Four Big Challenges Antoine Griezmann Will Face Upon MLS Arrival

The 35-year-old World Cup winner will have to embrace the differences MLS brings.

Antoine Griezmann will have to adapt when he starts his Orlando City era. | Mark Thorstenson/Orlando City/MLS/Getty Images

When Antoine Griezmann joins Orlando City in July, he will come to MLS at one of the most important times in the league’s 31-year history, as MLS seeks to maintain the sport’s excitement in the wake of the North American-hosted 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

While the 35-year-old French attacker won’t suit up for Les Bleus this summer, having retired from international soccer in 2024, he still brings a 2018 World Cup title and a level of star power that Orlando hasn't seen in a decade, since bidding adieu to Kaká in 2017. 

As much as MLS has shifted to a young players’ league, Griezmann becomes the latest international legend to arrive in the twilight of his career. Given MLS's layout compared to the rest of the world, these stars face plenty of challenges when adjusting, and Griezmann will be no different. 

Here, Sports Illustrated looks at the factors Griezmann will need to adjust to if he is to thrive in MLS like David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller, or face as many troubles as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and Lorenzo Insigne. 

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The Travel

Antoine Griezmann will face more travel than ever. | Orlando City

With 30 teams across four time zones and soon to be five, MLS presents a travel challenge unlike any top-10 league in the world. Playing in Orlando, Griezmann will be subjected to the odd six-hour flight to Seattle, Portland or Vancouver, with only Florida-rivals, Inter Miami, within the distance of Spain’s entire land mass. 

While past eras of superstars flew commercially, MLS teams now charter planes through SunCountry Charters, though the aircraft interiors are not as luxurious as those of many private and club-owned planes from Europe’s biggest teams. 

The Frenchman’s debut is set for July 22 in an away match against the San Jose Earthquakes, which involves a five-hour flight comparable to a flight from Madrid to St. Petersburg, Russia. 

The size of Spain compared to the distances across MLS. | TheTrueSize.com

Other trips he will face by the end of 2026 include flights to New Jersey, Minneapolis, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, and Charlotte, all part of regular-season play and spanning several climate zones through the summer and fall.

Outside of the sheer amount of travel, MLS teams often fly to matches the day before and leave within hours of the final whistle, leaving little time for on-the-ground recovery compared to more rigorous approaches in Europe.

For some, it’s no issue. Clearly, it hasn’t plagued Messi, given back-to-back MLS MVP titles, but for others, it can be a bit of a shock. Away games can be challenging, too—with road teams winning just 20 of the first 74 matches of the 2026 MLS season through Matchday 5. 

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The Lack of Polish and Sharpness 

Antoine Griezmann will be the club’s newest Designated Player. | Courtesy of Orlando City

Coming to MLS from one of the most tactically adept leagues and a detailed manager like Diego Simeone, Griezmann will have to adapt to players that lack as much polish in the simple elements of their games. 

When Müller arrived in Vancouver, he spoke of needing to adapt his style to drive play further, instead of relying on teammates, while also figuring out how to get the most out of players that may need an extra touch, or can’t quite deliver the same passes or off-the-ball movements. 

“My teammates are very open-minded,” he told The Athletic in 2025. “They’re ready for advice, they want to get better, and they have very good qualities. I can help them use them better on the pitch. It’s a lot about … knowledge, how the game works. It’s more about that than showing them how to pass a ball.”

For some, that adjustment can come with an open-minded attitude. Others, like former Toronto FC attacker Lorenzo Insigne, often got caught in altercations with teammates who missed passes or didn’t make runs. It’s up to Griezmann as to which type he will be.

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The Running

Antoine strikes gold 💛

⚓️ https://t.co/EkHkc6wvlr pic.twitter.com/tQtIN6Pmkv

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) March 25, 2026

MLS might not be as fast as some of other top leagues, but it comes with a lot of running and physical work, drawing comparisons to the EFL Championship, England’s second division. 

The league has evolved from a decade ago, when Pirlo said it had “a lot of running,” and “too little play,” but it still calls on players to be in exceptional shape to outrun opponents and make up for the gap in technical qualities. 

As a center forward with Orlando, that means Griezmann will still be asked to press aggressively and, with the team’s current voids, will likely need to remain responsible as a defensive player out of possession. In the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, Griezmann has averaged 3.64 kilometers per match, likely less than he will be demanded to do in MLS.

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Joining Orlando City’s Rebuild

Today is an important day for @orlandocitysc .

Welcoming a player like @AntoGriezmann to our club is about much more than football quality. It reflects ambition, belief, and a clear vision for where we want to go.

We know the present moment has not been easy. We feel that… pic.twitter.com/VCCILEO8c0

— Ricardo Moreira (@9ricardomoreira) March 24, 2026

When Griezmann signed on his contract, he did so without a full-time manager at Orlando City, after the club parted ways with longtime boss Óscar Pareja just three games into the 2026 season.

For him to join in July, the club will also need to adjust its roster build, with three Designated Players already currently on the team: Martín Ojeda, Marco Pašalić and Braian Ojeda, with one needing to be bought down below a Targeted Allocation Money threshold, or transferred out. 

With those changes, and the Lions’ struggles to start the season, Griezmann comes in at an uncertain—and potentially inopportune—time.

Martín Ojeda can supply chances in midfield, and should the Frenchman play in a two-striker system, Duncan McGuire can have big moments, despite slowing down since his transfer to Blackburn fell through in 2024. At this point, though, the overall team lacks leadership and top-end quality and is putting the finishing touches on a project that hasn’t been built yet, which will create a challenging introduction. 

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