3 things to know about MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, including opponent
The MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte is still a few months away, but details about the event are emerging.
The opponent, for instance.
The league announced Monday that the MLS All-Stars will take on the Liga MX All-Stars — the best players from Mexico’s premier professional division — in this year’s contest. This will mark the fifth matchup between the two annually assembled squads; they also played in 2025, 2024 and 2022.
The MLS All-Stars are 3-1 against the Liga MX All-Stars.
Other recent MLS All-Star opponents include Arsenal FC in 2023, Atlético Madrid in 2019 and Juventus in 2018.
The All-Star Game is slated for Wednesday, July 29, in Bank of America Stadium (8 p.m., MLS on Apple TV). The game will punctuate a days-long string of events in the city of Charlotte, including but not limited to a skills challenge at Truist Field and the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, which features MLS club academy players.
Tickets go on sale on March 24 at 10 a.m. at MLSsoccer.com/AllStar. Presale ticket package opportunities from Charlotte FC will be released on Tuesday.
In order to break this news down, The Charlotte Observer sat down with Taylor Twellman, lead analyst and commentator for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Here are three things you should know in anticipation of the contest in Charlotte.
More about this year’s MLS All-Star Game, with Taylor Twellman
1. The partnership between MLS and Liga MX is clearly strong. And this is at least part of the reason why Major League Soccer values its All-Star game, Twellman said.
“That rivalry has been there for years,” Twellman said. “In 2003, we played, if I’m not mistaken, Chivas Guadalajara. And that was the first time that we did something outside of an East-West All-Star Game.
“And there was a different vibe. There was 100% a different energy. As someone who played in that game, that wasn’t an All-Star festivity. That felt like an international friendly. A U.S.-Mexico game. Even though some of my teammates weren’t American, it didn’t matter, we were still representing the American league.”
He added: “And so the benefit of that is you continuously tap into what that is and also the fans, the leagues. Major League Soccer is now competing with Liga MX. And that happened very quickly. I don’t think a lot of people fully give credit to that. And now Liga MX now feels the pressure of Major League Soccer.”
It’s not always a given, by the way, that an All-Star exhibition game means so much to a league. All-Star-enthusiasm-related issues have cropped up in other leagues across the U.S. and have required some workshopping. The NBA and NFL have been quite experimental with their All-Star festivities in recent years, for instance.
As for MLS?
“We’ve never really lost that because of the international component to this, different opponents,” Twellman said. “And I just think Liga MX, after a World Cup where you’re hosting with Canada and Mexico — I just think there’s a natural symmetry there.”
2. Speaking of the international component of it all: The World Cup will be on American soil from June 11 to July 19, right before the All-Star Game. How might that impact how many eyes are on Charlotte this summer?
“The All-Star Game moment is going to almost put a bow on what a massive summer was, and then reintroduce you to what the Leagues Cup is going to be,” Twellman said. “So I just think there will be a different buzz. It’s hard for me to articulate it because I don’t know how to quantify it, but I think Charlotte is going to be at the forefront of a lot of people’s attention.
“They’re just going to get caught up in the fever of the World Cup and everything else, and this is going to happen right after.”
3. It’s still very early to be talking end-of-season awards. And Charlotte FC hasn’t gotten the results it has wanted early on through two matches (0 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw). But the squad still has undeniable individual talent, and it’s coming off a year in which it saw its first MLS All-Star selection in striker Patrick Agyemang.
“I would be stunned if a player from Charlotte doesn’t make the All-Star team,” Twellman said. “I just think the way that team is set up now, there are a few players — Pep Biel is a very special player. Wilfried Zaha. There are a couple attacking players that are quality. Their goalkeeper is one of the best.”
He added: “Now, they haven’t been off to a great start, and I think there’s concern for this team. ... Their home-opener this weekend is going to be very interesting to see who they are and what they are. But I would be stunned if there wasn’t an MLS All-Star from Charlotte.”
