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Olivier Giroud loves LAFC, misses Pulisic, predicts Griezmann's schedule

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Each year, MLS Decision Day provides a dramatic conclusion to the regular season.

In the middle of the hectic excitement this year was Los Angeles FC, battling for first place in the Western Conference with their bitter El Tráfico rivals, the LA Galaxy.

The drama took a win, a Galaxy loss and the goal difference tiebreaker margin and played out late into the night last Saturday. After falling behind to last place San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in the first half, LAFC came out in the second half and did LAFC things…scored a lot of goals.

LAFC prevailed 3-1 and for a moment – with the Houston Dynamo leading the Galaxy 1-0 late – appeared to have the best playoff seed in the West. Then chaos ensued at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, where the Galaxy were awarded an injury-time penalty that Gabriel Pec converted. It seemed as though LAFC would have to settle for second place, but to the delight of the LAFC players and the fans still milling around BMO Stadium, Houston got a go-ahead shot in the 11th minute of added time to win 2: 1 and gave the Western Conference victory to LAFC.

Olivier Giroud, a 2018 World Cup winner with France, is a relative newcomer to LAFC – he made his club debut in August during the League Cup. He wasn't among the scorers last Saturday, but it seems inevitable that he'll make his mark in the MLS Cup playoffs (he's France's all-time leading goalscorer, so he has a knack for finding the net).

USA TODAY Sports spoke with Giroud about a variety of topics, including LAFC's quest to win another MLS Cup and the challenges (such as a man named Lionel Messi) that may lie ahead.

Can Giroud help LAFC to a third straight MLS Cup appearance?

Giroud not only won a World Cup, but also came to Los Angeles as a highly decorated club player, winning the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, three FA Cups with Arsenal and the Serie A with AC Milan in 2022.

LAFC is as ambitious a club as those in Major League Soccer. His latest goal will be to win another MLS Cup. It won the MLS Cup in arguably the biggest championship game in league history in 2022, but finished second last season and lost the final to the Columbus Crew.

LAFC enters this year's playoffs on a six-game winning streak, which began with the team's victory in the US Open Cup final against Sporting Kansas City (Giroud scored the first goal in that win). It is paramount for LAFC to carry this momentum into Sunday's first round game with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

“It was very important to finish this season strong. We tried our best to finish at the top, with a bit of luck in LA Galaxy's loss in Houston. But we did the job, you know,” Giroud said. “I think we're building good momentum so far and that's good for the players' confidence. We know we definitely have to step up and improve for the playoffs because they’re going to be tough games.”

Vancouver enters the best-of-three playoff series against LAFC with a dynamic of its own… defeating the Portland Timbers 5-0 in Wednesday's wild-card match.

“We are ready. Everyone is really focused and determined to do well,” Giroud said.

If LAFC can win the MLS Cup, it would become only the fourth team ever to combine an MLS title with a US Open Cup victory in the same year (2005 LA Galaxy, 1998 Chicago Fire and 1996 DC United were the others… but be let's be honest, the league has more than doubled since those doubles).

Could there be an MLS Cup final between Giroud and Messi?

There is still a lot of postseason football to be played, and any long-time fan of the league will know that things can go wrong in the MLS playoffs. So it's a little premature to look ahead a month and a half to a possible LAFC vs. Inter Miami MLS Cup. Still, Inter Miami vs. LAFC in the MLS Cup is almost the World Series equivalent of MLB's holy grail matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.

“There is still a long way to go until the MLS final,” said Giroud. “But it would be crazy to play a final against Miami and all these great players.”

“But we definitely have to concentrate on one game at a time. We need consistency and have to continue with this good momentum. I played in Columbus and I can say that they are a really good team and will do their best. “Obviously it will be difficult to beat Miami if they play each other. Of course, there is still a long way to go until then.

