Juventus are scheduled to face a Major League Soccer all-stars team in Atlanta on August 1 as part of their pre-season buildup.
An announcement on the clubs official website confirmed the game will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta FC:
Juventus will be heading to the United States this summer to be the opponent for Major League Soccer’s annual All-Star Game set for 1 August in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 23rd edition of the MLS summer showcase, Juventus will face a squad featuring the best from the ever-growing American league at the recently-opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to MLS side Atlanta United FC and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
With prior opponents like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, the MLS All-Star game is one of the biggest events of the summer and this will be Juve’s first time to take part.
“We are happy to represent European football in this year’s MLS All-Star Game,” said President Andrea Agnelli. “It’s an opportunity to get closer to the passionate American soccer fans. For many years, Juventus has considered the United States and Canada as a crucial market for growing our presence as shown by the opening of our new academies and our digital strategy that has greatly expanded the possibility to connect with fans on this continent. The first team and the game, however, will be the main show that Juventus offers and we are proud to be in Atlanta.”
This one’s gonna be good.
We’ll see you this August for the 2018 #MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target, @juventusfc. pic.twitter.com/RiEiPnKpjK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 22, 2018
I hope we’ll take it a bit more seriously than we usually do with these pre-season friendlies. Can’t imagine there will be new fans when they say a disinterested Juve losing to an MLS team, even if it is their all-star team.
Im sure there will be a few thousand more who pick up ‘the cause’ mate…which irks me as much as I understand how the business works. The US supplies by far the largest amount of new fans to the game who have no idea of football. They are the most brainwashed on the planet, probably the UK not far behind, but the UK tribe has football in their blood and deeply rooted in the culture. Would be fine if the new fans from a country which remains somewhat hesitant even reluctant towards the beautiful game (due to other sports very deeply embedded in their blood and culture) took the sport more seriously, learned tactics, studied the greats rather than just picking the side which comes to town with the biggest fanfare and getting a tattoo of DP on their arse…(Del Piero, not Double Penetration).
We need the cash and until the Chinese decide to decimate the galactically bankrupt US economic system, unfortunately it involves us trying to plumb new depths in their market.
This is simply not true! I am left baffled and repulsed by such an idiotic comment. You speak some truth, but then you get into Anti US bias and assumptions that are flat out wrong.
“The US supplies by far the largest amount of new fans to the game who
have no idea of football. They are the most brainwashed on the planet,
probably the UK not far behind”
Yes it’s true that In the U.S. the Gringos(Whites) they like Winners. When they aren’t supporting a local MLS team, they are supporting Barcelona, Real Madrid and Brazil and simply for the reason that they “Win the most games”.
Yes the Whites in the US know little to none about tactics and legends, however Most US football fans aren’t white, the whites are still used to American football (because it’s manly), Baseball (because its rules and principles are the physical embodiment of an idiom for life), and Basketball (thanks to the brainless mumble rap culture where blacks rap about nothing more than booty, drugs and shooting hoops in the mainstream), but even then the popularity of basketball is starting to decline here in the states … well these are the arguments most whites and blacks have at least, but in truth these are all the sports that allow for mass marketing, as we all know Football simply doesn’t allow for endless commercials. (perhaps that’s the brainwashing you refer to?)
Anyways let me tell you that a big portion of the US Football fan base is still Hispanics, European and middle eastern Immigrants. both immigrants and first generation offspring, live and breath “The beautiful game”. its second and third generation that start loosing it but thankfully them + the gringos are seldom to none compared to the immigrant and first Gen fanbase pool.
Now Let me tell you that here in the states It is difficult to watch any football that isn’t MLS, and for the Gringos they can easily watch the EPL, but we only have 1 English speaking network (NBC Sports Network) that offers EPL games, and they only play the game live (Never deferred, and never any Analysis in channels like ESPN or Fox Sports (The English language versions)). For the CL games we only get (FS1 or FS2), one or the other, not both, if any at all.
As for Hispanics, it is impossible to watch any league that isn’t La Liga and Liga MX, aside form an occasional big MLS game, other than that they focus more on Copa Libertadores and Conca Champions, more so than Champions League, though they cover that pretty descent in the final stages of the competition.
as you can see:
If You speak English: (Most Immigrants not from Latin America and Gringos), you are doomed to a life of EPL (If they wake up eraly enough) and MLS (That is It! CL if FS 1/2 see fit, it’s not even a sure thing.)
