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 quickly, 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 today 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).

Chiellini joins ownership group

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.

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.