LOS ANGELES — Hugo Lloris spent 11 years playing soccer in London prior to joining the Los Angeles Football Club at the end of December.
During his celebrated run with Tottenham Hotspur, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper never had a press conference postponed because of rain.
But on Feb. 5, when LAFC was scheduled to introduce Lloris and some of his new teammates, Southern California was drenched by a record-setting winter storm.
The retired French national team captain laughed a bit when LAFC explained why the first media availability of his U.S. adventure had been pushed off until Valentine’s Day.
“It rains more in England but it’s not as strong as it was [during the storm],” Lloris said Wednesday. “It’s different.”
For one of the world’s most successful goalkeepers, different is to be expected as he transitions to a new chapter of his life and playing career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer.
Culture. Environment. Continents. Teammates. Supporters. Expectations. All different.
Fielding questions at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown – along with midfielder Eduard Atuesta, forward Tomás Ángel and defender Omar Campos – Lloris, 37, said he arrived at this late stage of his playing career desiring new experiences for himself, his wife and three children.
It’s been an admittedly small sample size, but in recent weeks the two-time FIFA World Cup finalist, a champion as captain of France in 2018, believes he found what he was looking for.
LAFC’s preseason began on Jan. 21, and a recent weeklong excursion with the club to Coachella for training and a pair of exhibition matches illustrates what Lloris means.
In Europe, training camp felt like a bubble. Stuck in a hotel, there is a singular focus. But with LAFC, in addition to getting down to business, of course, there was a freedom he had not known, whether it was a golf excursion with teammates or setting up dinner plans.
The afternoon golf was as valuable as a month…
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