Juventus and Chivas Guadalajara to play at Allegiant Stadium

Italian Serie A giant Juventus will begin its preseason United States tour at 8 p.m. Friday when they take on Mexican Liga MX stalwarts Chivas Guadalajara at Allegiant Stadium.

It’s the second high-profile soccer friendly played in Las Vegas this summer, after English Premier League side Chelsea beat Liga MX’s Club America 2-1 July 16.

Juventus find itself in an interesting position heading into the 2022 season. The most successful team in Italian soccer, it won nine consecutive Serie A titles from 2011 until 2020. An aging core, coupled with the rise of title contenders in Inter Milan and A.C. Milan have brought Juventus back into the pack.

The Turin-based club finished fourth in Serie A during the 2021-22 season, behind the two Milan teams and Napoli. It was good enough to earn Champions League status for the upcoming season, but a far cry from the team’s previous dominance.

Juventus also lost to Inter Milan, 4-2, in the Coppa Italia Final.

The 2021-22 season was the final one for several of the players who guided Juventus to the pinnacle of Italian football. Club captain and 2020 European Championship winner Giorgio Chiellini departed to join MLS’ LAFC after 18 seasons in Turin. Juventus also lost leading scorer Paulo Dybala, who signed with Roma.

Juventus suffered another personnel blow Tuesday, when Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt left to join German champions Bayern Munich.

However, coach Massimiliano Allegri, who is responsible for five of the team’s nine most recent titles, has a strong squad.

Leonardo Bonucci is still around to anchor the defense, and the midfield includes talented players such as Brazil’s Arthur Melo, Italian Manuel Locatelli — one of the breakout stars of Euro 2020 — and United States men’s national team star Weston McKennie, who’s recovered from a broken metatarsal in his foot.

They also have promising attackers, namely Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, who joined the team in January and scored seven goals in just 15 Serie A appearances.

Juventus has added talent, too. Former Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria joined as a free agent, and Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer, who signed from rivals Torino Wednesday, is also part of the touring squad.

However, the most notable new arrival is the return of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Signed from Manchester United on a free transfer as an 18-year-old, he grew into a superstar with Juventus before rejoining Manchester United for a then-world record sum of $116.4 million in 2016. The 29-year-old Pogba returns after five years in England, again as a free agent.

Chivas is led by captain Jesus Molina and established Mexican national team winger Roberto Alvarado. Midfielder Fernando Beltran, defenders Luis Olivas and Gilberto Sepulveda, winger Jesus Angulo and forward Alexis Vega have also represented Mexico at various points in the past year.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.