GOAL looks at why France's all-time leading scorer is misfiring in MLS with Los Angeles FC
On Matchday 11 of the 2025 MLS season, LAFC recorded a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo – and Olivier Giroud went as an unused substitute as the claimed a much-needed three points in MLS action. Watching along as his teammates triumphed, Giroud slumped back in his chair on the bench, not factoring into the result.
It has been a theme for the Frenchman since he joined MLS, and whether he's been on the pitch or not, he has not factored into results.
When LAFC signed Giroud on a free transfer from Serie A outfit AC Milan in the summer of 2024, expectations were high for the veteran striker. A dream of a target man, Giroud had plied his trade with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the English Premier League, and with the in Italy. Oh, and he is France's all-time leading scorer with 57 goals.
A 2018 FIFA World Cup winner with France and a 2021 UEFA Champions League champion with Chelsea, Giroud added 11 other top-flight trophies over the course of his illustrious career. When he joined longtime friend and former France teammate Hugo Lloris in Los Angeles, expectations were high that the then-37-year-old would make an immediate impact.
That didn't happen. And frankly, it didn't even come close.
In 10 regular season appearances and four playoff matches, Giroud didn't net once. He scored once across all competitions, with his lone goal coming in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final – an important effort, but it was the only score in all competitions over a roughly five-month span.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Frenchman has featured in 11 games for the across all competitions, but has been blanked in 10 of those – scoring just once. His lone effort was also a brilliant goal – finding the back of the net from a free kick – but it's not a goal that changes the course of how his MLS career has started.
He's not been good enough – but there's more to it. He moved across the world to a completely different environment, and was thrown into a tactical system not built around him. On top of that, LAFC have constantly changed personnel on the pitch – giving him little consistency in the final-third. There's also the fact that he is reaching the tail end of his brilliant career. But are those valid excuses? Has the Western Conference side failed him? Or, is this just sometimes how the twilight of a career goes?
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Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportPoor tactical fit
With Arsenal, Chelsea and Milan, Giroud played in relatively ball-dominant systems.
During his final two seasons in Italy with the Milan finished in the top-five of the league in possession throughout the campaign. Eleven Matchdays into the 2025 season, LAFC have only had possession more than their opposition in six of their 11 matches in regular season action – and in those 11 games, have only made four key passes leading to goals. He's also only made seven appearances this season in MLS action.
Despite LAFC having 17 goals this season, they have managed just seven assists; there's been a heavy reliance on individual efforts – a game that has never benefited Giroud.
Upon signing him, the club outlined his physical attributes and his hold-up play as key reasons why he would fit LAFC's plans.
“What is different about Olivier is his physicality, his presence, his size,” said John Thorrington, LAFC’s general manager and co-president. “I think what is unique and holds up is his ability not just to score goals but also to combine and create goals. That was a unique combination of skills. Most strikers have either-or. We found a rare package that would suit us very well.”
However, LAFC don't play a transition game with forward passes that allow the Frenchman to utilize those traits; rather, he's become excess weight in the final-third.
It was an unexpected development, but Giroud doesn't fit the mold of how LAFC play – and it's become increasingly clear that manager Steve Cherundolo will not change his tactical identity to shoehorn him into the XI.
AdvertisementGettyConstant change
Cherundolo, who played a key role in recruiting Giroud, has already announced he will depart the club at the end of the 2025 season. While that change is still months away, it underscores the ongoing evolution of LAFC’s identity over the past eight months.
Since Giroud’s arrival, LAFC’s attack has undergone a major transformation. At first, the frontline featured Poland international Mateusz Bogusz as the central striker, flanked by the dynamic Cristian Olivera on the wing. Both players, however, have since moved on. Bogusz was expected to lead the line while Giroud settled into MLS, and Olivera was billed as the creative force most likely to thrive alongside the Frenchman.
