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.
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Region | Major League Soccer (CONCACAF) |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions |  Arsenal F.C.(2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |   MLS All-Stars (11 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | MLS Season Pass |
 2023 MLS All-Star Game | |
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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS All-Stars | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| MLS East | 5[a] | 1 | 6 |
| MLS West | 2[a] | 4 | 6 |
| Arsenal | 2 | — | 2 |
| Manchester United | 2 | — | 2 |
| Everton | 1 | — | 1 |
 Juventus | 1 | — | 1 |
| Roma | 1 | — | 1 |
 Atlético Madrid | 1 | — | 1 |
| Real Madrid | 1 | — | 1 |
| MLS USA | 1 | — | 1 |
| Chelsea | — | 2 | 2 |
| Fulham | — | 1 | 1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | — | 1 | 1 |
| West Ham United | — | 1 | 1 |
 Bayern Munich | — | 1 | 1 |
 Guadalajara | — | 1 | 1 |
 Celtic | — | 1 | 1 |
 MLS World | — | 1 | 1 |
| United States | — | 1 | 1 |
| Liga MX All-Stars | — | 2 | 2 |
- Notes
Results by nation
| Team | Winner | Runner-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| Canada | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| England | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Italy | 2 | — | 2 |
| Spain | 2 | — | 2 |
| Germany | — | 1 | 1 |
| Mexico | — | 2 | 2 |
| Scotland | — | 1 | 1 |
| World | — | 1 | 1 |
Results by year
"East vs. West" (1996–1997)
MLS West| July 14, 1996 1996 MLS All-Star Game | MLS East | 3–2 | MLS West | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
Ramos  14'Savarese 69'Pittman 88' | Report | Preki 33' Kreis 37' | Attendance: 78,416 Referee: Kevin Stott MVP: Carlos Valderrama |
MLS West| July 9, 1997 1997 MLS All-Star Game | MLS East | 5–4 | MLS West | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Valderrama 50' Galderisi 63'Warzycha 66'Williams 70'McBride 88' | Report | Washington 11' Campos 44'Takawira 80'Jones 86' | Attendance: 24,816 Referee: Arturo Angeles MVP: Carlos Valderrama |
"MLS USA vs. MLS World" (1998)
MLS World| August 2, 1998 1998 MLS All-Star Game | MLS USA | 6–1 | MLS World | Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida |
| T. Ramos 5' Lalas 15'McBride 16'Preki 40'Lassiter 78'Jones 83' | Report | M. Ramos 89' | Attendance: 34,416 Referee: Esse Baharmast MVP: Brian McBride |
"East vs. West" (1999–2001)
MLS West| July 17, 1999 1999 MLS All-Star Game | MLS East | 4–6 | MLS West | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California |
| Lassiter 1' Moore 62' (pen.)Valderrama 73'John 83' | Report | Preki 13', 38' Kosecki 32'Jones 36'Wright 84'Cerritos 89' | Attendance: 23,227 Referee: Sandra Hunt MVP: Preki |
MLS East| July 29, 2000 2000 MLS All-Star Game | MLS West | 4–9 | MLS East | Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio |
| Razov 17', 22' Cienfuegos 19'Nowak 44' | Report | Mathis 2' Moreno 36'Valencia 39'Chung 51'Diallo 59', 61'Heaps 65'Washington 67'McBride 76' | Attendance: 23,495 Referee: Paul Tamberino MVP: Mamadou Diallo |
MLS East| July 28, 2001 2001 MLS All-Star Game | MLS West | 6–6 | MLS East | Spartan Stadium, San Jose, California |
| Donovan 3', 7', 19', 90+2' Graziani 26'Kovalenko 69' | Report | Chacón 28' McBride 34', 39'Diallo 53'Rooney 84'Catê 87' | Attendance: 23,512 Referee: Noel Kenney MVP: Landon Donovan |
"All-Stars vs. Guest" (2002–2003)
United States| August 3, 2002 2002 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 3–2 | United States | RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. |
| Kreis 59' Etcheverry 72'Ralston 81' | Report | Donovan 58' Jones 76' | Attendance: 31,096 Referee: Brian Hall MVP: Marco Etcheverry |
Guadalajara| August 2, 2003 2003 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 3–1 | Guadalajara | Home Depot Center, Carson, California |
| Razov 57' Ruiz 68'Beasley 83' | Report | García 66' | Attendance: 27,000 Referee: Kevin Terry MVP: Carlos Ruiz |
"East vs. West" (2004)
MLS West| July 31, 2004 2004 MLS All-Star Game | MLS East | 3–2 | MLS West | RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. |
| Guevara 20', 22' (pen.) Eskandarian 74' | Report | Ching 43' Kreis 89' | Attendance: 21,378 Referee: Michael Kennedy MVP: Amado Guevara |
"All-Stars vs. Europe" (2005–2019)
Fulham| July 30, 2005 2005 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 4–1 | Fulham | Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio |
| Twellman 23' O’Brien 56'Cunningham 85', 89' | Report | Jensen 66' (pen.) | Attendance: 23,309 Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela MVP: Taylor Twellman |
Chelsea| August 5, 2006 2006 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–0 | Chelsea | Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois |
| De Rosario 70' | Report | Attendance: 21,210 Referee: Abbey Okulaja MVP: Dwayne De Rosario |
v Celtic| July 19, 2007 2007 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 2–0 | Celtic | Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado |
| Ángel 36' Toja 44' | Report | Attendance: 18,661 Referee: Baldomero Toledo MVP: Juan Pablo Ángel |
