MLS All-Stars in Columbus: what to know about MLS vs. Liga MX game
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The stage is set at Lower.com Field for the 28th Major League Soccer All-Star Game at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
For the third time in four years, the best of MLS will take on the best of the Mexican first-division Liga MX for North American supremacy before each club from both leagues competes in the Leagues Cup tournament.
The match is likely to be competitive and features some of the biggest stars in soccer, including five players for the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew. Fans will flock to the Arena District to catch a glimpse of these worldwide stars.
Here is what you need to know about Wednesday night's MLS All-Star Game in Columbus.
Columbus' third time as hosts
Ohio's capital is hosting the MLS All-Star Game for a third time and for the first time since 2005. The previous two iterations were both at Historic Crew Stadium and each had a different format.
The 2000 All-Star Game pitted the East and West teams against each other in what is still the highest-scoring All-Star Game in MLS history. The East won 9-4 in front of over 23,000 fans in the first soccer-specific stadium built for an MLS club. Notable players featured in that game included Lothar Matthaus, Carlos Valderrama, and Brian McBride.
Five years later, Columbus hosted again and for the first time, the MLS All-Stars played a European team. English Premier League club Fulham was welcomed to Historic Crew Stadium in a true test of MLS' talent. MLS won 4-1 with two goals scored by Crew great Jeff Cunningham. Frankie Hejduk, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan were among the other players featured.
Crew quintet headlines MLS squad
No MLS team is bringing more players to the All-Star Game than the Columbus Crew. In what you could argue is maybe the best MLS All-Star team ever, the Black & Gold have five players on this summer's roster after a phenomenal start to the season.
The Crew's top-two scorers Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi feature in the attack while captain Darlington Nagbe was chosen for the squad by MLS commissioner Don Garber. Defenders Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira were each picked by head coach Wilfried Nancy, who will manage the team.
Many fans likely bought tickets to see Lionel Messi in central Ohio for the first time but he is not on the roster after suffering an ankle injury during the Copa America final. Some of the world's best players of the last decade feature on MLS' squad, including Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Hugo Lloris.
MLS All-Star team
Goalkeepers (3): Roman Burki (St. Louis CITY SC), Hugo Lloris (Los Angeles FC), Maarten Paes (FC Dallas)
Defenders (9): Rudy Camacho (Columbus Crew), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew), Jordi Alba (Inter Miami), Moise Bombito (Colorado Rapids), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake), Aaron Herrera (D.C. United), Thiago Martins (New York City FC), Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati), Keegan Rosenberry (Colorado Rapids)
Midfielders (10): Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew), Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami), Mathieu Choiniere (FC Montreal), Evander (Portland Timbers), Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo), Robin Lod (Minnesota United), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy)
Attackers (7): Cucho Hernandez (Columbus Crew), Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew), Christian Benteke (D.C. United), Federico Bernardeschi (Toronto FC), Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC), Petar Musa (FC Dallas), Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy)
Liga MX players to watch
Of the 30 players on the third Liga MX All-Star roster, the Columbus Crew faced 12 of them during this year's CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Black & Gold's run to the CONCACAF final pitted them against three Liga MX sides: Tigres, Monterrey, and Pachuca.
Each of those teams feature its stars on this year's squad with Pachuca striker Salomon Rondon one of the centerpiece players. Rondon scored twice in the 3-0 CONCACAF final win over Columbus and looks to pair with Tigres' star Andre-Pierre Gignac in the attack.
Other stars to watch on the Liga MX side include Tigres defender Jesus Angulo, Pachuca midfielders Alan Bautista and Oussama Idrissi, and Mexican soccer veterans Jonathan Dos Santos and Andres Guardado.
Liga MX All-Star team
Goalkeepers (3): Angel Malagon (Club America), Kevin Mier (Cruz Azul), Fernando Tapia (Tigres)
Defenders (9): Jesus Angulo (Tigres), Brian Garcia (Toluca), Bryan Gonzalez (Pachuca), Alan Mozo (Guadalajara), Jesus Orozco (Guadalajara), Alexis Pena (Necaxa), Gonzalo Piovi (Cruz Azul), Guido Pizzaro (Tigres), Unai Bilbao (Tijuana)
Midfielders (13): Alan Bautista (Pachuca), German Berterame (Monterrey), Juan Brunetta (Tigres), Nelson Deossa (Pachuca), Javairo Dilrosun (Club America), Jonathan Dos Santos (Club America), Rodrigo Dourado (Atletico San Luis), Alvaro Fidalgo (Club America), Andres Guardado (Club Leon), Cesar Huerta (Pumas), Oussama Idrissi (Pachuca), Maximiliano Meza (Monterrey), Carlos Rodriguez (Cruz Azul)
Attackers (3): Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres), Guillermo Martinez (Pumas), Salomon Rondon (Pachuca)
Series history
This is the third time MLS and Liga MX are putting their best on the pitch against each other at the All-Star Game, but the first time the match is preceding the joint Leagues Cup tournament that features both leagues' clubs, which begins on Friday.
In the two previous meetings, MLS was able to come away victorious with a penalty shootout win in Los Angeles in 2021 and a 2-1 win in Minnesota two years ago.