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ST. PAUL — The MLS All-Star Game will continue to be a border battle.
The 2022 showcase at Allianz Field on Aug. 10 will pit MLS’ best players against the best from Mexico’s Liga MX for a second straight season, the league announced Thursday at Mount Airy Boys and Girls Club in St. Paul.
Last summer in Los Angeles, MLS beat Liga MX in penalty kicks after being tied 1-1 through regulation. Teenager Richardo Pepi, then representing FC Dallas, scored the winner in PKs after New England goalkeeper Matt Turner made two big saves for the MLS side.
“The match itself last year was what we wanted it to be, which was incredibly compelling,” deputy commissioner Mark Abbott told the Pioneer Press in an interview. “We are friends and our players know each other, but the reason why we have competition against international competition is because we didn’t just want the normal East-West (format).”
MLS versus Liga MX will continue to be a departure from the U.S. and Canadian league playing a singular European club in the All-Star Game. MLS used that format from 2005-19 and an intra-league setup akin to other U.S. sports before that.
This All-Star Game setup with Liga MX also will be a further entwining of the two leagues. Next summer, individual clubs from both leagues, including Minnesota United, will play in an expanded Leagues Cup to determine a full-fledged cross-border champion. They also have each league’s champion meet in the Campeones Cup.
“We’re pleased to renew the rivalry between the two leagues this summer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “Our partnership with Liga MX has brought out the best in both leagues on and off the field, and I have no doubt the intensity will be even higher for the rematch in Minnesota.”
Abbott, who grew up in the Twin Cities suburb of Oakdale, said last year’s game at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles was one of the better ASG atmospheres he can recall. “The viewership did well, so I think in every way we had a lot of positive benefits come out of it,” Abbott said.
When the MLS All-Star Game was awarded to Minnesota in October, the opponent was unknown, per Garber.
“We thought about a lot of alternatives,” Abbott said about opponents Thursday. “One of the things that we thought about was, given the way it ended last year in terms of we won in a dramatic fashion at the end, we thought it would be a really compelling match again because we are going to try to win again (and) they are going to want to avenge the loss, so the most important thing was to have a compelling match. As we thought about it, (Liga MX) was the best choice to do that.”
Loons CEO Shari Ballard put the focus on the series of events MNUFC has hosted, including the U.S. women’s national team for Carli Lloyd’s final game in October and the men’s national team for a World Cup qualifier against Honduras in February.
“Our reason for existing is to promote soccer, and we 100 percent believe its the world’s game, but to also inspire the community and unite the community, and these events serve both aspects of that,” Ballard said.
Mikel Arriola, executive president of Liga MX, said last year’s All-Star Game was unifying for clubs within his own league.
“The players gave their all to represent our league and everyone enjoyed an unprecedented game, where the fans of each of our 18 teams came together to support the Liga MX team,” Arriola said in a statement. “For us, the opportunity to relive this experience in 2022 is exciting and fills us with pride, but we are committed to preparing ourselves in the best way, and with our best players, to seek a win, and of course, revenge against MLS.”
Ballard forged a connection with Mexico during her previous role in international business as a Best Buy executive and said she is counting on Loons manager Adrian Heath, the head coach in the All-Star Game, to come through with a win in August.
“Personally, I’m thrilled that it’s Mexico,” Ballard said. “And we are totally relying on Adrian to coach up the team to back-to-back victories.”
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