Laurent Courtois began his career in the youth ranks of top French club
Lyon. In the 1998–99 season, he moved to
Ajaccio in
Ligue 2, where he gained his first experience. After a fine season with Ajaccio, he transferred to
Toulouse, where he helped the club gain promotion to
Ligue 1. After a successful second season with Toulouse, he was transferred to
West Ham United in England. After 18 unsuccessful months, with only seven
Premier League appearances, Courtois left England and returned home. He signed with
Istres in January 2003 to restart his career. In two years at the club, he appeared in 74 league matches and scored 9 goals. In 2005, he joined Spanish
La Liga side
Levante. He remained at the club for three years. In 2008, he returned to France joining
Grenoble. He helped the club gain promotion to
Ligue 1 during the 2008–09 season. During the second half of the 2011
Major League Soccer season, Courtois signed with
Chivas USA. He was released on 30 June 2013, just a day after scoring a goal against the
New England Revolution in a 1–1 draw. After a brief trial, Courtois signed with Chivas USA's city rivals
Los Angeles Galaxy on 19 July 2013. Courtois made his debut with the
LA Galaxy on 20 July 2013 against
Vancouver Whitecaps FC. After signing for the Galaxy's reserve squad as a player/coach, he announced his retirement on 15 August 2014 in order to obtain his coaching credentials from the FFF. ==Coaching career==