March 18 – Despite the fraught political climate between the United States and Mexico, for the fourth time in five years, the best of Major League Soccer (MLS) will take on the best of Liga MX in its annual All-Star Game.
The match will take place, ironically in the state where some of the harshest immigration rhetoric is trumpeted, Texas. Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium will host the match on July 23, ten days after the completion of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Players representing MLS are chosen by the fans, Nico Estevez, coach of Austin FC, and the commissioner, Don Garber. The process for selecting players for the Liga MX side is still a work in progress.
This will be the 29th edition of the MLS All-Star game, and the format has seen many different iterations. From the early days of the East versus the West Conferences, top European clubs, Chivas of Guadalajara, and the US men’s national team, and now Liga MX, the All-Stars have seen plenty of ups and downs including a humiliating 5-0 drubbing from Arsenal in 2023.
The timing of this game is scheduled a week before the Leagues Cup kicks off, which will pit MLS clubs against teams from Liga MX in the third edition of the mid-season tournament.
It is hoped that momentum can be generated from the All-Star game which also includes a skill competition featuring various sponsored items including the ‘AT&T Shooting Challenge’, the ‘Crest Touch Challenge’, ‘AT&T Cross & Volley Challenge’, the ‘Old Spice Passing Challenge’, and the ‘GilletteLabs Crossbar Challenge.’
In 2024 the Liga MX all-stars won the All-Stars Skills Challenge.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1742438102abtoo1742438102fdlro1742438102wedis1742438102ni@of1742438102ni1742438102