The Italian club’s history, the players, the Netflix documentary ... those are a few of the reasons that some of Atlanta United’s players are excited that Juventus will play the MLS All-Stars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 1.
“It’s a testament to what this club and this city have brought to the footballing world: to have a team like that want to come here and play on our grounds, it’s amazing,” Atlanta United midfielder Chris McCann said.
Juventus is one of the world’s most prestigious clubs. Based in Turin, it has won Italy’s top division 36 times and the Champions League twice. It will be the second team from Italy to compete against the MLS All-Stars. Roma defeated the All-Stars 3-1 in 2013 at Sporting Park in Kansas City.
A few of Atlanta United’s players have gotten an inside look at Juventus by watching the Netflix documentary series, “First Team: Juventus.” The movie premiered on Feb. 16 after chronicling the team during the start of the 2017-18 season.
The team includes Italian players Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Argentine stars Gonzalo Higuian and Paulo Dybala, and Brazilians Douglas Costa and Alex Sandro, among other notables.
“Some legends on that team,” Atlanta United midfielder Julian Gressel said. “It’s going to be a fun atmosphere and fun experience, I think.”
Atlanta United midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said he would like to watch the team train.
“One thing that’s been impressive is how intense the training sessions are,” he said. “(Manager) Max Allegri seems very intense.”
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