SAN JOSE, Calif. – The AT&T MLS All-Star Game isn’t just a game that gives fans the chance to see what amounts to a ‘dream team’ in action – it’s also a chance for some of the league’s best talent to take the field with some of the players they’ve always wanted to play alongside.
For New York City FC forward David Villa, an international star in his own right, there’s one All-Star in particular that he’s been itching to team up with, after a year and a half of going up against him – Montreal Impact playmaker Ignacio Piatti
“I have the desire to play with Piatti, he’s a guy I know and a guy that’s dominating the league, not just this year but in years past,” Villa enthused while talking to reporters after Tuesday's All-Star training session. “He’s a good guy, I know him personally, and I hope that we’ll have minutes together on the field and that we can enjoy them.”
Villa and Piatti are certainly two of the most in-form players in the league so far in 2016. They are the league's two leading scorers and bona fide MVP candidates. Villa now has 13 goals to go along with an assist in 22 appearances for NYCFC, while Piatti has notched a remarkable 12 goals and five assists in 18 games for the Impact, and that kind of production will almost certainy be key if the All-Stars are to make it three straight wins in the summer showcase when they take on Arsenal on Thursday evening (7:30 pm ET; ESPN, UniMás in the US, TSN, RDS in Canada).
The Gunners, of course, will be no pushovers – they finished second in the English Premier League in the 2015-16 season and have been one of the top teams in England and in Europe for many years. And though they are in preseason, with just one friendly under their belt so far, Villa anticipates a good show from both sides.
“Obviously all the people know that Arsenal is one of the best teams in Europe,” said Villa. “They are in preseason now but they play well with the ball and I think we have a very good team too, the best players in the league and I hope the people see a great game.”
Villa was also quick praise the overall concept of an All-Star Game for MLS. It's a tradition that is rarely seen in Europe, but one that the Spanish World Cup winner has quickly taken to since arriving in MLS ahead of NYCFC's 2015 expansion season.
“The league is growing and this is very nice for the league, not only for the players,” he explained. “And I think this game is one of the best [things] we can do for growing this league. The game is being shown all over the world because it’s an amazing game of soccer and people want to see this game.”
