CARSON, Calif. – Carlo Cudicini may get the opportunity to face off against one of the giants of Italian soccer on Saturday at Dodger Stadium—but only if he can complete a fitness test.
Cudicini had been scheduled to play a half against Real Madrid on Thursday, but a back issue suffered in training on Wednesday caused the goalkeeper to miss out on the match against the Spaniards. If he does return to action on Saturday, he’ll face a side loaded with his countrymen.
“It's always nice to play against your own — some of them — old mates, and it's always good to speak a little bit of Italian,” said Cudicini, who started his career with AC Milan, the same club that his father played for. “I'm an AC Milan supporter, so, of course, Juventus and Inter Milan are the two big rivals. And Juventus is a great club, especially in Italy. They've won so many titles, have got such a great history. It's a game that's always nice to play.”
As for his fitness, however, that remains in flux—meaning that backup 'keeper Brian Rowe may be given his second start in three days if Cudicini is unable to go.
“I feel it's better. I don't know, we'll see tomorrow, if it improves a little bit more, then it will maybe again be the 45 [minutes] each,” Cudicini said. “Of course, you hope to, but you want to be sure you're 100 percent OK.
"You don't want to risk, first of all because at the end of the day, these are important games for us, but what you're looking for is the [next MLS] game against Dallas [on Aug. 11],” Cudicini added. “You want to be sure you're ready for that game.”
