| Target All-Star Los Angeles '21 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2021 Major League Soccer season | ||||||
| |||||||
| MLS All-Stars won 3–2 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | August 25, 2021 | ||||||
| Venue | Banc of California Stadium,Los Angeles, California | ||||||
| Most Valuable Player | Matt Turner (MLS All-Stars) | ||||||
| Referee | Armando Villarreal (United States) | ||||||
| Attendance | 21,000 | ||||||
←2019 2022 → | |||||||
The2021 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 25th edition of the annualMajor League Soccer All-Star Game, an exhibitionsoccer match in the United States. The game, featuring the MLS All-Stars taking on theLiga MX All-Stars, was played atBanc of California Stadium inLos Angeles, California.[1]
The game was originally scheduled to take place on July 29, 2020, during the2020 season, but was postponed on May 19, 2021, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The game was televised domestically onFox Sports 1 andUnivision in the United States, and onTSN andTVA Sports in Canada.
The MLS All-Stars won the match 3–2 onpenalties after the 90 minute-match ended in a 1–1 tie.
TheMajor League Soccer All-Star Game originally fielded two all-star teams from the Western and Eastern conferences. Other competition formats pitted an all-star team against various opponents, including theUnited States men's national soccer team and clubs from Mexico and Europe.[2] An exhibition between the MLS All-Stars and an all-star team fromLiga MX, the top flight of Mexican soccer, was proposed in the mid-2010s as part of a closer relationship between the leagues.[3] Officials from MLS and Liga MX announced a new partnership in March 2018, including new club competitions like theCampeones Cup andLeagues Cup, and a commitment for a shared all-star game.[4][5] Liga MX presidentEnrique Bonilla attended the2018 MLS All-Star Game inAtlanta with MLS commissionerDon Garber, where they continued discussions for the match, including a potential venue in the Los Angeles area.[6]
On November 20, 2019, MLS officially announced that the 2020 All-Star Game would be played against the Liga MX All-Stars atBanc of California Stadium, the home ofLos Angeles FC. It is the first to be played against an all-star team from another league.[7] LAFC head coachBob Bradley was selected as the manager of the MLS All-Star team.[7] It is the first MLS All-Star Game to be played in the Los Angeles area since2003, which was hosted by theLA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center, now known asDignity Health Sports Park.[7][2]
On May 19, 2020, MLS announced that the All-Star Game would be canceled alongside the2020 Leagues Cup and2020 Campeones Cup due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8] The league later announced that the All-Star Game would be rescheduled for the 2021 season in Los Angeles, with the MLS All-Stars against the Liga MX All-Stars.[9] The league announced on June 9, 2021, that the All-Star Game against Liga MX would be played on August 25 at Banc of California Stadium.[10]
The MLS All-Star squad was announced on August 4, 2021.Carlos Vela andJavier Hernández withdrew due to injury. New England playersCarles Gil andTajon Buchanan withdrew as well as Minnesota United midfielderEmanuel Reynoso.Rodolfo Pizarro,George Bello, andSebastian Lletget were added as replacements.[11]
Six members of the starting XI were selected fromSeattle Sounders FC, tying the record set byD.C. United in2006. BrothersCristian Roldan andAlex Roldan also became the first brothers to play for the All-Star team.[12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Bob Bradley(Los Angeles FC)The Liga MX All-Star squad was announced on July 19, 2021.Nahuel Guzmán andJorge Sánchez were called up as replacements forJosé de Jesús Corona andFernando Navarro who withdrew due to injury.[13] On August 23, the final squad was announced with 10 new players added.[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Juan Reynoso(Cruz Azul)The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge was played on August 24 at Banc of California Park between eight players from each team in five events. The Liga MX All-Stars defeated the MLS All-Stars in the competition by a score of 26–25, with the tiebreaker scored by Cruz Azul forwardJonathan Rodríguez in the Crossbar Challenge.[15][16]
The All-Star Game and Skills Challenge were both broadcast in the United States onFox Sports 1 in English andTUDN in Spanish, as well asTSN andTVA Sports in Canada.[17] Fox Sports broadcast the match in4K HDR and also deployed several special slow-motion cameras for the match, as well as askycam.[18] The Fox Sports broadcast averaged 175,000 viewers, setting a record low for the event's English broadcasts, while the TUDN broadcast averaged 1.4 million and peaked at 1.6 million—the second-most for a Spanish broadcast of the match.[19][20]
       MLS All-Stars |  Liga MX All-Stars |
