MLS All-Stars 1-1 Juventus (3-5 on pens): Juve see off best of MLS
Mattia De Sciglio hit the winning penalty in Atlanta
Juventus beat the MLS All-Stars 5-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in Atlanta on Thursday morning.
New York Red Bulls' Bradley Wright-Phillips hit the post in the shootout, allowing Mattia De Sciglio of Juventus to beat Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen and secure the victory.
Juventus opened the scoring through Andrea Favilli in the 21st minute, but Atlanta United's Josef Martinez, the game's MVP, made it 1-1 just five minutes later.
Juventus, without Cristiano Ronaldo, took the lead through Favilli after Matheus Pereira's wicked cross was headed home from 12 yards.
Bradley Wright-Phillips missed the decisive penalty for MLS All Stars
Martinez, who has 24 goals in 23 matches - three shy of the MLS single-season record - was fed by Montreal's Ignacio Piatti across the face of goal, bravely slotting home past Wojciech Szczesny after a scramble.
The match drew an MLS All-Star record crowd of 72,317, topping the 70,728 who attended against Manchester United in Houston in 2010.
Juventus take on Real Madrid on Saturday in what could be Ronaldo's first game since leaving the Bernabeu.
The 2018 MLS All-Star game went to Juventus on Wednesday night, as the Italian club edged the MLS All-Stars in penalty kicks 5-3 after finishing 1-1 in regulation in Atlanta in front of a game-record 72,317 fans. But while it were the visitors celebrating the victory at night's end as they prepare for their upcoming season, one thing remained constant on his side of the Atlantic: Josef Martinez is past being the next big thing in Major League Soccer; he is the star of the league.
With fantastic players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa nearing the end of their careers, MLS has been able to change the perception of being a "retirement league" by bringing in some fantastic young players, many of them from Latin America. They are spread out all over the league, with Atlanta United's top-level scouting seeing them have three of the best ones in Josef Martinez, Miguel Alimiron and Ezequiel Barco.
And all of them have one thing in common: they are going to have the chance to play for some important clubs in Europe because of how good they are. If Atlanta can somehow hang onto them for a bit, they've got the chance to do something special.
But out of all three, it isn't the Argentine Barco or the Paraguayan Almiron who is catching the eyes of everybody; it's Martinez who continues to deliver every single game.The favorite for MLS MVP won game MVP with his equalizer, a true striker's goal of scoring by giving his everything and being in the right spot at the right time. Take a look:
And it isn't anything new. This kid has gone from exciting young prospect just needing a change to an absolute star and best striker in MLS at the moment. He has 42 goals in 44 matches for Atlanta United, which is mind-blowing. And this season, he's scored 22 goals in 23 games. While he didn't score in seven matches, in five he had at least two goals, with three hat tricks already this season.
He may just be 5-foot-8, but he has proven he can score with his head, speed by defenders and finish with his feet, and basically do whatever is needed to put the ball in the back of the net. At times, he'll pull off a stunner goal; at other times, he'll score the ugly way like a good striker does.
He also has six MLS hat tricks in 1 1/2 seasons, which is an MLS record. And he's just getting started. After being on loan from Torino in his first season, his player rights now belong to the MLS club, who have a bright future ahead.
But does he have a lot of time left in MLS? His fine form is certainly attracting interest from clubs in Europe, and if a big enough offer comes through, possibly in December, it may be hard to hold on to him. However, a move seems unlikely at this time.
His first stint in Europe didn't go too well, and that could be enough for him to want to stay stateside. Four seasons in Switzerland saw him score 13 total goals, and then he scored 13 more in three seasons for Italian team Torino. A decent showing, but nothing like what he's done with the hottest team in MLS. If he stays in a place where he looks comfortable and continues to dominate, the sky is the limit for both the player in the club. The interest from Europe will be there -- it has to be with his scoring record, but if the decision is up to him, it looks like he'll stay in the south.
So Atlanta fans, don't worry, be happy. It looks like Martinez will be your star for a while. Just read into his words after the game against Juventus and rest easy.
"I'm in Atlanta, and I'm not moving from here," he said after the game, according to Univision. "I'm having fun where I am. I don't think about the future, because I don't live from the future. I have a contract here. I'm happy with my teammates, happy here in the city, and those rumors, I'll leave them for others."
Juventus berhasil meraih hasil positif di laga pramusim kontra MLS All Stars, tim kuat yang diisi oleh pemain-pemain terbaik di Amerika Serikat. Pada pertandingan yang dihelat di Mercedez-Benz Stadium, Kamis (2/8) WIB tersebut, Juve bermain imbang 1-1 di waktu normal dan berhasil menang 5-3 melalui adu penalti.
Seattle
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MLS
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Columbus Crew SC took a little jab at Atlanta United FC as the All-Star game headed to penalties.
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NWSL
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USA
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