LAFC putting on a show for Olivier Giroud from afar
The Black & Gold, awaiting the arrival of the French striker, are on a club-best eight-game winning streak going into Wednesday's game in Austin
In Europe for a pair of friendlies with Luxembourg, Maxime Chanot crossed paths with his Los Angeles Football Club teammate-to-be, French striker Olivier Giroud.
The day before they played against one another June 5 during the final 10 minutes of a 3-0 victory for Giroud’s side, the attacker and the center back chopped it up in northeast France, near the city of Metz.
“He follows all of our results so knows exactly where we stand,” said Chanot, who brought depth and stability to the LAFC center back corps when he signed in March. “I was very surprised, to be honest, because he knew already probably every player on the squad, every result we had the past few weeks. We joked about this.”
Since officially signing Giroud on May 14, the joke has been on LAFC opponents.
Head coach Steve Cherundolo said he hoped that the long-rumored acquisition of the iconic No. 9 would have a motivating effect on his team.
Whether or not it actually did, the view from the other side of the pond must have looked good to the World Cup-winning forward.
LAFC (10-4-3, 33 points) embarked on a club-best eight-game winning streak in all competitions that featured 644 consecutive scoreless minutes, bettering last year’s bar setter by two and a half games.
A 3-1 victory in muggy Orlando, Fla., on Saturday materialized through effort, fight and yet more impressive finishing by Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz, who have been dangerous threats across the field over the past month and a half.
Catching fortunate breaks, like a missed penalty that would have given Orlando an early advantage, is another indication of a team in the midst of great form.
“There’s a confidence that comes with winning games back to back to back and so we know, when you’re in a moment like this, you have to keep your foot on the pedal,” LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said. “You have to keep going. You can’t relax and think that things will come easily.”
LAFC set out to defend with discipline and dare a struggling team to beat them in Orlando, which they finally did in the 69th minute thanks to a stellar combination play by the hosts in the box.
For a team that has held the opposition to the farthest average shooting distance in MLS (19.7 yards), it was a rare case of giving something up in close. That a goal like that was needed to finally beat Giroud’s good friend Hugo Lloris shows “it takes a lot to score on us at the moment,” Cherundolo said, “and we need to keep that going at least for Wednesday before we can get back to L.A. and recover.”
The multi-city back-to-back road trip out of the two-week FIFA break, which saw Chanot among a handful of LAFC players who got a national team call-up, precedes eight of LAFC’s next 10 games in the L.A. area (factoring the Fourth of July showdown against the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl).
Taking three points in Austin (6-7-5, 23 points), which has executed at home but been poor away from Q2 Stadium, would put LAFC “in an amazing spot to come back home at BMO Stadium, get a couple wins and really fight for a Supporters’ Shield here,” Hollingshead said. “I know the league is going to see just how dangerous our counterattack is and it’s going to be scary.”
By then, Giroud should be done with the 2024 European Championship and have had the chance to see LAFC up close and personal.
“He’s super excited to come in and obviously we’re looking forward to have him with us,” Chanot said. “It’s going to be a fun time to play all together.”
LAFC AT AUSTIN FC
When: 5:39 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas
TV/radio: Apple TV (Free)/710 AM, ESPN LA app, 980 AM