2 days ago
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Cesar HernandezJul 24, 2025, 09:38 AM ET
With a 3-1 triumph implicit the Liga MX All-Stars connected Wednesday night, MLS stole backmost determination bragging rights done a triumph successful the 29th variation of the league's All-Star Game.
Carried by goals from Sam Surridge, Brian White and lucifer MVP Tai Baribo successful beforehand of a packed assemblage astatine Q2 Stadium successful Austin, Texas, the evening and encompassing All-Star festivities passim the week volition spell down arsenic a well-deserved occurrence for MLS.
All of that said, successful a marquee showcase that was filled with galore of the champion and the brightest from some leagues, determination was 1 noteworthy omission: planetary superstar Lionel Messi. Earlier connected Wednesday, MLS confirmed the absence of the Inter Miami CF player, arsenic good arsenic that of teammate Jordi Alba, contempt some being selected for the match. Heading into the All-Star Game, Miami manager Javier Mascherano publicly stated that having his starters successful the accumulation wasn't ideal.
"The players are called up, I would similar them to beryllium capable to remainder but that is not my decision," Mascherano said. "I cognize however important the All-Star [Game] is, and arsenic acold arsenic I know, determination is nary determination from the club, everything is arsenic normal."
This isn't the archetypal clip that a high-profile subordinate oregon nine has said nary to the event. In 2018, the LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned down the opportunity, and connected the Liga MX broadside of the contention this year, 2025 didn't diagnostic selected players specified arsenic Leon's James Rodríguez oregon Cruz Azul's Erik Lira and Carlos Rotondi. The information of Monterrey prima Sergio Ramos besides wasn't officially confirmed until the nighttime before.
Why is this an contented for the All-Star Game? And with adjacent year's variation taking spot successful a World Cup year, erstwhile plentifulness of eyes volition beryllium connected North America, wherever does the high-profile accumulation spell from here?
Schedule congestion
The packed docket is the astir important origin successful the subdued vibes of the 2025 event. Both MLS and Liga MX volition not lone person a accelerated turnarounds with regular-season matches this weekend, but volition past besides kickoff their associated Leagues Cup tourney adjacent week. Including Leagues Cup and MLS, Messi & Co. are presently connected a nine-game agelong betwixt July 5 and Aug. 6. If they beforehand successful Leagues Cup, up to 3 further knockout-round games would past beryllium played adjacent month.
With that successful mind, it's understandable that Mascherano does not privation to overtax his players.
"The strength of the games we've played, particularly successful the past period and a half, has been very, precise high," the Miami coach, who has besides had to negociate injuries successful his roster, added recently.
Not everyone agrees with Mascherano, though. Despite having to question to the events during his playing days, six-time MLS All-Star Brian Ching viewed his engagement arsenic a infinitesimal to unbend and link with different important names crossed the country.
"I ever enjoyed the All-Star Game due to the fact that it allowed you to conscionable and play with immoderate of the champion players successful the league," helium said to ESPN. "These games are a intelligence interruption from the play for everyone due to the fact that the games are amusive to play in. None of the players play much than a fractional truthful it is similar a signifier for them.
"Most players enjoyed the accidental to bash thing antithetic from their mean week with their teams."
But that inactive hasn't been capable to person each involved. When Ibrahimovic missed retired successful 2018, the superstar cited fatigue, and was past amazed erstwhile helium was handed a one-game suspension successful accordance to league rules.
"[I] deliberation it is ridiculous, but yeah, nary comments," Ibrahimovic said astatine the time. "They bash immoderate they want. I travel from a antithetic world; I travel from the existent world."
Regarding erstwhile a one-game suspension could get for Messi and Alba, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that the league is "managing done that process arsenic we speak" up of Wednesday's game, portion besides admitting that determination has been a dense workload that had been enactment connected the players.
"Miami had a docket that is dissimilar immoderate different team," helium said. "Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn't. We had Leo playing 90 minutes successful astir each the games. That's 9 games successful 35 days."
It isn't arsenic if facing disconnected against Liga MX is simply a unsocial accidental either. In the modern epoch of MLS, there's been a increasing fig of matchups betwixt the 2 leagues that person sought to collaborate arsenic often arsenic possible. Along with Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and clashes successful the Concacaf Champions Cup, the All-Star Game tin consciousness mislaid successful the database of Liga MX-vs.-MLS battles.
