Steffen turns attention to MLS all-star game
Less than an hour after Crew SC’s dramatic 3- 2 road win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Zack Steffen finally allowed his mind to shift.
A key Eastern Conference road game in the books, the second- year goalkeeper was able to exhale a bit and look forward to his first Major League Soccer All- Star Game appearance.
“It’ll be fun,” Steffen said. “( My teammates) get to go on a break and it’s an honor to be an AllStar and to go down there, so I’m excited.”
Steffen, the Crew’s first All- Star Game representative since 2016, is one of 26 MLS players — and one of two goalkeepers, along with Atlanta’s Brad Guzan — who will take on Italian Serie A team Juventus on Wednesday night at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Juventus will not have newly acquired striker Cristiano Ronaldo available for the game, but will have plenty of talent on the field in preparation for its fast- approaching Aug. 19 season opener against Lazio.
“What I would say is we're excited by the opportunity to play such a historic club on Wednesday,” Guzan told reporters in Atlanta on Wednesday. “With or without (Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain), it's going to be a difficult game and we know that. Obviously, their names alone bring a lot of attention. It's probably a bit of a shame for everyone on the outside, but for me personally, hopefully that makes for an easier night.”
Steffen and Guzan should both get some work Wednesday. Every MLS All- Star Game since 2009 has featured a halftime goalkeeper substitution.
Crew captain Wil Trapp told his teammates Saturday they should have no reservations about expending their energy against the Red Bulls.
“That’s what I was telling the guys,” Trapp said.
“'We have four days off after this. Give everything you have, die out there on the field to get the three points,’ and I think you saw that.”
The Crew left Harrison, New Jersey, with its biggest win of the season and started a four-day break with a bye weekend upcoming. Every MLS team but the Crew will suit up this weekend. For just the second time this season, the Crew has the weekend off, with players training only Thursday and Friday.
“We’re gonna give the guys some days off, and then we’re gonna come back and keep pushing,” coach Gregg Berhalter said Saturday.
The Crew has some momentum with two straight wins for the first time in close to two months, but the downtime is probably well-timed. The team did plenty of running and underwent plenty of strain in the victories.
“The other game, against Orlando, we ran all game. … In this game (against New York), we knew if the Red Bulls scored one or two goals, we’d need to work together,” midfielder Pedro Santos said. “Now we have time to rest and be prepared for the next game.”