Tag: Orlando City

Antoine Griezmann will leave Atletico Madrid for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Orlando City at the end of the season, the two clubs announced on Tuesday.

Atletico’s all-time record goalscorer has agreed a two-year deal with Orlando and will become the latest veteran star to move to North America.

“The forward travelled to Orlando, with the club’s permission, during the two days of rest granted to the first team, to finalise his contract with the Florida side,” Atletico said in a statement.

The 35-year-old Griezmann will be hoping to sign off in style and cap his 10th season as an Atletico player with a second major trophy at the Rojiblancos, after the 2018 Europa League.

“Let’s leave the future in the future for now: because I’m not leaving yet,” he said in an Instagram post.

“I have months left with this shirt, months to give my all in this stadium and away, to lift that Copa del Rey and to dream of going as far as possible in the Champions League.”

Atletico will face La Liga rivals Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals next month and take on Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final on April 18 in Seville.

Griezmann, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, retired from international football in 2024 after scoring 44 goals in 137 caps for Les Bleus.

He has netted 211 times for Atletico, surpassing the previous record of 173 set by Luis Aragones.

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Antoine Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid in 2014 from Real Sociedad and has made 488 appearances for the club, who he left for Barcelona in 2019 before returning two years later, initially on loan.

Griezmann has scored 13 goals in 43 appearances for Diego Simeone’s Atletico this season.

The MLS will add Griezmann to the ranks of well-known players to have made the switch from Europe in recent seasons, including his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

“He is one of the most gifted, accomplished and influential players of his generation, and his decision to choose Orlando City reflects the mission and culture of our club,” said Orlando City owner Mark Wilf.

“Our focus is on consistently building a championship-calibre roster every year, and adding a world-class player like Antoine reinforces that commitment and our belief in what the club can achieve.”

Orlando, who have played in MLS since 2015, have never won the MLS Cup and have lost four of their first five games of the 2026 season.

Atletico sit fourth in La Liga this term, but are comfortably placed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with a 13-point lead over fifth-placed Real Betis.

Griezmann will make his move to Orlando in July.

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France’s World Cup-winning striker Antoine Griezmann is to hold talks with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Orlando City, having been permitted by his present side, Atletico Madrid, to go to the US during the international break, a source close to the player told AFP.

Should both parties agree on a deal, the 35-year-old would move to Orlando this summer after seeing out the present campaign with the La Liga outfit.

Griezmann “has been authorised by his club to travel to Orlando during his days off in order to make progress in the discussions linked to his future,” said the source on Monday.

A move to the MLS has been rumoured for years, with the 2018 World Cup winner known to be an admirer of other American sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL.

Atletico had shut the door on their all-time record goalscorer, who has scored 211 goals over two spells, moving this season with the MLS transfer window opening on March 26.

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Griezmann, who also played in the 2022 World Cup final defeat by Argentina, retired from the French national side in 2024, having made 137 appearances, scoring 44 goals.

Griezmann signed an extension last year to his present contract, taking him up to June 2027, but is no longer an automatic first choice for Atletico.

Despite falling down the pecking order, he has scored 13 times this season and can entertain hopes of ending his time with Atletico with one last hurrah.

They play Real Sociedad, the club he began his professional career with, in the final of the Copa del Rey on April 18, just after facing Barcelona in their two-legged Champions League quarter-final.

Griezmann inspired Atletico in his first spell to 2018 Europa League glory, but missed out on the biggest prizes, losing in the 2016 Champions League final and finishing runners-up in the title race in 2018 and 2019.

Orlando are badly in need of a cutting edge up front as in the present MLS campaign, they have won just one of their five matches, losing the other four.

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France World Cup-winning attacker Antoine Griezmann is holding talks with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Orlando City, a source close to the discussions told AFP on Monday.

Griezmann currently plays for Atletico Madrid, where he is the Spanish club’s all-time leading scorer, and also netted 44 goals in an illustrious career for his international side.

The 34-year-old’s potential move stateside has been rumoured for years, with the player known to be an admirer of other American leagues such as the NBA and NFL.

