It was understandable. Denis Bouanga and Hugo Lloris had a long flight ahead of them and a looming match to prepare for, as their Leagues Cup campaign kicks off in Los Angeles on Friday, an opening-night border clash with Club Tijuana at BMO Stadium (11 pm ET - MLS Season Pass).
It’s an example of the new demands the French World Cup winner has come to grips with over his first six months in North America, and the sort of challenges he wanted to take on during the Indian summer of his storied career.
“I was really excited to join MLS and it's been a really good experience so far. I discovered a lot of new things,” Lloris told MLSsoccer.com in Ohio this week. “It's not an easy league, obviously. We don't have the right image from Europe of MLS. It's quite challenging, when you look at all the traveling that you have to make – so distances, weather conditions, altitude, different type of fields, of grasses.
“But it's also really good, because the competition is good. A lot of talented players, too, really good coaches, really good teams, talented players. I mean, there is everything to enjoy the competition right here … Especially when you go away from home, there is no easy game.”
Tottenham to LAFC
Lloris remains a game-changing performer as his 38th birthday approaches. He ranks among MLS’s top goalkeepers in statistical terms, backstopping an LAFC side who top the Western Conference standings on a points-per-game basis entering the Leagues Cup break and are the closest pursuers to overall leaders Inter Miami CF in the Supporters’ Shield table.
“I still have the motivation. Physically, I still feel good,” he said, “and I try to maintain a certain level, because when I decided to come, I just wanted to make it right, to make it good, and for that, I need to enjoy my football.”
He says he, his wife Marine and their three young children have settled into their new southern California environs, providing the balance he’d sought to maintain motivation – and a measure of curiosity, considering the significant differences from his previous stops at Tottenham Hotspur, Olympique Lyonnais and OGC Nice.
MLS’s focus on competitive parity has drawn his attention, for example.
“Life [off the pitch] is really important, so with my family, everything has been really good. We found a new routine and we are enjoying it. And on the field I've got everything I need at LAFC to keep a good level,” said Lloris. “Everything is new for me. You manage the regular season in a different way than in Europe because you know that afterwards you have also a playoff competition that is even more important.
“What makes the difference is the [roster] rules,” he noted. “You have more freedom in Europe to invest in and to make the best team as you can. Here, it's a bit more challenging and demanding for sporting directors and presidents. But at the same time, it makes the competition even, closer between the teams.”
Giroud arrives
In the coming weeks, he’ll welcome his old friend and longtime France national team colleague Olivier Giroud to Los Angeles, the latest in a growing list of big-name acquisitions at LAFC and a potentially decisive attacking reinforcement for the season’s home stretch.
“He's going to bring his personality, his experience, his leadership. I still believe that he comes here to keep winning, that’s how he is, and I think it's going to help our young team to continue their development,” said Lloris. “We didn't expect to share this last experience together. So it's going to be fun.”
Their families are also well acquainted and Lloris will help the Giroud clan find their bearings, just as Bouanga did for him.
“We have a lot of memories together on and off the field, obviously. Because we are friends and we share the same values,” Lloris said of Giroud. “We spent, I don't know, maybe 12 years together with the national team, so it makes us even closer. We had some good success together, and so I think it's really nice to share this last experience as a professional football player.
“When he got in touch and in negotiation with the club, we had a few calls. He obviously wanted to know a bit more about the league, about the team, about the club. But I think he had always in his mind to join MLS one day or another.”
Trophy mindset
The LA clubs’ recruitment efforts undoubtedly benefit from the enduring attractiveness of their world-famous city and its sunny climate. Prioritizing setting over finances, Lloris agreed to wages far below what a résumé like his would normally command, which ranks him among the best values in MLS salary history. Even in light of that, however, LAFC’s ambition has created something of a self-sustaining process, with each arriving superstar influenced by those who came before.
“When LAFC signed Denis, obviously, but even more when they sent Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale, I started to follow the team, you know?” said Lloris. “It was interesting what they were creating at that time and obviously, it became a really important club in MLS. They've got everything to continue on the same way.”
The Black & Gold looked like favorites in last year’s Leagues Cup, winning their first two matches by a combined score of 11-1 after earning a bye to the knockout stages as 2022 MLS Cup champions, and taking a 2-0 lead into halftime of their quarterfinal faceoff with CF Monterrey. But Los Rayados rattled off three goals in the game’s late stages to snatch a 3-2 win at the Rose Bowl.
Will that collapse fuel motivation for this year’s edition? Friday’s meeting with Xolos is the first data point. And with LAFC also still in the hunt for US Open Cup hardware – they have a semifinal date with the Seattle Sounders in late August – Lloris enjoys fighting on multiple fronts.
“After six months, I'm enjoying this new adventure, new chapter, and I hope that we’re going to keep our good form until the end,” he said.
“As an LAFC player, we just want to carry on and to bring more trophies to the club.”
Jonathan Sigal contributed to reporting of this story.
