Soccer fans in the United States who are planning to attend the 2018 MLS All-Star Game against Juventus were handed some disappointing news on Monday. It turns out that two of the biggest MLS stars, LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and NYCFC’s David Villa, won’t be able to participate in the game. Ibrahimovic decided to withdraw his name due to fatigue. Galaxy cited the fact that the 36-year-old played three matches in a row alongside the travel involved as the reason for the decision.
“I am disappointed to miss the 2018 All-Star Game against Juventus, one of my former clubs,” – Ibrahimovic told the LA Galaxy official website. “I want to thank the fans for voting me to the team. My main focus is to score goals and help the LA Galaxy to the playoffs.”
David Villa, on the other hand, will miss the MLS All-Star Game since he won’t be able to recover from his injury in time for the game. New York Red Bulls’ midfielder Tyler Adams and Minnesota United’s forward Darwin Quintero will be in the squad for the match against Juventus instead.
According to MLS rules, both Ibrahimovic and Villa won’t be able to play in the next MLS game their clubs are scheduled to play.
2018 MLS All-Star Game will be held on August 1 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with Atlanta United’s coach Tata Martino coaching the MLS All-Stars.
