Canadian national team midfielder Mathieu Choinière is finalizing a move to LAFC and is set to make a return to MLS after one year abroad, The Athletic has learned. Choinière, a CF Montréal homegrown product, signed with Grasshopper FC in Switzerland last August and played in 17 games in the Swiss Super League, but now will come back to compete for a job with LAFC. Sources said Choinière was signed on a $1 million fee last summer.
The 26-year-old now looks set to join LAFC in the summer window, which opens July 24. Interestingly, LAFC owns Grasshopper, buying a majority stake in January 2024.
Choinière has 17 caps with Canada, including four appearances and three starts in this summer’s Gold Cup. The second midfield spot in front of Stephen Eustáquio is still open, and Choinière may be looking for more starts to secure his spot in Jesse Marsch’s plans for the 2026 World Cup. Choinière was born in Quebec and came up through CF Montréal’s academy, signing a first-team deal in 2018.
He made 120 appearances over six and a half seasons (89 starts), scoring 11 goals with three assists. He was an MLS All-Star in 2023 and 2024. Entering Wednesday night’s match at Minnesota United, LAFC (9-5-5) sits in sixth place in the MLS Western Conference but has multiple games in hand on the rest of the teams in the table due to its participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
