El Tráfico Preview: Marco Reus and Olivier Giroud Face Off for the First Time in MLS

Olivier Giroud and Marco Reus face off for the first time in the Los Angeles derby.

Olivier Giroud and Marco Reus clash in El Tráfico with their new clubs / IMAGO / Beautiful Sports

LAFC and LA Galaxy meet once again in El Tráfico this weekend, this time with two new stars set to make their derby debuts.

Ever since LA Galaxy’s 4-3 win over LAFC in March 2018, El Tráfico has continued to be full of goals and surprises in 23 meetings.

The first derby saw two legends find the back of the net twice: Carlos Vela bagged two goals in the first half while Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned the match on its head scoring a stunning brace in his debut for the Galaxy.

Six years later – and two trophies lifted by LAFC – both teams have brought in two of the biggest names in European soccer for the upcoming MLS Cup Playoffs: Marco Reus for the Galaxy and Olivier Giroud at LAFC.

Giroud led the line as a striker for European giants like Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan. Reus was Borussia Dortmund's talisman for 12 years. The 2012 and 2019 Footballer of the Year in Germany scored 170 goals during his time in Dortmund.

LA Galaxy leads the Western Conference on 52 points with its rival closing in. LAFC sits on 48 points and can close the gap with a victory this weekend. The Black and Gold also have two games in hand over the Gs.

Reus and Giroud can be the difference makers to push their respective sides over the line this weekend. Both players join attacking departments that aren’t short on quality: Giroud joins Denis Bouanga, Cristian Olivera and Mateusz Bogusz; Reus links up with Joseph Painstil, Riqui Puig and Gabriel Pec. 

The Galaxy and LAFC have combined to score 95 goals in the 23 previous meetings. Reus and Giroud have scored a combined 527 goals throughout their careers.

All signs point to another high-octane clash in the 24th El Trafico.