MLS All-Star Game

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MLS All-Star Game
Founded 1996
Region Major League Soccer (CONCACAF)
Number of teams 2
Current champions England Arsenal F.C.
(2nd title)
Most successful club(s) United StatesCanada MLS All-Stars (11 titles)
Television broadcasters MLS Season Pass
2023 MLS All-Star Game

The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star game format used by other North American sports leagues where the Eastern Conference squared off against the Western Conference. This eventually evolved into the current system where the league annually invites a club from abroad to play against a league all-star team in a friendly match; in 2021 and 2022, an all-star team from Liga MX was the opponent. The MLS All-Stars hold a 9–8 record in the competition, which generally marks the season's midpoint. Players are awarded roster spots through a combination of fan voting and selections by the appointed manager and league commissioner.

In case of a tie after full-time, the game does not use a 30-minute extra time period; instead it goes straight to a penalty shoot-out. The match is preceded by a skills challenge tournament, which was introduced in 2018 and features three-player teams competing in various events. The All-Star Game also runs parallel to the MLS Next All-Star Game, which debuted in 2014 as the Homegrown Game.[1]

History

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Major League Soccer's first all-star game was played at Giants Stadium in the summer of 1996. The game, using an East–West format with players handpicked by the coaching staffs to emulate other American leagues, was the first game of a doubleheader with the Brazil national team defeating a team of FIFA World All-Stars.[2][3] The matchup between divisions would only be used for six seasons as MLS tried experimenting with different formats. The 1998 All-Star Game placed a team of American MLS players against MLS players from abroad. The 2002 game, the first to use a league-wide all-star team, was the only game to feature a national team opponent.[citation needed]

Since then (except in 2004), every opponent has been a foreign club invited by the league. The MLS All-Stars won their first six games before falling to Everton in penalties in 2009. All games from 2005 to 2019 have been against teams from Europe, the majority of which have been from England's Premier League. The European league schedule runs from fall to spring, allowing for a fixture against the MLS All-Stars during the preseasons of teams.[4] The 2020 All-Star Game was to be the first to feature the all-star team from another league, Liga MX; however, that game was cancelled.[5]

In August 2005, an 18-player all-star team squad named the "MLS Select Team" competed in the Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu, a friendly hosted by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. The All-Star team, coached by Steve Nicol, lost 5–0 after being given only two days to prepare between normal league matches.[6]

The roster is chosen using a mix of fan votes, nominations from the coach, and commissioner's pick. Some players, including English midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in 2015, have been picked to participate in the All-Star Game despite not playing in club matches.[7] Players who are picked to play in the All-Star Game but refuse to join the team are suspended from one league match.[8]

Roster

For 2014, ten players were chosen by All-Star Game coach Caleb Porter, eleven players were chosen by fan voting (subject to Porter's approval), and two were selected by MLS commissioner Don Garber.[9]

Skills Challenge

The modern incarnation of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, introduced in 2018, is a freestyle soccer event that features three-player teams competing against each other in minigames, including a touch-and-volley goal showcase, a shooting accuracy competition, and a passing-and-shooting challenge.[10] The older version of the skills challenge was retired in 2001 and featured other events, including "goalie wars" and soccer tennis.[11]

Results by team

Team Won Lost Total
United StatesCanada MLS All-Stars 11 9 20
United States MLS East 5[lower-alpha 1] 1 6
United States MLS West 2[lower-alpha 1] 4 6
England Arsenal 2 &
—
 2
England Manchester United 2 &
—
 2
England Everton 1 &
—
 1
Italy Juventus 1 &
—
 1
Italy Roma 1 &
—
 1
Spain Atlético Madrid 1 &
—
 1
Spain Real Madrid 1 &
—
 1
United States MLS USA 1 &
—
 1
England Chelsea &
—
 2 2
England Fulham &
—
 1 1
England Tottenham Hotspur &
—
 1 1
England West Ham United &
—
 1 1
Germany Bayern Munich &
—
 1 1
Mexico Guadalajara &
—
 1 1
Scotland Celtic &
—
 1 1
MLS World &
—
 1 1
United States United States &
—
 1 1
Mexico Liga MX All-Stars &
—
 2 2
Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 One tie that is counted as a shared win.

