It took long enough for Olivier Giroud, but the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner finally found his first MLS goal on Saturday night in LAFC’s dramatic 3–3 draw with the Portland Timbers.
Since signing in MLS in the final stages of the 2024 regular season, the French international has struggled to adjust to the league and to head coach Steve Cherundolo’s systems, but finally found his goalscoring moment from a free-kick at Providence Park.
With his LAFC side trailing 2–0, Giroud stepped up to the set-piece just outside the box, and turned back the clock by hammering the shot off the crossbar and into the goal, giving goalkeeper James Pantemis little chance of making a save.
The goal sparked a comeback for the Black and Gold, who eventually tied the match at 3–3 through a Denis Bouanga penalty kick in the 90th minute, claiming a point in a match they otherwise dominated.
Despite going down early to Timbers goals from Felipe Mora and Santiago Moreno, LAFC outshot their Western Conference rivals 19-10, while slightly winning the xG battle 2.65 to 2.27. Yet, it was Giroud’s moment that opened up the floodgates to a match that ranks among the most exciting through the first nine weeks of the MLS season.
Before his goal, the Champions League winner had failed to score in 16 MLS appearances, often struggling to keep up with LAFC’s pace-focused attacking strategies, after a European career that saw him as a true center forward.
