The MLS All-Star Game format always tends to be a topic of conversation when the league hosts its annual summer showcase. It’s gone through multiple iterations—MLS-only versions, MLS vs. guest clubs, even MLS vs. USMNT—but the current edition, MLS vs. Liga MX, carries with it a unique element and appears to have the makings of a format with staying power. For a second straight year, MLS and Liga MX put on an entertaining show, as the rival and neighboring leagues did their best in Minnesota on Wednesday night to raise what’s otherwise a glorified exhibition. The players seem to have taken to it.
"We played Atlético Madrid in Orlando in 2019, and it was competitive—you're wanting to prove that you can play at a high level," Nashville SC and U.S. center back Walker Zimmerman said prior to the game, comparing the notion of facing a European club to facing a group of Liga MX counterparts. “But the competitiveness on the field last year in L.A. against Liga MX was definitely a new step in terms of the competition.
“It’s a competitive atmosphere. The game is not something that you see in a typical All-Star game, whether that’s the NBA or baseball, this is very competitive.”