Results by nation

Team Winner Runner-up Total
United States United States 17 16 33
Canada Canada 11 9 20
England England 5 5 10
Italy Italy 2 &
—
 2
Spain Spain 2 &
—
 2
Germany Germany &
—
 1 1
Mexico Mexico &
—
 2 2
Scotland Scotland &
—
 1 1
United Nations World &
—
 1 1

Results by year

"East vs. West" (1996–1997)

"MLS USA vs. MLS World" (1998)

"East vs. West" (1999–2001)

"All-Stars vs. Guest" (2002–2003)

"East vs. West" (2004)

"All-Stars vs. Europe" (2005–2019)

"All-Stars vs. Liga MX All-Stars" (2021–2022)

Recent editions

Future editions

Most Valuable Player

As of 2023[14][15]
Ed. Winner Nationality Position Team MLS club
1996 Carlos Valderrama  Colombia Midfielder United States MLS East Tampa Bay Mutiny
1997 Carlos Valderrama  Colombia Midfielder United States MLS East Tampa Bay Mutiny
1998 Brian McBride  United States Forward United States MLS USA Columbus Crew
1999 Preki  United States Midfielder United States MLS West Kansas City Wizards
2000 Mamadou Diallo  Senegal Forward United States MLS East Tampa Bay Mutiny
2001 Landon Donovan  United States Forward United States MLS West San Jose Earthquakes
2002 Marco Etcheverry  Bolivia Forward United States MLS All-Stars D.C. United
2003 Carlos Ruiz  Guatemala Forward United States MLS All-Stars LA Galaxy
2004 Amado Guevara  Honduras Midfielder United States MLS East NY/NJ Metrostars
2005 Taylor Twellman  United States Forward United States MLS All-Stars New England Revolution
2006 Dwayne De Rosario  Canada Midfielder United States MLS All-Stars Houston Dynamo
2007 Juan Pablo Ángel  Colombia Forward CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars New York Red Bulls
2008 Cuauhtémoc Blanco  Mexico Forward CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars Chicago Fire
2009 Tim Howard  United States Goalkeeper England Everton N/A
2010 Federico Macheda  Italy Forward England Manchester United N/A
2011 Park Ji-sung  South Korea Midfielder England Manchester United N/A
2012 Chris Pontius  United States Midfielder CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars D.C. United
2013 Alessandro Florenzi  Italy Defender Italy Roma N/A
2014 Landon Donovan  United States Forward CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars LA Galaxy
2015 Kaká  Brazil Midfielder CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars Orlando City SC
2016 Chuba Akpom  England Forward England Arsenal N/A
2017 Borja Mayoral  Spain Forward Spain Real Madrid N/A
2018 Josef Martínez  Venezuela Forward CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars Atlanta United FC
2019 Marcos Llorente  Spain Midfielder Spain Atlético Madrid N/A
2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[16]
2021 Matt Turner[17]  United States Goalkeeper CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars New England Revolution
2022 Dayne St. Clair[18]  Canada Goalkeeper CanadaUnited States MLS All-Stars Minnesota United FC
2023 Bukayo Saka[19]  England Forward England Arsenal N/A

Broadcasting

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Further information: List of Major League Soccer All-Star Game broadcasters and Major League Soccer on television

Since 2023, rights for the MLS All-Star Game have been held by Apple TV+. The match and associated events are broadcast in English, French, and Spanish on MLS Season Pass;[20] the 2023 edition was made free to stream.[21]

The U.S. broadcast in English alternated between ESPN and Fox from 2015 to 2022, with the networks also alternating the MLS Cup.[22][23] In even numbered years, ESPN has broadcast the All-Star Game[24] while Fox would broadcast the MLS Cup. Likewise, in odd numbered years, Fox would be slated to broadcast the All-Star Game[25][26] while ESPN or its sister network, ABC beginning in 2019, would broadcast the MLS Cup.

References

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