A source close to the player confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that “talks had taken place” between the two parties, but “nothing has yet has been agreed.”

Griezmann’s transfer would be a further boost to the rapidly growing US soccer league.

Orlando owns Griezmann’s “discovery rights,” an MLS mechanism giving one team the priority to negotiate a player’s transfer — the source said, confirming a report by The Athletic.

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Though Griezmann is no longer a guaranteed starter for Atletico Madrid, he has already scored 12 goals in 35 appearances this season.

The 2018 World Cup winner has scored 210 goals in total for the La Liga club, interrupted by a hiatus at Barcelona from 2019-2022, and extended his contract in Madrid last year until June 2027.

He retired from the French national side in 2024, having made 137 appearances.

The MLS season began on Saturday, and its transfer window is open until late March, before re-opening mid-season during the summer.

Orlando City failed to qualify for the last MLS playoffs, but has a history of big-name signings, with former players including Ballon d’Or winner Kaka.

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Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored two goals each as Inter Miami turned on the style hammering Orlando City 5-0 in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday.

Florida rivals Orlando City finished second in the Eastern Conference last season and have been considered contenders for this season’s MLS Cup but they were outclassed by Inter Miami from the outset.

Suarez had lacked sharpness and match fitness in his first two outings but the prolific 37-year-old top scorer for Gremio in Brazil last season put aside any doubts about his continuing ability in the final third.

“I’m very happy for him, that he was able to score. We were calm anyway, we know what Luis is and what he is capable of doing and everyone knows it,” Messi said.

“He is like that, when you least expect it he solves a game for you like he did today, with the goals and the assists.”

Suarez took just four minutes to get Miami on the scoreboard and his first goal for his new club came in emphatic style, meeting a low cross from Julian Gressel with a thumping first-time shot inside the near post.

Seven minutes later Suarez had doubled his tally with Gressel again the provider to the Uruguayan, who showed good close control in the box before burying into the corner.

Miami were in total control and the crowd lapped up some delicious touches from Messi but it was his former Barcelona teammate Suarez who was doing the damage.

Robert Taylor made it 3-0 in the 29th minute after the excellent Gressel split the Orlando defenders, finding Suarez, who unselfishly picked out Taylor for a simple tap-in.

Messi then struck a trademark, curling free-kick from 30 yards out against the upright and minutes later he provided a classy through ball to Suarez, who found the net. But his hopes of a hat trick celebration were denied by an offside flag.

Orlando came out aggressively after the break, seeking a possible way back into the game and they were frustrated when Martin Ojeda’s effort was ruled out for offside.

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Miami quickly found a groove, Messi firing inches wide in the 54th minute and then Gressel blasting against the bar after a clever exchange with Suarez.

Another of Miami’s ex-Barca quartet, left-back Jordi Alba, created the fourth when he burst down the flank, played a one-two with Suarez and clipped the ball goalwards.

Orlando City captain Robin Jansson’s desperate clearance flew out off the bar and Messi was on hand to put the ball home.

Suarez looked keen for his hat trick but, when found in space in the inside left channel, he looked up and spotted Messi at the back post and found him with a perfectly weighted left-foot cross, which the Argentine headed into the far corner.

Inter Miami, with seven points from the opening three games, will return to action on Thursday against Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

“We’re doing well, we’re enjoying it, we’re growing,” Messi said. “Today was an important match to win, to continue on this path of growth and this has to make us very strong for everything that’s to come.”

Earlier, defending MLS champions Columbus Crew were held to a 1-1 draw at unfancied Minnesota United.

Colombian striker Cucho Hernandez put the Crew ahead with a strike from the edge of the box in the 58th minute but Minnesota snatched a point deep in stoppage time through Tani Oluwaseyi.

MLS 2023 runner-up Los Angeles FC fell 3-0 in snowy conditions at Real Salt Lake, with Andres Gomez delivering a brace for the home side.

The game was played on a snow-covered field and LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo was fuming with the decision to let the game go ahead.

“It was an absolute joke we had to play today. It was one of the worst professional sporting events I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said.

The Los Angeles Galaxy enjoyed a 3-1 win at San Jose in their all-Californian clash.

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