Giorgos Giakoumakis has fired a parting shot at MLS after his transfer to Liga MX, saying that he hates how losing some matches is acceptable in the American top flight.
Giakoumakis left Atlanta United after a season and a half, joining Cruz Azul this week in a transfer worth a reported $10 million.
The Greece international striker was hugely productive during his time with the Five Stripes, tallying 24 goals and seven assists in 43 matches across all competitions.
In 2023, his only full season in MLS, Giakoumakis was named an All-Star, earned a spot on the Best XI and was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year.
In his introductory press conference with Cruz Azul, Giakoumakis was clear in his belief that he had moved to a higher level of competition.
“I was really excited and I wanted to make it happen,” the 29-year-old said of his transfer to La Máquina. “Cruz Azul showed me how much they want me and that was a crucial factor for me to make my decision.
“Cruz Azul is a team for sure that I think is a level higher than MLS. It’s a team that is chasing records, chasing trophies and is trying to win always every single trophy.
“For me I love to work for these teams, to play for these teams because the expectations are high. Your motivation has to be always there. And it’s not OK to lose sometimes. That’s a bad thing in MLS, it’s OK to lose some games — and I hate it.”
In MLS, 18 of the league’s 29 teams currently make the playoffs, bolstering the Greek striker’s point that teams can afford a loss or two on their way through the season.
However, 10 of 18 teams make the postseason in Liga MX, which is 55 percent of the league’s teams — a figure not dissimilar to the 62 percent that reach the MLS playoffs.
Giakoumakis will aim to help Cruz Azul go one step further than it did in the recently completed Clausura campaign, which saw the Mexico City giant fall in the final against city rival Club América.
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