If You can Understand Spanish: Then you are doomed to Liga MX and La Liga, though you get great coverage of La Copa Libertadores, and Conca Champions. and only from the round of 16 onward do they start focusing on Champions League. For the group stages of the CL they mainly only show Barcelona and Real Madrid games, occasionally Bayern Munich games, and every once in a blue moon: Juve Games.
so this may be more of the “Brainwashing” You seem to have noticed, but Latin Americans simply love the Spanish league, and Gringos are content with MLS and primal EPL coverage. People like me who have grown out of Liga MX and hate LA Liga, are doomed! as I need to Illegally stream to see Juve Games, and See the teams I want to see.
The Gringos just go with the flow, and support MLS and EPL, the more rebellious ones hop over to the LA Liga side,
So these “Brainless Ignorant Fans” are a very small percentage of the US fan Base. Most of the US Fanbase is actually Latin American…with the European half and middle eastern half, outnumbering gringos 2-1 on the English speaking side of the fanbase. Now If you think the Latin Americans dont have football in their vains you have never visited Latin America, haven’t met a Latin American, or haven;t heard the quite frankly embarrassing stories of Latin American countries, whom’s citizens stop living life, and even willingly get fucked by their own government for the sake of a national soccer game.
Now believe it or not, but as a Football Lover living the US the phrase “Ignorance is bliss” comes to mind because for all their ignorance, and for all their lack of history, the whites truly can see the game for what it is and have no problem supporting both BArcelona and MAdrid at the same time, and great players like CR7 and Messi at the same time, the one whom I have showed Dybala, also greatly like him, and none take any insult in supporting a team or player like the rest of Europe and LAtin America do. So that part is nice, their ignorance allows them to be truly objective and mature. Something people who “Eat, live, breath and have football in their vains” should all learn from.
As for Juve wishing to expand in the US… It is brilliant! and if Juve ever want a following similar to the Spanish and the EPL teams…they need it!, and they already have one foot in with Netflix.
Also You do know that most of the US National Debt is owed to US private Citizens and US Firms and Banks, rather than to the Chinese? I fail to see how China poses a threat Financially in bankrupting terms (Not Trade wise) when China’s financial strength is built on a super inflated Real estate bubble and illegal market manipulation. (dont trust all you read or see in the news GP). The US is not controlled by China, as The Liberals would have you believe, it is simply unfounded.
You have expanded my words quite considerably…yet I am interested to learn more of the economic basics between the two countries, other than the treasury bonds, the mass export routine (which is nowhere near yet finding alternative markets on anywhere near the required scale)…the biggest weapon appears to be a serious move to challenge the $, for countries to avoid having to trade in the US $ as a reserve currency. That was where the serious threat appeared given the close to symbiotic nature of the US/CHINA markets. Its slow, yet viable…I had lost track of Chinese pressure to coax, cajole…encourage…some of the Middle Eastern crowd to start trading in Yuan. Not just Iran and Russia…and I do not believe China controls the US, a zionist crowd, demonstrably so, not China…but elsewhere this can be discussed further. Must get back to the football..
l…I did not like the netflix series. I don’t want our players to be soap stars…Yet i understand its part of the strategy, reaching a wider audience, making more money, continuing rise to and firm grasp on upper echelons of european football.
I referred to nobody as brainless or ignorant…And was referring to % from my own experience, mainly online of encountering US based football fans. It is a little similar to here in Australia, there are a fair amount whose understanding of the game is hollow and their discussion more a bane than valuable, because the culture is so focused on AFL, cricket or Rugby. It is no surprise to find the europeans who have settled here, and some south americans, able to express depth of knowledge and understanding of the game but the market is so so small. Hardly worth the trip, when economical considerations are primary.
And its that mentality you outlined of the gringos…I like that word, it makes white folk seem like cartoon villains! Yet it probably has offensive connotations to others…but yes, its the picking winners, picking the best side, donning a Barca shirt one week then a Madrid shirt the week after, and really having little idea other than directed to ‘the stars’. I have come across more of these in online juve circles than I have found from any other nation. It might just be my singular experience…
I am jolly and interested to learn of the plight of the rest of the fans…who are not by blood or culture fixated on NFL or basketball.
Pretty much stopped reading after reading “whites” and “gringo’s” 4 times.
I’m not waiting on a horde of gloryfans, but I am interested in Juve picking up more exposure, fans, income etc.. Dumb fans and gloryfans are the least of my concern, we’re not an elitist band of football analysts either. More fans is more money and more money means better players. As I realise all too well, you already know all this and it is what annoys you. Unfortunately, we just need it like everyone else.
Looking forward to the youth article!