MLS runs it back vs. Liga MX for 2025 All-Star Game in Austin
For the fourth time in five years, MLS will take on Liga MX in its All-Star Game, the league announced on Tuesday. The match will take place at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium on July 23.
MLS's all-stars are selected by fans, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez (the host city's coach has the honor of overseeing the team) and MLS commissioner Don Garber. The make-up of the Liga MX side is still up in the air, with MLS saying it will announce details of the selection process further down the road. Previous Mexican sides have included names like Santiago Giménez, André-Pierre Gignac and Sergio Canales.
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MLS is likely looking to build momentum for Leagues Cup, which kicks off a week after the All-Star Game and pits MLS and Liga MX teams against each other in a midseason tournament. The two leagues made significant adjustments to the format of the competition earlier this year in response to criticism from fans and participants alike.
The league has tinkered with the format of its All-Star Game multiple times over its 30-year history as well. Early editions were typically East vs. West, though there were a few exceptions: the league pitted its American players against its international ones in 1998, and in 2002, MLS's All-Stars faced off against players from the U.S. men's national team. Liga MX side Chivas de Guadalajara became the first Mexican participant in 2003.
From 2004-2019 the league faced off against a variety of top European clubs before switching to its current format. In all but one of the last five years, the league's All-Stars have faced a collection of Liga MX counterparts, the exception being a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Premier League's Arsenal in 2023.
The MLS All-Stars have emerged victorious on two of the three occasions they've faced Liga MX, winning the inaugural edition in a penalty shootout and winning again in 2022, riding a goal from former Liga MX standout Carlos Vela. Liga MX earned a first victory in 2024 with a 4-1 thrashing of MLS in Columbus.
The MLS All-Stars will also face off against Liga MX in the league's annual skills challenge, having lost two of their three matchups in previous iterations of that competition.
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