Orlando City resmi memperkenalkan Antoine Griezmann sebagai penyerang anyar mereka dalam sebuah acara yang dihadiri media, suporter, dan pemilik klub Mark Wilf pada Selasa. Pemain legendaris asal Prancis itu direkrut untuk menjadi pilar utama dalam perburuan gelar juara domestik musim ini.
"Here I am, very eager, and my goal is to win a trophy and make the whole city happy," kata Griezmann. Mantan kapten Atletico Madrid itu menegaskan komitmen penuhnya untuk memberikan performa maksimal demi kesuksesan klub barunya.
"I will give my absolute best, my 1000%, for this team, for these colors, and in the end the ball comes first," ujarnya. Griezmann mengungkapkan bahwa dirinya telah lama memendam impian untuk berkarier di kompetisi sepak bola Amerika Serikat sejak usia muda.
"Since I was 18, my dream and ambition was to come here to MLS," tuturnya. Ketertarikannya terhadap budaya olahraga di Amerika Utara tercermin dari kunjungannya yang sering ke negara tersebut untuk menyaksikan pertandingan NFL dan NBA.
"American culture has always drawn me in; I've made 24-hour trips just to watch NFL or NBA games. I wanted to arrive in good physical and mental shape, and I think I'm in perfect condition to perform, which is what I wanted: to help the team grow," ucap Griezmann.
Proses kepindahannya ke Orlando City tidak lepas dari upaya gigih Direktur Olahraga klub, Ricardo Moreira, yang menemui langsung sang pemain di Madrid. "The fact that he traveled all the way to my house in Madrid really touched me," sebut Griezmann. Pertemuan langsung tersebut menumbuhkan rasa simpati dan keyakinan yang kuat dalam dirinya untuk memilih Orlando City sebagai destinasi karier berikutnya.
"We had a great conversation; he's someone who gives his all for his club, works hard every day, and always gives 100%. He's so humble. It was a wonderful surprise for me. I think that's where it all started – after that talk and getting to know him. That's when my affection for Orlando and my desire to come here really grew. The very next day, I told my sister I wanted to do whatever it took to come to the United States, to MLS," jelas Griezmann.
Kini, Griezmann bersama keluarganya telah menetap di kawasan pinggiran kota Orlando dan sudah mulai mengikuti sesi latihan tim. "I connected very well with the club, I loved the city and my children are delighted," ungkapnya. Ia juga memberikan penilaian positif terhadap kualitas teknis rekan-rekan setimnya selama latihan awal di bawah arahan pelatih interim Martín Perelman.
"The level of what I saw technically was quite, very good," cetus Griezmann. Evaluasi lebih lanjut akan ia lakukan saat pertandingan resmi dimulai, namun ia optimistis tim akan terus berkembang. "I'll have to see how it goes in the matches, but I'm very, very happy with the level we're showing this week that I've been training, and I'm sure we'll keep improving," tambahnya.
Kedatangan bintang baru ini diharapkan menjadi solusi jangka panjang bagi lini pertahanan Orlando City yang telah kebobolan 44 gol dari 15 laga pertama mereka musim ini. "He can be the face of this club for hopefully many years," kata Ricardo Moreira.
Griezmann juga menyampaikan pesan khusus kepada para pendukung setia klub yang biasa memadati area tribun The Wall di Stadion Inter&Co. "Just keep doing what you've been doing for years, pushing the team forward," imbaunya. Ia berharap bisa mencetak banyak gol di hadapan suporter dan bersama-sama merayakan pencapaian trofi juara.
"I hope I can score many goals in that side of the stadium. Let's enjoy it together, let's be a nightmare for the opponent. Surely, if we go hand in hand, we'll win the trophy," pungkas Griezmann.
Orlando City dijadwalkan melakoni laga tandang melawan San Jose Earthquakes pada 22 Juli, sebelum menjalani laga kandang melawan Nashville SC tiga hari kemudian.
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