Latest news with #JohnThorrington
Malay Mail
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
French striker Giroud to leave LAFC after just over a year, to play last game on Sunday
LOS ANGELES, June 28 — Olivier Giroud, France's all-time top goalscorer, and Los Angeles FC have mutually agreed to part ways, the MLS club announced on yesterday. The 38-year-old striker, who joined LAFC in May 2024 from AC Milan, will play his last match for the team on Sunday against Vancouver. 'Olivier has been an exemplary professional during his time at LAFC,' team co-president and general manager John Thorrington said. 'He brought humility and a winning mentality that helped elevate everyone around him.' Giroud has been heavily linked with a move to Ligue 1 club Lille, according to several media reports in France. Giroud helped LAFC reach the 2024 Leagues Cup final, where he scored his first goal for the club. He also scored in the 2024 US Open Cup final, helping LAFC win the trophy for the first time. 'I want to thank all of the fans, my teammates and the staff at LAFC for making this an enjoyable stop in my career,' Giroud said. 'I am happy to have played a part in the success of LAFC.' Giroud has scored nearly 300 goals in more than 700 club matches, winning major trophies at Montpellier, Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan. The 2018 World Cup winner leads France's all-time scoring charts with 57 goals. — AFP
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🚨 Olivier Giroud becomes free agent after mutual agreement with LAFC
🚨 Olivier Giroud becomes free agent after mutual agreement with LAFC Veteran striker Olivier Giroud has agreed to depart LAFC and become a free agent after a disappointing stint with the MLS club. The Frenchman scored just three goals in 20 MLS matches for the Black and Gold, despite being brought in as the club's showpiece attacking star in July 2024. Reports have strongly suggested that the 38-year-old will join Ligue 1 side Lille ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Advertisement 'Olivier has been an exemplary professional during his time at LAFC,' said LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington. 'He brought humility and a winning mentality that helped elevate everyone around him." Giroud will play one final game for the club, this Sunday against Western Conference rivals Vancouver Whitecaps. Meanwhile, the move opens the door for LAFC to further spend this summer and add to the Designated Player ranks before taking another shot at winning MLS Cup in December. 📸 Luke Hales - 2025 Getty Images
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
LAFC acquire Dutch attacker Javairo Dilrosun on loan
June 11 - Los Angeles FC acquired attacker Javairo Dilrosun from LIGA MX side Club America on Wednesday. The loan agreement runs through July 24 and includes an option to purchase the 26-year-old Dutchman. Dilrosun will fill a Designated Player spot on the roster and is available for action in the FIFA Club World Cup. "Javairo is a player we are familiar with who has shown his talent playing in some of the top leagues in the world," said LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington. "We are excited to add a quality player like Javairo as we prepare for the unique challenge of playing in the Club World Cup." Dilrosun has produced 19 goals and 33 assists in 199 professional appearances while winning five trophies during stints in Germany (Hertha BSC), France (Bordeaux), the Netherlands (Feyenoord) and Mexico. LAFC will open the Club World Cup on Monday in Atlanta against Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. --Field Level Media
Los Angeles Times
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘We know what's at stake': LAFC braces for shot at Club World Cup
LAFC has won an MLS Cup and played in two CONCACAF Champions League finals. None of those games were worth as much as the team's upcoming match. Literally. Next up for LAFC is the $10-Million Game, in which it will play Mexico's Club América on Saturday at Banc of California to determine the final entrant in the Club World Cup. The 32-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States from mid-June to mid-July, has a record-breaking billion-dollar prize pool. By simply qualifying for the event and playing in three group-stage matches, LAFC would be entitled to a participation fee of $9.55 million. That might not be considered a significant prize for the Dodgers or Lakers, but it's a major bounty for LAFC, which had a payroll of about $20 million last season. 'We know what's at stake,' LAFC co-president John Thorrington said. Imagine that, a Major League Soccer team playing a game with real consequences. The stakes are unusually high for a team in a league in which 18 of 30 teams reach the postseason and the threat of relegation is non-existent. Real money will be on the line. That's money that could go toward covering the transfer fee or salary of the team's next signature player, as one of LAFC's three designated-player slots could open this summer. Thorrington preferred to emphasize the symbolic importance of LAFC reaching the Club World Cup, how it would move the team one step closer to its long-stated ambition of becoming a global brand. 'The conversation here is not dominated by the financial benefit here, but rather the competitive opportunity that this game and the tournament present,' Thorrington said. If LAFC advances to the Club World Cup, its opening game will be against Chelsea of the English Premier League. The other group-stage games would be against ES Tunis of Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil. 'I think it would be something special,' defender Eddie Segura said in Spanish. The tournament could also be a wake-up call for MLS, which has two other teams in the competition in Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders. The league has a salary cap, as well as paint-by-numbers roster compliance rules that permit minimal flexibility on how its teams can spend money. Soccer is a sport in which teams are only as good as their weakest links, but the regulations force clubs to construct top-heavy rosters. As it was, the financial restrictions were already handicapping MLS teams in its competitions against its Mexican counterparts, with LAFC relying on its smarts instead of the economic might of its deep-pocketed owners to reach two Champions League finals. Now, MLS teams will be taking on opponents with virtually unlimited budgets. Just two years ago, Chelsea spent more than a billion dollars buying players in a single transfer window. The Club World Cup's cash prizes offer MLS a powerful incentive to loosen its rules. Group-stage wins are worth $2 million each. Teams will be paid $7.5 million for reaching the round of 16. The champion will take home more than $100 million. The payouts could also force MLS to make changes to its collective bargaining agreement, which was signed when the Club World Cup was still a seven-team tournament. Under the current CBA, LAFC's players would divide $1 million, with the remainder of the $9.55 million participation fee staying with the club. Segura said the players are engaged in talks over their compensation. 'The club would benefit a lot, but I hope that we as players, as the ones who are there giving everything, will also have a chance to benefit,' Segura said. The upcoming game has also offered LAFC a firsthand view of FIFA's operations. LAFC's and Club América's opportunity came at the expense of León, which was removed from the Club World Cup field because it was owned by the same group that owned another Mexican team in the tournament, Pachuca. León qualified for the tournament by defeating LAFC in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Rather than award León's place to LAFC, FIFA basically invented a play-in game out of thin air, calling on LAFC to take on Club América, which was the region's highest-ranked team that wasn't already in the tournament. LAFC was at least granted a chance. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup last season, but Inter Miami received the place reserved for the host nation before the MLS playoffs even started. The purported reason was that Inter Miami had the league's best regular-season record. However, the widespread suspicion was that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi in the tournament. After all, money is what is driving this tournament and money is what is driving the sport.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Former Arsenal, Sociedad attacker Vela retires
May 28 (Reuters) - Former Arsenal and Real Sociedad attacker Carlos Vela has retired from professional soccer after a career spanning 19 years, the 36-year-old said on Tuesday. Vela graduated from Arsenal's youth setup and made his senior debut during a loan spell at Spanish side Salamanca. He made 29 Premier League appearances for Arsenal before having a seven-year stint at LaLiga club Sociedad. At ease as a forward, attacking midfielder or out wide, Vela also made 72 appearances for Mexico, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup twice. "Throughout my career I have experienced some very special moments, but the time has come to officially retire from professional football," he wrote on Instagram. "It has been an honour and a privilege to share my career with all of you." After moving to Los Angeles FC in 2018 Vela helped the Major League Soccer side win the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. He scored 34 goals during the 2019 MLS season, a league record, and is the all-time leader in goals, assists and appearances for the club. "He has been the heartbeat, the captain, and the face of LAFC," club co-president and general manager John Thorrington said in a statement.
