. Cherundolo’s rotation gambit does the opposite—it whispers that certain games don’t matter, that the regular season is merely a dress rehearsal for November. That mindset is poison for a league trying to prove it can produce drama worthy of the world’s attention.
Here is the verdict: Unless Cherundolo recalibrates immediately, LAFC will not lift MLS Cup this year. The depth he trusts is not deep enough to survive the combined toll of Leagues Cup, Open Cup, and a crowded autumn schedule without bleeding points. Meanwhile, a focused team like FC Cincinnati or St. Louis—one that treats every Saturday