MLS All-Star game to be played in LA against best players from Liga MX

The MLS All-Star game against the best players from the Liga MX was supposed to take place last year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was postponed with a date to be determined. On Wednesday the Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber confirmed that the event will take place on 25 August at Banc of California Stadium.

For the first time ever, two rival leagues will go toe-to-toe in a game that will celebrate and unite the soccer community from both countries. “Fans have been looking forward to this historic matchup for more than a year, and we have no doubt the 2021 MLS All-Star game presented by Target will prove to be worth the wait,” Garber said.

“After we canceled last year’s All-Star game our commitment was to bring it back in 2021 to Los Angeles, California since we already had everything planned out. We never thought about taking this event elsewhere and it is going to be special because the Banc of California will be at its maximum capacity for this showcase,” he said.

The MLS All-Star team will be managed by Bob Bradley from LAFC and the players will be chosen by fans, journalists and the head coach. The Liga MX will host a ‘Balón de Oro’ ceremony in July where fans and journalists will choose the best coach, defenders, midfielders and strikers that will represent them in the All-Star game.

Partnership between Liga MX and MLS

“MLS has proven that soccer has triumphed in America and the possibility of a merged league between MLS and the Liga MX is far from becoming a reality. But this doesn’t mean you can't have some of the benefits of the tournaments we have together [Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup] and All-Star game]. MLS and the Liga MX, we want to make CONCACAF stronger, viable and influential,” Garber said on Wednesday.

“A game of this magnitude in Los Angeles, played in front of incredible fans in one of the greatest soccer stadiums in global soccer, is unlike anything our sport has seen. This event is a perfect expression of the groundbreaking partnership that continues to build between MLS and the Liga MX.”

How MLS has surpassed the Liga MX

In the past three years many Mexican footballers have chosen to play in Major League Soccer in their prime instead of returning to the Liga MX. Players like Carlos Vela, Javier Hernández, Jonathan dos Santos, Alan Pulido and Rodolfo Pizarro decided to continue their careers in MLS, a league that seems to be surpassing the Liga MX in quality and infrastructure.

“It is a good question, but I never thought of it like that. I have always respected the Liga MX and I have a very good communication with the bosses in Mexican soccer. We have been working together since 2002/03 and now we have Americans investing in Mexican clubs like Necaxa, so I think they are doing a great job and they don’t get enough credit sometimes,” Garber said in reply to a question asked by AS USA.