Pogba watches LAFC fall to MLS defeat

MIAMI: FORMER France international midfielder Paul Pogba was in the stands as Los Angeles FC fell to a second straight defeat in Major League Soccer with a 1-0 loss to Austin FC on Saturday.

Pogba, who is looking for a new club after serving an 18-month doping ban, watched his ex-France captain Hugo Lloris in action and embraced him pitch side after the game.

The former Juventus and Manchester United midfielder, who is celebrating his 32nd birthday, also greeted LAFC’s former France striker Olivier Giroud, who missed the game with a leg injury.

Brazilian Guilherme Biro won the game for Austin with a 12th minute header from a corner, which Lloris got a hand to but could not keep out.

After winning their opening two games of the season, LAFC were thrashed 5-2 last week by the Seattle Sounders before their surprise loss to the Texas side.

Pogba has been spending much of his time in recent months in Miami, training alone, as he looked to get fit and then find a new club.

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The Frenchman, capped 91 times by his country, has been seen at Inter Miami games in recent weeks.

A failed drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 resulted in a four-year doping ban which was reduced on appeal.

Pogba blamed a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States for the positive test.

Juventus terminated his contract last November, meaning he would not command a transfer fee for any club that wished to sign him.

For a new-look Austin, under new coach Nico Estevez, the win was a sign that two straight losses might not knock their season of course.

“We are a new group, both in terms of staff and players. I believe that victories like today show everyone the mentality behind this team – what we want to create, how we bounce back after two losses, and how we play at a difficult stadium against a difficult team,” said Estevez.

The Vancouver Whitecaps maintained their 100 percent record with their fourth straight win of the season coming in a 1-0 victory at FC Dallas.