The 2024 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 28th annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, an exhibition soccer match in the United States. It featured all-star squads from Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX of Mexico—the third edition to use the inter-league format. The All-Star Game was played on July 24, 2024, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, and won 4–1 by Liga MX. The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge was played the day before at the same venue.

2024 MLS All-Star Game
Lower.com Field hosted the All-Star Game
Event2024 Major League Soccer season
DateJuly 24, 2024 (2024-07-24)
VenueLower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Most Valuable PlayerJuan Brunetta
(Liga MX All-Stars)
RefereeGuido Gonzales Jr. (United States)
Attendance20,931[1]
2023
2025

Background

On June 28, 2023, MLS announced that the 2024 MLS All-Star Game would be hosted by the Columbus Crew and played at their home stadium, Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. The 2005 MLS All-Star Game was hosted by the Crew at their previous stadium.[2] The Liga MX All-Stars, representing the top flight league of Mexico, were announced as the 2024 All-Star Game opponents on March 4, 2024. It is the third MLS All-Star Game to feature an inter-league all-star team; the Liga MX All-Stars had previously played in the 2021 and 2022 editions before MLS switched back to a friendly against a European club for the 2023 game. The All-Star Game was played two days before the start of the 2024 Leagues Cup, an international competition featuring all clubs from MLS and Liga MX.[3]

Pre-match

Roster selection

The MLS All-Star team's 30 players were determined by sixteen selections by host head coach Wilfried Nancy of the Columbus Crew, two players selected by MLS commissioner Don Garber, and twelve selections from an online vote of fans, media personnel, and MLS players.[4] The online vote for players in a 4–1–2–3 formation and one additional slot began on May 29, 2024, and concluded on June 10. Players on the ballot were required to have appeared in at least 50 percent of their club's matches by May 13.[5] Garber selected Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Héctor Herrera and Columbus midfielder Darlington Nagbe.[4]

Real Salt Lake forward Cristian Arango, who was voted onto the roster, was suspended by the league on July 15 for a violation of the MLS anti-harassment policy.[6] Miles Robinson withdrew from the All-Star Game due to his selection for the United States under-23 team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna and Colorado Rapids defender Moïse Bombito were announced as replacement coach selections on July 19.[7] Forwards Gabriel Pec of the LA Galaxy and Petar Musa of FC Dallas were added as coach selections on July 21, after the withdrawal of Inter Miami forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, who were both injured during the 2024 Copa América.[8][9] Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati, the reigning league MVP, was named captain of the MLS All-Star Team for the second consecutive year.[10]

André Jardine was selected as the manager of the Liga MX All-Stars after winning the Balón de Oro award for Best Head Coach of the Season. His selection of 14 players from the Balón de Oro finalists and 14 additional players was announced on July 17.[11]

Skills Challenge

The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge was held on July 23 at Lower.com Field and comprise events in five fields: shooting, touches, cross-and-volley, passing, and a crossbar challenge. The rosters include ten all-star players, one former "great" player, and a female players from the National Women's Soccer League and Liga MX Femenil. The MLS roster includes former player Sacha Kljestan and Diana Ordóñez of the Houston Dash; the Liga MX roster includes former player Luis Hernández and Alicia Cervantes of C.D. Guadalajara Femenil.[12] The Liga MX All-Stars won three of the five events during the Skills Challenge.[13] A single-elimination Goalie Wars tournament was also held and featured four MLS Next Pro goalkeepers; Chituru Odunze of Crown Legacy FC won the team's second consecutive Goalie Wars title.[14]

2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge results[15]
Event MLS score Liga MX score
Shooting 96 158
Touch 137 71
Cross & Volley 45 90
Passing 2 wins 1 win
Crossbar Loss Win

Broadcasting

The All-Star Game and Skills Challenge were broadcast globally in English, French, and Spanish on MLS Season Pass, an online streaming platform operated by Apple TV with rights to all MLS matches.[5]

Squads

MLS All-Stars

The initial MLS All-Stars roster was announced on July 1, 2024.[4] The Skills Challenge rosters for both teams were published on July 15.[12] Players from 18 clubs were selected; the most-represented teams on the roster are the Columbus Crew with five players and Inter Miami CF with four players who are all making their All-Star Game debut.[4][16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
 †  indicates a player who participated in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.[12]