It should be noted that the Columbus Crew appears to have LAFC's number. In addition to defeating LAFC in last year's MLS Cup, the Crew also defeated LAFC in this year's Leagues Cup final (Giroud scored his first goal for LAFC in that game) after the Crew arrived at BMO Stadium and scored a 5-1 embarrassment for LAFC in league play.

Should Lionel Messi be MLS MVP?

Messi is a finalist for the league's MVP award this season, which has led to some debate about the merits of his candidacy. After all, Messi only started 15 times in 19 games for Inter Miami in the 34-game regular season. Still, he ranked second in the league in goals (20) and third in assists (16).

Giroud vouched for Messi's MVP qualities.

“We know the quality of the player. We know how big his influence is on the team,” said Giroud. “He has a great relationship not only with all the ex-Barcelona players, but also with the other players. They have a good squad and he is obviously the best player and their playmaker.”

“I understand that Miami is already in the Club World Cup, so he’s obviously in the best position to win the MVP.”

“Football is different” in the MLS

A veteran player who achieved great success in Europe's top leagues and won the World Cup is not new to the MLS. Every World Cup winner since 1990 has had a player play in MLS. In 2022, Thiago Almada became the first active MLS player to win a World Cup.

Giroud, 38, is the latest in a long line of legends to make the move, a legacy that includes (but is not limited to) David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Villa, Frank Lampard, Kaká and Nani. . , Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gareth Bale and of course Messi and his ex-Barcelona friends Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez. Results on the field are often mixed and adapting to the style of play in MLS can be a challenge for even the most successful players.

“It’s a different (style) of football. First of all, I get to know my teammates much better because of the automatisms in order to build a good relationship with them on the pitch,” said Giroud. “I would say it is tactically different (from what I know from Serie A in Italy). But I can say one thing: every single team tries to play games to score goals, to move forward, and to be honest: I was surprised by the quality of the game in attack and in possession.”

Giroud is only a little over two months into his MLS career but has had his eye on a move to the league for some time.

“A few years ago I said that I would like to finish my career in the MLS. So that was kind of the goal, to end up there,” Giroud said. “And as Europeans, of course we would rather be in a big city like LA, or there's also New York and, you know, Miami. I can say these are the best places for the lifestyle.”

“I was very happy when my agent told me that LAFC was ready to sign me. I was 100% convinced it was the best choice when I met the guys. They were so good to me and I also received a motherly warm welcome from the manager Steve (Cherundolo) and the entire staff. It really was the best option for me.

“I miss” Christian Pulisic

Giroud shares a close relationship with US international Christian Pulisic and raves about his former teammate at both Chelsea and AC Milan.

The pair were teammates when Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League in 2022 and met again last season at AC Milan. En route to a second-place finish in Serie A, Giroud led the team with 17 goals in all competitions, while Pulisic scored 15. This season, Pulisic is in full swing heading into the 2024/25 season. He has seven goals and three assists in 11 games for AC Milan so far this season, a streak that also includes an Olimpico goal the team scored in Tuesday's Champions League game against Club Brugge.

“Christian is one of the players I had the greatest understanding with at Chelsea and Milan,” said Giroud. “I’m really happy for him that he’s doing so well so far from the start of the season. He is very important for the team.”

“I miss him, but I have great players around me here in LA too, so I can’t complain.”

“LA would be perfect for” Antoine Griezmann

It seems like it's not a question of if, but a question of when another French world champion comes to Los Angeles. Two members of the 2018 World Cup-winning team are already members of LAFC (goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is the other). Why not a third?

Antoine Griezmann has long been linked with a move to the MLS, including rumors over the summer that LAFC would pursue Griezmann.

“I think he still enjoys playing in Europe with Atlético (Madrid); maybe another year and then we will do our best to convince him to come to us,” Giroud said. “Of course it would be great for him, for his family, for the fans of the club. He's a great player, he's a good teammate and his mentality is great. I know he would love the USA and US sports. So, LA would be perfect for him.

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