PORTLAND, Ore. – How many minutes will Julian Green play on Wednesday night?
That's one of the most interesting storylines for US national team fans heading into the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game in Portland (9:30 pm ET on ESPN2, UniMas, TSN, RDS). If you believe Green's coach and dad, it'll probably be a little bit more than 15 minutes.
"He’s going to play a little bit more [than 15 minutes]," Pep Guardiola told media in Monday's pregame press conference. "For the fans, for the girls. He’s going to play even more [than 15 minutes], yeah."
Those minutes would be more than Green played against Chivas Guadalajara in the opener of Bayern Munich's US tour, when he was stuck on the bench after reportedly picking up an injury. After Bayern training on Tuesday, Green professed to being injury-free.
"Everything is good. The knee is perfect," he said. "I can play."
Green has been thrust by Bayern Munich into the limelight during its US tour despite his limited role with the defending German champions and the fact that he may still very well be loaned out this season against the player's wishes.
He's handled the media spotlight expertly, sticking to the script and occasionally flashing a sheepish smile. The poise belies his 19 years of age.
"It’s OK," Green said when asked whether the attention was too much for him. "Of course I like it."
