Thriving with LAFC, Hugo Lloris relishes another clash with Chelsea at Club World Cup

Yahoo

a day ago

When Los Angeles FC takes the field Monday in Atlanta for their first match in the Club World Cup, Hugo Lloris will step into a time machine. Chelsea, Lloris' opponent as LAFC's goalkeeper, are a familiar foe from his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Club World Cup not only represents the highlight of the 38-year-old's brief career in the United States, which started last year, but also LAFC's biggest opportunity on the international stage.
'It's huge, even for me,' said Lloris, who helped France win the 2018 World Cup as the squad's captain and finished his international career with a team-record 145 appearances. 'I used to play against Chelsea so many times in my career. I still have my friends, close friends [in the Premier League]. With the time difference, we go through text messages.'
Related: US-based soccer fans: are you going to a Club World Cup game this summer?
Advertisement
Lloris played a pivotal role in getting LAFC to the tournament by making a big save late in extra time during the play-in match against Club América, one of Mexico's perennial powers.
The score was tied 1-1 in the 109th minute when Club América's Javairô Dilrosun (who, interestingly, has just signed with LAFC ahead of the Club World Cup) fired a blistering shot from eight yards out after a give-and-go with Diego Valdes. But Lloris reacted quickly and pivoted to his left to deflect the ball away from the near post.
Six minutes later, Denis Bouanga scored to give LAFC a 2-1 victory.
'He knows where shots are going before they're hit,' LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said of Lloris. 'He's got a read on players and their body in the way that they move that is just different.'
Advertisement
Hollingshead said that awareness reflects Lloris' ability to analyze situations and coordinate defenders quickly.
'You hear him all game long, organizing, shifting, moving guys where they need to be,' Hollingshead said. 'This guy has a passion for the game that just comes out on the field. You hear all the time that defensive shape starts with the 'keeper. He's honestly the best example that I've seen of that. He knows the game better than almost anybody I've played with.'
Fellow defender Aaron Long, LAFC's captain, praised Lloris' physical skills.
Related: MLS teams enter Club World Cup with a chance to make an impression, good or bad
Advertisement
'Everyone talks about what a great shot stopper he is,' Long said. 'But I think he's amazing with his feet building out. I think it's a really underrated skill of his. He's got a wicked left foot, and it's something that we utilize a lot. I also think his ability to hold on to really tough shots in certain moments wows us as players. Sometimes, a really tough shot will deflect and he'll hold it. I'll be like, 'Wow, it's amazing that he just held on to that instead of parrying it off to the side for a goal kick, a corner kick or something else.''
But Lloris' temperament most impresses Long.
'I think there's absolutely no ego when it comes to Hugo,' Long said. 'He's one of the nicest players we have. He's a great veteran with tons of experience but he's willing to help in any way he can. There's so much humility in the way that he carries himself, in the way he works, and in how much he cares for this team, even at this stage of his career. It's amazing how much he cares for this group and how much he still wants to win.'
LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo described one way his goalkeeper expresses those feelings.
Advertisement
'When nobody in the locker room wants to speak, Hugo speaks at the right moments with the right content,' Cherundolo said. 'I think his emotional intelligence in the locker room and off the field has been very important and has been quite impressive. I don't think we would have achieved our goals that we've already achieved in the short time he's been here without him.'
Believe it or not given that high praise, Lloris experienced a rough start to his first season in Major League Soccer last year. Despite recording two shutouts, the former international allowed 19 goals in his first 11 league matches, with LAFC winning four and drawing three.
But after a 3-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes, Lloris collected five successive clean sheets while compiling a personal streak of 502 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. With his help, LAFC forged a 10-game unbeaten streak, which included nine wins. Lloris finished the season with 12 shutouts, just one fewer than the league leader, Seattle Sounders FC's Stefan Frei. That performance enabled LAFC to share first place in the Western Conference with their cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy, and win the US Open Cup.
'I think we were still looking for stability, and I would say a complete performance,' Lloris said about that frustrating start. 'We were really inconsistent in terms of results, then we found the rhythm and we started to grow as a team.'
The World Cup winner also had to adjust to the league's unique rigors. For example, LAFC had to play five of their first 11 matches last year on the road in places as far as Minneapolis, which lies 1,524 miles away by air but is only halfway across the United States. The club also played road matches last year in such cities as Cincinnati, Orlando and Vancouver across four time zones and two countries.
'The away game is clearly a difficult task,' Lloris said. 'It's not easy to travel three, four, five hours, sometimes, and manage a good performance. That's why you saw the inconsistency.'
Related: Uncontested: Dazn's $1bn story reveals why the Club World Cup is really here
Advertisement
Long-distance travel also intensifies the challenge MLS's physical, offensive-minded intensity poses.
'It's a little bit different than I used to face in Europe,' Lloris said. 'There is a lot of transition. Physically, it's good. It's what I used to see in Europe. In some games, there is a lot of inconsistency in terms of focus, in terms of rhythm. But at the same time, it's the same sport. After a few months, I understood where I was.'
While developing that understanding, Lloris learned to enjoy the California lifestyle.
'The environment reminds me a little bit of the south of France, you know, mountains, hills, ocean beaches,' said the goalkeeper, who grew up in Nice. 'It's been an amazing experience so far. There's a lot of positive things: the spirit, the weather, the mentality. My family settled really well. My kids, who are most important, are enjoying life at school.
'But at the same time, I feel really far from my friends and family. Of course, we are still in touch, and they came to visit. As soon as we have the time, we will try to go and see them.'
Meanwhile, Lloris has enjoyed embedding himself in LAFC's communal atmosphere.
'It's more a club with a human dimension,' he said. 'Tottenham is a great club with great people but [here] there is more proximity between people. It makes relationships easier. They created a club with values. Family is really important. When you see kids celebrating with the players after every win at home, it's something quite special.'
The play-in match against Club América provided an example. After the victory, Lloris was being interviewed while holding his five-year-old son, Leandro.
'We had an amazing night,' Lloris said. 'From the preparation of the game through the warm up, during the game and after the game, the communion with the fans, with owners, with coaching staff, medical staff, all the club was great.'
That kind of camaraderie provides motivation even for someone who reached the heights for club and country.
'It reminds me what I'm playing football for, to live those types of moments,' Lloris said. 'That's why you wake up every day, why you're working every day. It doesn't matter which level you are at.'