Last summer, when the French striker, at 37 years old, decided to end his time with the Rossoneri, it seemed like the perfect choice. He bid farewell after leading Milan back to the Scudetto and a Champions League semifinal, finished his final season in Milan with 17 goals across all competitions, and joined his friend Hugo Lloris at Los Angeles FC—who had done a lot to convince him to play in MLS.
Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly for one last great experience in the United States. And yet, since his arrival, almost nothing has gone right.
Giroud yet to find the net in the MLS?
The first and most crucial problem for a striker—one who has decided big matches in the league, Champions League, and national team with his scoring ability—is goals. And that is the issue: Giroud has yet to score a single goal in an MLS match, despite playing 17 games between the regular season and playoffs.
Looking at all competitions, the former Milan and France forward has only scored twice in 25 matches: one in the final of the US Open Cup, the national cup competition in the United States (he netted the opening goal in a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City), and one in the final of the Leagues Cup, the tournament that pits MLS teams against those from Liga MX (Mexico’s top division); however, that goal proved meaningless, as Columbus Crew won the match and claimed the trophy.
Neither Olivier nor Los Angeles FC expected such a poor performance.
The club allocated one of its three designated player slots to him, offering him a significant salary. Many strikers before him have found new life and goals in MLS (Luis Suárez, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba, and Thierry Henry, to name a few), but Giroud simply isn’t getting going, and even the fans are starting to lose patience. By the way, for those still eager to stay connected to his matches, a trusted betting platform can offer an engaging way to follow his journey and the MLS season.
The New York Times recently published an in-depth analysis of the World Cup winner’s season, highlighting all the critical issues: Giroud hasn’t scored in nearly 1,000 minutes and is often not involved in the team’s play. The Frenchman appears like a foreign body within Steve Cherundolo’s squad, which has been unable to find a way to integrate him. His adaptation has also been complicated by the timing of his MLS arrival—he landed in Los Angeles immediately after competing in the European Championship with France, without taking a break, which hasn’t helped his transition, as pointed out by Calcio Mercato.
Giroud off the pitch...
His adjustment to Los Angeles hasn’t been difficult only on the field—there have also been unpleasant events off the pitch. Last January, the Frenchman was directly affected by the wildfires that ravaged California, and just a few weeks later, his home was burglarized. On top of that, other factors have added to his challenges, such as the extreme weather he has had to endure (a photo of him with a frozen beard after playing in Colorado against the Colorado Rapids in -15°C went viral) and the "strong earthquake" he recently experienced, as he himself admitted, with the epicenter of one tremor located near his team’s training center. In short, Giroud’s adventure in Los Angeles is struggling to take off.
