Toronto and Italian soccer fans will have more than the World Cup to savor this summer with the return of Juventus for the first time in a quarter-century.
The Italian giants will make their first appearance in Toronto since 1984 when they face fellow Serie A club Fiorentina in a friendly May 25 at Rogers Centre as part of both clubs' North American summer tour, it was announced Tuesday by the Toronto Sports Association.
Both clubs will meet in Toronto after facing separate opposition two days earlier, with Juventus taking on Red Bull New York at the new Red Bull Arena and Fiorentina playing the Montreal Impact of the USSF Second Division at Stade Saputo.
One of the most popular clubs among Toronto soccer fans, the appearance of the Turin-based club marks the return of Serie A soccer to Canada's largest soccer market. AS Roma was the last Serie A team to play in Toronto, beating Celtic of Scotland 1-0 in July 2004 before 50,000-plus fans at Rogers Centre (then known as SkyDome).
Juventus will likely be missing several starters, who'll be away preparing with their nations for the FIFA World Cup. Expected to be absent are iconic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon; 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Grosso; midfielder Mauro Camoranesi; and forward Vincenzo Iaquinta.
But the roster may include forwards Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) and David Trezeguet (France), delighting many in the 400,000-plus strong Italian-Canadian community.
Juventus faced the North American Soccer League's Toronto Blizzard three consecutive years in the early 1980s, with the last meeting coming in August 1984, a year before the NASL's demise.
