Julian Green healthy, ready to play for Bayern Munich on U.S. tour

Julian Green missed some training last week with a sore knee, but it won't keep him out of Bayern Munich's tour of the U.S.

"It was just a little pain; I can play in the U.S.," Green said on a teleconference Monday.

Green said he was especially excited for the MLS All-Star Game, when he will get to see and play against some of his United States teammates. Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi, DeAndre Yedlin and Nick Rimando are all on the MLS team that will go up against the Bundesliga champions.

This tour is Green's chance to prove he deserves a spot on the Bayern first team and doesn't need a loan to earn playing time. Pep Guardiola has said repeatedly that the plan is for Green to stay with the first team and play, but that he needs to play well. Green has made no secret of his desire either.

"I want to stay," the American said. "I'm not thinking about a loan."

"I feel the trust of [Guardiola] -- it's very important for a young player to feel trust from the coach. I want to repay that trust."

Green certainly isn't walking into the Bayern starting XI or close to it. Right now, he's hoping to be a viable bench option, but the competition is stiff. It might ease up if the club sell Xherdan Shaqiri, as has been rumored, but as of now, the American needs to play exceedingly well. We'll see if he does in the next two weeks.