2025 MLS All-Star Game
Soccer exhibition match in Austin, Texas, U.S.
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The 2025 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 29th 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 fourth edition to use the inter-league format. The All-Star Game was played on July 23, 2025, at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
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The Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas was the venue for the match. | |||||||
| Event | 2025 Major League Soccer season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | July 23, 2025 | ||||||
| Venue | Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, United States | ||||||
| All-Star MVP | Tai Baribo | ||||||
| Referee | Rosendo Mendoza (United States) | ||||||
| Attendance | 20,738 | ||||||
Background
On May 15, 2024, MLS announced that the 2025 MLS All-Star game would be played at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The selection made it the first MLS All-Star game to be hosted in Texas since 2010 and the first to be hosted in a soccer-specific stadium.[1] On March 18, 2025, the Liga MX All-Stars were announced as the All-Star game opponents, the fourth time the two sides had played one another and the second consecutive All-Star match featuring Liga MX.[2][3]
Pre-match
MLS built upon a previous initiative to support the victims of the July 2025 Central Texas floods, in which the league, Austin FC, FC Dallas, and Houston Dynamo pledged $500,000 to support life-sustaining humanitarian and disaster relief efforts by launching the Texas Together campaign.[4] Ahead of the MLS All-Stars Game, the league honored victims of the floods and recognized the efforts of first responders with an on-field tribute. The league also announced that they would donate 100% of the proceeds from an auction for signed MLS and Liga MX All-Stars jerseys to flood relief efforts.[5]
Skills Challenge
The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge was held on July 22 at Q2 Stadium and included events in five fields: shooting, touches, cross-and-volley, passing, and a crossbar challenge. The rosters included ten players from the MLS All-Stars and Liga MX All-Stars rosters respectively, as well as four special guests. The four competing special guests were former USMNT player Clint Dempsey, current USWNT player Lindsey Heaps, Mexican women's national team player Nicolette Hernández, and former Mexican national team player Oribe Peralta.[6] Internet personality IShowSpeed also participated in the shooting and passing challenges, but his results were not counted towards the overall score.[7] The single-elimination Goalie Wars tournament held between four select MLS Next Pro goalkeepers also returned, and Houston Dynamo 2 goalkeeper Pedro Cruz defeated Orlando City B goalkeeper Carlos Mercado in the final.[8]
| Event | MLS score | Liga MX score |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting | 72 | 64 |
| Touch | 199 | 58 |
| Cross & Volley | 75 | 75 |
| Passing | 2 wins | 1 win |
| Crossbar | Win | Loss |
Squads
MLS All-Stars
The initial MLS All-Stars roster was announced on June 25, 2025. Players from 15 clubs were selected; the most-represented teams on the roster were Vancouver Whitecaps FC with four players, and Nashville SC, Philadelphia Union, and San Diego FC with three players each.[9][10] On July 23, the final roster for the MLS All-Stars was announced, featuring 29 players from 15 clubs. Austin FC's head coach Nico Estévez served as the head coach for the MLS All-Stars.[11]
Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba of Inter Miami CF were both voted onto the MLS All-Star squad but did not participate in the game or associated events.[12] MLS announced on July 25 that both players would be suspended for the team's next regular season match per the league's policies.[13]
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.
Liga MX All-Stars
The first 14 selections for the Liga MX All-Stars roster was announced on July 6, 2025, as part of the Balón de Oro awards. The remaining 15 players were announced on July 9; the most-represented teams on the roster were Club América with four players followed by Cruz Azul and Pachuca with three players.[16] On July 23, the final roster for the Liga MX All-Stars was announced, featuring 23 players from 11 clubs. Club América's head coach André Jardine served as the Liga MX All-Stars head coach for the second consecutive year.[11]
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.
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK |  MEX |
Luis Malagón † | América |
| 23 | GK |  COL |
Kevin Mier † | Cruz Azul |
| 5 | DF | MEX |
Alonso Aceves | Pachuca |
| 4 | DF | COL |
Willer Ditta | Cruz Azul |
| 15 | DF |  BRA |
Gustavo Ferrareis | Puebla |
| 20 | DF | MEX |
Jesús Gallardo | Toluca |
| 13 | DF | BRA |
Luan Garcia † | Toluca |
| 2 | DF | BRA |
Joaquim Henrique | Tigres UANL |
| 93 | DF |  ESP |
Sergio Ramos | Monterrey |
| 3 | DF | MEX |
Israel Reyes | América |
| 26 | MF | MEX |
Alan Bautista | Pachuca |
| 17 | MF |  ARG |
Juan Brunetta † | Tigres UANL |
| 10 | MF | ESP |
Sergio Canales † | Monterrey |
| 6 | MF | MEX |
Kevin Castañeda | Tijuana |
| 18 | MF | BRA |
Rodrigo Dourado † | Atlético de San Luis |
| 28 | MF | MEX |
Elías Montiel | Pachuca |
| 19 | MF | MEX |
Gilberto Mora † | Tijuana |
| 8 | MF | ARG |
Agustín Palavecino | Necaxa |
| 7 | MF |  URU |
Brian Rodríguez † | América |
| 16 | MF |  USA |
Alejandro Zendejas † | América |
| 25 | FW | MEX |
Roberto Alvarado | Guadalajara |
| 27 | FW | COL |
Diber Cambindo | Nexaca |
| 9 | FW | MEX |
Ángel Sepúlveda † | Cruz Azul |
Match
MLS All-Stars  | 3–1 | Liga MX All-Stars |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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