\u201cThe group is fantastic. Players with a lot of quality, with a lot of heart, and they\u2019ve welcomed me incredibly, and I already feel at home. It feels like I\u2019ve been here for months in the locker room, and that\u2019s thanks to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
It will have been 59 days since Griezmann last played for Atl\u00e9tico Madrid by the time he reaches his potential MLS<\/a> debut, but he has hit the ground running with the Lions. Already, he\u2019s scored in a summer friendly against the USL Championship\u2019s Tampa Bay Rowdies and is poised to make his official debut on July 22 against Timo Werner\u2019s San Jose Earthquakes.<\/p>\n GUESS WHO \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n \ud83d\udfe3 1-0 \ud83d\udfe2 pic.twitter.com\/cWcA7LGl9f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n After flirting with an MLS move for years, Griezmann finally put pen to paper in March, setting up his move after wrapping up the 2025\u201326 season with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, where he recorded seven goals and four assists in 34 games, as they finished fourth in La Liga<\/a> and fell in the Champions League semifinals.\u00a0<\/p>\n The move to acquire Griezmann wasn\u2019t an easy project for Ricardo Moreira, Orlando City<\/a>\u2019s general manager and sporting director, who traveled to Madrid to court the esteemed attacker about a potential move to the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRicardo\u2019s visit to Madrid\u2014eight or nine hours of traveling\u2014just knowing that for me was incredible,” Griezmann said. \u201cIt was a nice moment where I invited him only to coffee and water. A couple of hours went by, and it went incredibly well. We talked for hours, and by the end of it, I knew everything about the team, the club and its culture.”<\/p>\n Added Moreira at the unveiling event: \u201cA signing like this doesn\u2019t happen by chance … It happened with a couple of trips to Madrid. Antoine\u2019s family opened the doors of their house to me, and I got to live a little with the Griezmann family there in Madrid. I think the human connection was right there, and from that moment on, I was certain that at some point we were going to get him signed.\u201d<\/p>\n A Dream Come True: Playing in the U.S. Antoine Griezmann already scored in a summer friendly with Orlando City. | Alex Menendez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n While Griezmann is far from the first veteran European star to make his way to Major League Soccer, he\u2019s one of the few who have already become iconic in the North American sports landscape, regularly attending NBA games and other events across the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, he gets a chance to embrace it all for himself, in a move that he calls his \u201cdream and ambition\u201d since he was \u201c18 years old,\u201d a timeline that would predate Orlando City\u2019s MLS existence by six years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSince I was 18 years old, my dream was to come to Major League Soccer,\u201d Griezmann said. \u201cIt was important for me to arrive physically and mentally well, and that\u2019s why I made the move … I came to visit the city, and we loved it. The kids loved it as well. It\u2019s incredible how we’ve been received by everyone, and I hope I can return that love to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Already this summer, the 35-year-old, his wife Erika and their four children have settled into the Orlando suburbs, while he has been spotted at World Cup games, including France\u2019s quarterfinal win over Morocco<\/a> in Boston.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe kids are falling in love with the city; everybody who has received us here\u2014it was incredible, not only in their school, but also for our family and for me,\u201d Griezmann added. \u201cWe\u2019re very happy, and I hope I can give you that love back.\u201d<\/p>\n Making a Late MLS Cup Playoff Push Antoine Griezmann and Orlando City hope to make a push for the MLS Cup playoffs. | Alex Menendez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Griezmann adds hope for Orlando City, but the Lions find themselves in a similar spot to their rivalsInter Miami<\/a> back in 2023, when they welcomed Lionel Messi to MLS. At that time, Miami sat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and was largely out of the playoff race\u2014much like Orlando City is now.\u00a0<\/p>\n After 15 of 34 games, Orlando City sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, four points short of D.C. United for the ninth and final postseason spot. Yet, by adding one of the best attackers of a generation, there\u2019s hope not just for this season but also for a better start next year, with Griezmann signed through 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the key priorities now that Griezmann has arrived will be to sort out the managerial situation as well, with Mart\u00edn Perelman currently serving as interim manager after the club parted ways with veteran boss \u00d3scar Pareja following a dismal start to the campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to have a championship-caliber club, a first-class club, and with this signing, we really are where we need to be,\u201d majority owner Mark Wilf said. \u201cSo, a lot of excitement, also a lot of pride, the entire organization and the entire city, all the support to have this happen, and it came together so beautifully, and we\u2019re just excited and proud.\u201d<\/p>\n READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC![\"Antoine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/01kx9h08mznygzpmb2ac.jpg\" "\\"Antoine")
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