v West Ham United| July 24, 2008 2008 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 3–2 | West Ham United | BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario |
| Gómez 27' Blanco 45'De Rosario 70' (pen.) | Report | Ashton 26', 67' | Attendance: 20,844 Referee: Mauricio Navarro MVP: Cuauhtémoc Blanco |
v Everton| July 29, 2009 2009 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–1 (3–4 p) | Everton | Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah |
| Davis 26' | Report | Saha 12' | Attendance: 20,124 Referee: Ricardo Salazar MVP: Tim Howard | |
| Penalties | ||||
Donovan  Davis  Arnaud Johnson Casey Ljungberg | Vaughan Jô Baines Neville Lescott Rodwell | |||
v Manchester United| July 28, 2010 2010 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 2–5 | Manchester United | Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas |
| Ching 64' De Rosario 90' | Report | Macheda 1', 13' Gibson 70' Cleverley 73' Hernández 84' | Attendance: 70,728 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez MVP: Federico Macheda |
v Manchester United| July 27, 2011 2011 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 0–4 | Manchester United | Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey |
| Report | Anderson 20' Park Ji-sung 45' Berbatov 52' Welbeck 68' | Attendance: 26,760 Referee: Jair Marrufo MVP: Park Ji-sung |
v Chelsea| July 25, 2012 2012 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 3–2 | Chelsea | PPL Park, Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Wondolowski 21' Pontius 73'Johnson 90+1' | Report | Terry 32' Lampard 58' | Attendance: 19,236 Referee: Baldomero Toledo MVP: Chris Pontius |
v Roma| July 31, 2013 2013 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–3 | Roma | Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas |
| 20:30 | Gonzalez 90+1' | Report | Strootman 4' Florenzi 47'Tallo 68' | Attendance: 21,175 Referee: Hilario Grajeda MVP: Alessandro Florenzi |
v Bayern Munich| August 6, 2014 2014 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 2–1 | Bayern Munich | Providence Park, Portland, Oregon |
| Wright-Phillips 51' Donovan 70' | Report | Lewandowski 8' | Attendance: 21,733 Referee: Jair Marrufo MVP: Landon Donovan |
v Tottenham Hotspur| July 29, 2015 2015 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 2–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado |
| Kaká 20' (pen.) Villa 23' | Report | Kane 37' | Attendance: 18,671 Referee: Ismail Elfath MVP: Kaká |
v Arsenal| July 28, 2016 2016 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–2 | Arsenal | Avaya Stadium, San Jose, California |
| Drogba 45+2' | Report | Campbell 10' (pen.) Akpom 87' | Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Chris Penso MVP: Chuba Akpom |
v Real Madrid| August 2, 2017 2017 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–1 (2–4 p) | Real Madrid | Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois |
| Dwyer 87' | Report | Mayoral 59' | Attendance: 61,428 Referee: Allen Chapman MVP: Borja Mayoral | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Dwyer Dos Santos Valeri Almirón | Benzema Bale Kovačić Marcelo | |||
v Juventus| August 1, 2018 2018 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–1 (3–5 p) | Juventus | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Martínez 26' | Report | Favilli 21' | Attendance: 72,317 Referee: Robert Sibiga MVP: Josef Martínez | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Zusi Yotún Valeri Wright-Phillips | Fagioli Beltrame Kastanos Fernandes De Sciglio | |||
v Atlético Madrid| July 31, 2019 2019 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 0–3 | Atlético Madrid | Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida |
| Report | Llorente 43' Félix 85' Costa 90+3' | Attendance: 25,527 Referee: Drew Fischer MVP: Marcos Llorente |
"All-Stars vs. Liga MX All-Stars" (2021–2022)
v Liga MX All-Stars| August 25, 2021 2021 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Liga MX All-Stars | Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, California |
| Murillo 53' | Report | Rodríguez 20' | Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Armando Villarreal MVP: Matt Turner | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Note: Originally scheduled for July 29, 2020; postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] | ||||
v Liga MX All-Stars| August 10, 2022 2022 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 2–1 | Liga MX All-Stars | Allianz Field, Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| 20:30 ET | Report |
| Attendance: 19,727 Referee: Joe Dickerson MVP: Dayne St. Clair |
Recent editions
v Arsenal| July 19, 2023 2023 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | 0–5 | Arsenal | Audi Field, Washington, D.C. |
| 20:30 ET | Report |
| Attendance: 20,621 Referee: Ted Unkel MVP: Bukayo Saka |
Future editions
v Liga MX All-Stars| July 24, 2024 2024 MLS All-Star Game | MLS All-Stars | v | Liga MX All-Stars | Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio[13] |
| 20:00 ET |
Most Valuable Player
Broadcasting
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.