Giorgio Chiellini (Los Angeles Football Club centre-back) interview

DK (0:01)

This week from Los Angeles, we have the former Juventus captain and legend, one of the best defenders of his generation. From Pisa, Italia, LAFC center back, Giorgio Chiellini.

Rip (0:15)

Nice Italian, DK. I love when it works out that our guest interview is also on our sponsor's website. Everybody knows that listens to us, it's 500level.com. They have 16 Giorgio Chiellini products. They have hoodies, they have men's, they have women's, they have long sleeves, crewnecks. Go check it out, 500level.com. Get your Chiellini gear, 20% off, discount everything on the site with the code 1STARDK. Check it out, 500level.com. Let's go.

Giorgio Chiellini (0:43)

Hi, I'm Giorgio Chiellini. It's a real pleasure to be with you in this podcast.

DK (0:51)

Yo, aloha. Welcome to the 1 Star Recruits podcast. I'm DK, joined with my best friend in 25 years, Rip. As fate would have it, I had two cavities filled yesterday. I got hit with the Nova Cane, woke up this morning, two holes found in my hokas at the bottom of my hokas. I'm gonna need new running shoes. It's a holy start to the week for your boy, Rip. And then I hop on this podcast, and you say, what a day it's been. I gotta get my kids to the dentist office. It's just a holy week. It's a way to start the week, Rip, that's just been firing on all angles. What do you think, man? New hokas? Is that the play? Or should I get new running shoes?

Rip (1:30)

I'm a hoka lifer at this point. I just got a new pair. You know, you're supposed to replace your running shoes like every six months or something like that, depending on how much you run. But I just got a new pair of hokas. So I say, roll with it. I know you like the shoes. I don't like that they got holes in them, but that means you're putting some wear and tear on them. So I say, get some new ones.

DK (1:49)

Well, year and a half, you turn me on, I'm gonna stick with them. I'm gonna stick with my black ones too. I'll get black and gold. LAFC, North End, stand up. It's one of the liveliest MLS support groups in the league, Rip. Do you know about section 3252?

Rip (2:05)

I don't, I mean, I live 20 minutes from that stadium. I've never been to a game, but I'm excited to get out there. I know our guy Alonzo in media relations at LAFC invited us out to a game. So I'm ready, DK. Give me a press pass at this point.

DK (2:19)

Yeah, that's what I'm saying, man. And this section is on the north side of the arena. And it's wild. It's the closest on the west coast that you're gonna get. And a lot of Timbers fans may challenge this. Maybe some of you fans in Austin who have really great support groups there may challenge this take. But this 3250 true kind of section, which by the way represents the number of seats in that section, a couple rules. You gotta stay on your feet the whole time. I actually don't even think there's seats, and I'm not even lying. Alonzo might have to confirm that rip on your next trip. If there's actually seats in that section, they're on their feet the whole time.

If you don't know the chance, you're at it here. If they don't even mess around, it's like, you know, if you don't know what you're in for, you can't sit in that section. So real deal, but flares, you know, flags, all the stuff that you see in Europe a little bit, you have a taste of LA right there. So on the flip side, beyond that section, which is also family-friendly rip, so you can take the kids there, tons of stuff for the kids to do, and we talk about it all the time on this podcast. A way for families to save money and not go out to Disneyland and spend 800, or go to a Clippers game and it's a quick 650 So a way to get out with the family for a couple hundred bucks and really have a wonderful time. So the million dollar question, Rip, when are you going? When are you taking the family?

Rip (3:32)

Well, I'm gonna get some heat for this from LAFC fans, but I did take my kid to his first MLS game last year. It was at the LA Galaxy Stadium down in Carson, and it was a great atmosphere. I mean, these MLS teams are doing it right. I know we had Real Madrid and AC Milan run through Los Angeles in the last month, and they're starting to play in the US a lot more. The Premier League teams, DK, these teams are doing it right. The atmosphere is amazing. They got music, they got the strobe lights, they got all of it. And it's also they're packed in to a stadium that seats 20 to 25,000. So you're not overflowing with people, although they do do those. We talk about the Rose Bowl game that Giorgio played in a couple of weeks ago. I give it a 5 stars, DK.