2024 MLS All-Stars roster[7][17]
No.[7] Pos. Nat. Player Club Selection App.
1 GK   SUI Roman Bürki St. Louis City SC Coach 2nd
26 GK   FRA Hugo Lloris Los Angeles FC Coach 1st
30 GK   NED Maarten Paes FC Dallas Vote 1st
10 DF   ESP Jordi Alba Inter Miami CF Vote 1st
64 DF   CAN Moïse Bombito Colorado Rapids Coach 1st
4 DF   FRA Rudy Camacho Columbus Crew Coach 1st
15 DF   USA Justen Glad Real Salt Lake Vote 1st
22 DF   GUA Aaron Herrera D.C. United Vote 1st
13 DF   BRA Thiago Martins New York City FC Coach 1st
31 DF   CPV Steven Moreira Columbus Crew Coach 1st
23 DF   ARG Luca Orellano FC Cincinnati Coach 1st
2 DF   USA Keegan Rosenberry Colorado Rapids Coach 2nd
11 MF   ARG Luciano Acosta (c) † FC Cincinnati Vote 3rd
5 MF   ESP Sergio Busquets Inter Miami CF Vote 1st
29 MF   CAN Mathieu Choinière CF Montréal Coach 2nd
19 MF   BRA Evander Portland Timbers Coach 1st
25 MF   SCO Ryan Gauld Vancouver Whitecaps FC Coach 1st
16 MF   MEX Héctor Herrera Houston Dynamo FC Commissioner 2nd
17 MF   FIN Robin Lod Minnesota United FC Coach 1st
3 MF   USA Diego Luna Real Salt Lake Coach 1st
27 MF   GER Hany Mukhtar Nashville SC Coach 3rd
6 MF   USA Darlington Nagbe Columbus Crew Commissioner 3rd
7 MF   ESP Riqui Puig LA Galaxy Vote 2nd
20 FW   BEL Christian Benteke D.C. United Vote 2nd
8 FW   ITA Federico Bernardeschi Toronto FC Coach 1st
99 FW   GAB Denis Bouanga Los Angeles FC Coach 2nd
24 FW   COL Cucho Hernández Columbus Crew Coach 1st
10 FW   ARG Lionel Messi Inter Miami CF Vote 1st
FW   CRO Petar Musa FC Dallas Coach 1st
FW   BRA Gabriel Pec LA Galaxy Coach 1st
21 FW   URU Diego Rossi Columbus Crew Coach 3rd
9 FW   URU Luis Suárez Inter Miami CF Vote 1st

Liga MX All-Stars

The first half of the Liga MX All-Stars roster was announced on June 30, 2024, as part of the Balón de Oro awards. The remaining 16 players were announced on July 15.[18]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
 †  indicates a player who is participating in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.[12]

2024 Liga MX All-Stars roster[18]
No. Pos. Nat. Player Club
GK   MEX Luis Malagón Club América
GK   COL Kevin Mier Cruz Azul
GK   MEX Fernando Tapia Tigres UANL
DF   MEX Jesús Alberto Angulo Tigres UANL
DF   MEX Brian García Deportivo Toluca
DF   MEX Bryan González C.F. Pachuca
DF   MEX Alan Mozo C.D. Guadalajara
DF   MEX Jesús Orozco C.D. Guadalajara
DF   MEX Alexis Peña Club Necaxa
DF   ARG Gonzalo Piovi Cruz Azul
DF   ARG Guido Pizarro Tigres UANL
DF   URU Juan Manuel Sanabria Atlético San Luis
MF   MEX Roberto Alvarado C.D. Guadalajara
MF   MEX Alán Bautista C.F. Pachuca
MF   ARG Germán Berterame C.F. Monterrey
MF   ARG Juan Brunetta Tigres UANL
MF   ESP Sergio Canales C.F. Monterrey
MF   COL Nelson Deossa C.F. Pachuca
MF   NED Javairô Dilrosun Club América
MF   MEX Jonathan dos Santos Club América
MF   BRA Rodrigo Dourado Atlético San Luis
MF   ESP Álvaro Fidalgo Club América
MF   MEX Andrés Guardado Club León
MF   MEX César Huerta Pumas UNAM
MF   MAR Oussama Idrissi C.F. Pachuca
MF   ARG Maximiliano Meza C.F. Monterrey
MF   MEX Carlos Rodríguez Cruz Azul
FW   FRA Andre-Pierre Gignac Tigres UANL
FW   MEX Guillermo Martínez Pumas UNAM
FW   VEN Salomón Rondón C.F. Pachuca

Match

MLS All-Stars    1–4  Liga MX All-Stars
  • Hernández   17'
Report
Attendance: 20,931
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. (United States)


References

  1. ^ Gay, Colin; Mac Kay, Brianna (July 24, 2024). "Live updates: Liga MX easily handles MLS in 2024 MLS All-Star Game". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "MLS returns the All-Star Game to Columbus for the first time since 2005" (Press release). Major League Soccer. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Hernandez, Cesar (March 4, 2024). "MLS All-Star Game set to host best of Liga MX for third time". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "The League's Brightest Stars, Talented Newcomers, and International Legends Highlight the 2024 MLS All-Star Roster" (Press release). Major League Soccer. July 1, 2024. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Voting Opens Today for 2024 MLS All-Star Game Presented by Target" (Press release). Major League Soccer. May 29, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Cristian Arango suspended 4 games by MLS". ESPN. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "2024 MLS All-Star Team Roster". MLSsoccer.com. July 19, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Deen, Safid (July 22, 2024). "Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez won't play in MLS All-Star Game due to injury". USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gabriel Pec, Petar Musa added to 2024 MLS All-Star Team Roster". MLSsoccer.com. July 21, 2024. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta named 2024 MLS All-Star Game Captain". MLSsoccer.com. July 19, 2024. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Vertelney, Seth (July 17, 2024). "Liga MX announces team for MLS All-Star Game". Pro Soccer Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d "Rosters for 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T". MLSsoccer.com. July 15, 2024. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Mac Kay, Brianna (July 23, 2024). "Cucho Hernandez nails bicycle kick during MLS All-Star Skills Challenge at Lower.com Field". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Crown Legacy FC Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze Wins Goalie Wars at the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge" (Press release). Crown Legacy FC. July 24, 2024. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "LIGA MX Narrowly Edges MLS All-Stars in the 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T" (Press release). Major League Soccer. July 23, 2024. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Becherano, Lizzy (July 1, 2024). "Lionel Messi headlines MLS All-Star roster for first time". ESPN. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "2024 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. July 1, 2024. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "LIGA MX roster for 2024 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. July 15, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.