Denis Bouanga remains a consistent presence, but the Gabon international was already an established MLS star before Giroud joined. The veteran striker was seen as the piece to elevate those around him. Yet with constant turnover in the final-third, the kind of chemistry and attacking rhythm needed to unlock Giroud’s full impact never had a chance to develop in his early months in the league.
In 2024, he made 14 total appearances – 10 in the regular season and four in the playoffs – with zero goals and just three assists. He was continually backed by Cherundolo, though, even into the postseason.
“I don’t have to explain anything to him. He’s been through all the levels of the game, and all the ups and downs. The effort for the team is always more important than scoring goals, for any attacker,” Cherundolo said ahead of their eventual playoff exit after a loss to the Seattle Sounders. “Then, depending on how many goals you score or how many key moments you contribute, that ratio can go up or down, and the direction can fluctuate for the attackers. I think he is very aware of that, and he works on it every week, every day."
For the veteran forward, though, it was an underwhelming start to life in the U.S., and it was just challenging on the pitch.
Getty Images NewsStruggles adapting to Los Angeles
Time off the pitch hasn't been easy for Giroud, either. When he arrived in Los Angeles last summer, he moved across the world to a league, a country and a system he never played in.
Then, after a tough few months on the pitch, parts of the city of Los Angeles were devastated by wildfires in January 2025 – something that affected the Frenchman's outlook on his brief time in the U.S.
Twenty-four days of burning between the Palisades and the Eaton Fires resulted in more than 37,000 acres burned and more than 16,000 structures destroyed. At least 29 people were killed – 17 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
"There was a massive earthquake when we were at the training ground," Giroud told The Mirror. "Then there were all the fires. It was a really sad situation. People lost everything. Hopefully, there will be better days ahead. It’s part of life. Sometimes you have great days and sometimes tough moments. We thank the first responders and firefighters who did an amazing job. It made me really sad. I was scared. I hope they will put all the effort and make improvements to prevent these fires from coming again."
"It cannot happen that often. I try to support by giving some stuff to the people who lost everything," Giroud added, explaining the difficulties of watching this happen in his community. "This is when you need to be supportive of the people who need it."
As he's adapted to life in MLS, he's also adapted to a massive change in his lifestyle – and with so much happening off the pitch, perhaps a little bit of grace should have been afforded, too. Yet, despite the reality of those off-pitch situations, it is clear is LAFC have to figure out what is next for their striker.
The team has rallied from a slow start and currently sits fifth, but it can't continue to have one of its Designated Players sit on the bench when the club remains one of MLS's most ambitious sides.
(C)Getty ImagesDecision time
One key part of the acquisition of Giroud last summer was the hope that by bringing him to Los Angeles, it would help lure former France international and Atletico Madrid star – and close Giroud friend – Antoine Griezmann to the club this summer. However, the striker – despite admitting his desire to come to MLS – appears to be sticking around in Spain for at least one more year.
So what does LAFC do now? What does Giroud do? Without Griezmann, is it worth trying to force the Giroud experiment to work?
In recent years, European strikers have come to MLS towards the end of their careers and had relative success. Didier Drogba in Montreal, Robbie Keane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic with the Galaxy, but there have also been transfers that didn't quite pan out the way intended.
Andrea Pirlo at NYCFC, Gonzalo Higuain at Inter Miami, Teemu Pukki at Minnesota United – they all fell into the category of relatively underwhelming, despite a few bright performances after crafting successful careers in Europe.
For LAFC and the 38-year-old, it might be in the best interest of both parties to admit this isn't working. Age can't be the sole reason why Giroud is struggling, as LAFC found decent success with 39-year-old Kei Kamara just last year in the striker position. There are clearly several factors here.
Giroud’s contract runs through the end of 2025, with a club option for 2026. While an early exit during the summer transfer window could offer a straightforward solution for both sides, it’s more likely LAFC will let the deal play out through 2025 – unless a significant turnaround in his on-field performances changes the equation.
This was a necessary gamble for the club, but unfortunately, it hasn't paid off.