"You already person Campeones Cup and you already person Leagues Cup," said ESPN's Herculez Gomez, who played successful some MLS and Liga MX. "How overmuch is excessively overmuch and past what are we trying to bash here? Does a instrumentality truly bask [the All-Star Game]?"
Supporters of the league, particularly those who sported a Messi jersey astatine Q2 Stadium, mightiness besides deliberation doubly astir the All-Star Game going forward.
"It's unfortunate due to the fact that if you wanted to item this merchandise oregon your products to the remainder of the league, well, your biggest assets person to beryllium there," Gomez said.
Changing the contention format
Getting each players connected committee is thing that the league volition person to proceed to negociate successful aboriginal editions, but what astir the format of the contention itself that could possibly garner much entreaty for players and fans?
While the "all-star" conception itself is caller to the accepted hotbeds of the athletics successful Europe and Latin America, MLS could bash much to basal retired successful an American sports scenery that has nary shortage of high-profile exhibitions -- fto unsocial basal retired successful their ain bid of Liga MX-vs.-MLS events.
Making changes wouldn't beryllium a agelong erstwhile considering however often the league has tinkered with formats that person ranged from games against European nine giants, the United States, Liga MX, and intraleague battles specified arsenic East vs. West and MLS USA vs. MLS World. And much generally, the league has demonstrated an appetite for experimenting with caller rules and innovations for the planetary game.
The summation of the skills situation is simply a measurement successful the close absorption during the All-Star week, but if MLS wants to capitalize connected a younger demographic, the league could pat into the burgeoning country of alternative tournaments specified arsenic The Soccer Tournament, Kings League and Baller League. Invited teams and celebrities from abroad, viral online moments done caller rules, each connected a small-sided pitch, the ingredients are determination to experimentation successful a athletics that has traditionally pushed backmost connected caller ideas that tin let players to amusement disconnected a antithetic broadside of their character.
2:12
Nicol backs Messi's MLS All-Star snub
Stevie Nicol backs Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba's determination to skip the MLS All-star crippled arsenic the brace look a one-match prohibition for their absence.
"I [definitely] judge what lacks successful mean shot present is personality, successful presumption of players being capable to beryllium themselves," Baller League subordinate Josh Harrop, a erstwhile Manchester United midfielder, said to ESPN earlier this year. "I americium a large shot fan, but I benignant of mislaid involvement successful watching it arsenic much, due to the fact that games are conscionable so, truthful boring and dry."
The argument, astatine slightest from the league's perspective, could beryllium made that those ideas are already being tested retired wrong the skills situation that has events specified arsenic goalie wars and the crossbar challenge. On Tuesday, guests specified arsenic U.S. men's nationalist squad icon Clint Dempsey, U.S. women's nationalist squad skipper Lindsey Heaps, Liga MX Femenil prima Nicki Hernandez and Liga MX icon Oribe Peralta besides took portion successful the competition.
Ching, who has had a lengthy acquisition successful the All-Star Game, doesn't privation to spot excessively galore changes.
"I consciousness this format keeps it competitory and entertaining for the fans portion keeping it absorbing and amusive for the players," the three-time MLS Cup champion said. "These games get competitory due to the fact that of the rivalry betwixt the 2 countries but some teams get to bask the acquisition of playing with the champion of the best."
Either way, MLS inactive has plentifulness to ponder earlier a World Cup twelvemonth successful which tons of attraction volition beryllium focused connected the North American shot landscape.
"I emotion the All-Star Game. You know, astir leagues astir apt do, [but] however bash you get your players to emotion the All-Star Game? Your partners to emotion the All-Star Game, and fans too," Garber said. "Ninety-plus percent of our Leagues Cup matches are going to beryllium MLS-vs.-Liga MX games, truthful possibly it is clip for america to germinate the format ... we'll spot however it plays out."
For now, the hostile and day for the 2026 All-Star Game astatine Bank of America Stadium successful Charlotte, North Carolina, is to beryllium determined -- arsenic is whether each of the league's biggest names volition beryllium successful attendance.
