MLS ALL-STAR GAME
Which players are in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge? Rosters, players, challenges
Alongside the match between the MLS select XI and Arsenal, ten players from each squad will be chosen to compete in special tests of skill.
We now know the identities of the 20 players who will be competing for MLS and Arsenal in the All-Star Skill Challenges.
With less than two weeks to go until the All-Star competitions, Wayne Rooney and Mikel Arteta have confirmed which of their players will be taking part in the competition held on Tuesday, July 18 (7:30pm ET) at Audi Field.
Here’s what we know so far...
Which players are in the All-Star Skills Challenges?
The All-Star Game is designed to showcase the best talent in MLS in competition with a top team from another country. This time around it’s English side Arsenal who will pose the challenge.
The Gunners’ performances fell off towards the end of the 2022/23 season but they still managed to secure a second-place finish the Premier League. Since then they have strengthened their squad with the addition of Kai Havertz from Chelsea and the return of on-loan USMNT forward Folarin Balogun. Both players will be involved in the Skills Challenges.
MLS All-Stars
Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Christian Benteke (DC United), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy), Luciano Acosta (Cincinnati), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Roman Burki (St. Louis SC) and Tyler Miller (DC United)
Arsenal
Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Folarin Balogun, Eddie Nketiah, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Rob Holding, Marquinhos, Aaron Ramsdale and Karl Jacob Hein
What are the MLS All-Star Skill Challenges?
The ten representatives from each team will compete across five different skill-based challenges. Players can compete in a maximum of three different challenges, typically those which best suit their on-field strengths.
Here are the five Skill Challenges for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game...
- MLS All-Star Shooting Challenge presented by AT&T 5G
- MLS All-Star Touch Challenge presented by Dawn
- MLS All-Star Cross & Volley Challenge presented by AT&T 5G
- MLS All-Star Passing Challenge presented by Bounty
- MLS All-Star Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs
For those watching the Skill Challenges should be a fun glimpse at the incredible talents of top-level players. Arsenal may be in the middle of their pre-season preparations but they will be eager to beat Rooney’s MLS XI.
“Arsenal FC is one of the most storied and popular clubs in the world,” said MLS president Gary Stevenson when they were announced as the opposition.
“Fans at Audi Field and watching on MLS Season Pass, will be treated to back-to-back fun and thrilling nights featuring skill, style, and intense competition as top global stars meet in our nation’s capital.”