Ahead of this week's midsummer matchup, GOAL looks at some of the most iconic moments in MLS All-Star history
It's All-Star week for Major League Soccer, as the league is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Top players from MLS host the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday night. The match will be the league's fourth time taking on the LIGA MX All-Stars. MLS is 2-1 in their previous three meetings. Overall, this week will mark the 29th iteration of the MLS ASG (the 2020 game was cancelled due to the pandemic).
Over the years, the format has changed. In previous versions, MLS All-Stars took on reigning European champions, clubs from around the world and even MLS on MLS – the East and West went head-to-head to establish dominance in the ASG. And while that format hasn't been played since 2004, there remains some interest among All-Stars to revive the conference format.
GOAL recalls some of the most iconic moments from the ASG since its first version in 1996 – including Landon Donovan's 2001 heroics, Ricardo Kaka's stunner in 2015 and Pep Guardiola's meltdown in 2014.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now718-year-old Ricardo Pepi wins it for MLS
It's not often a teenager steps up in an All-Star Game to score the winner, in any sport. However, in 2021, it was 18-year-old Pepi for the MLS All-Stars who bagged the game-winning penalty in a shootout after a 1-1 draw with the Liga MX All-Stars.
For MLS fans, the hype around Pepi already existed. People he was a star in the making before he even took the pitch that July. But that game served an introduction to the world for the now-established U.S. international.
And it was one hell of a strike to win it. Underside of the bar and in? Yeah, that'll do.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport6Chelsea sits in MLS's back pocket
In two chances against the MLS All-Stars, English Premier League side Chelsea came up short.
In 2006, the MLS All-Stars hosted the at Toyota Park near Chicago and stunned the London-based club, with a goal from Dwayne De Rosario proving to be the difference as the All-Stars won 1-0.
Six years later, Chelsea returned, roughly two months after winning the UEFA Champions League title, and things played out a tad differently.
MLS opened up the scoring 21 minutes in thanks to Chris Wondolowski, but Chelsea responded in the 32nd minute on a goal by legendary English defender John Terry. After halftime, the doubled their lead, with captain Frank Lampard finding the back of the net.
However, Chris Pontius drew the All-Stars level, and in stoppage time, MLS found a winner from an unexpected source: substitute Eddie Johnson.
In the 91st minute, Johnson found his way up the pitch and he drilled a shot towards the net. It deflected off the leg of David Luiz and over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. It was a complete fluke goal, but the MLS All-Stars downed the reigning European Champions and pulled off their second ASG win over Chelsea.
Safe to say Chelsea are now owned by the MLS All-Stars… right?
5They said 'let him cook' – and Luis Nani did just that
Joao Felix, Hector Herrera, and Atletico Madrid were left speechless in the 2019 All-Star Skills Challenge when Luis Nani did, well, Luis Nani things, and won the event for team MLS.
It was the final event of the competition, the famous crossbar challenge. Seconds were winding down on the clock, and Orlando's Chris Mueller hit an abysmal attempt that barely cleared the 18-yard box. To be fair, the balls were being delivered from quite some distance.
Still, it seemed as if MLS had lost the Challenge, the night before their eventual defeat to the La Liga giants in the actual All-Star Game.
After Mueller's attempt, though, there were still two seconds on the clock, and Nani managed to get an attempt off. With the swing of his right boot, he delivered a lofted – yet driven – ball into the box. As it fell, the screams of those in attendance grew louder as everyone could tell: it hit the bar.
The Portuguese legend nailed the target and, with it, won the event. It was an iconic moment from one of the truly fun aspects of the annual All-Star festivities.
Getty Images Sport4The most intriguing format: USA vs the world
In 1998, MLS decided to introduce a new format for the All-Star Game. They took the league's top American-born players and pitted them against the league's best foreign players, dubbing it the MLS USA All-Stars vs the MLS World All-Stars.
In 1998, the league was still in the early stages of development and much of the world still didn't know about MLS – and the majority of players were from the U.S. To script, then, the USA All-Stars defeated the MLS World All-Stars, 6-1, in front of 34,416 fans at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
USA scored four goals in the first half and put the game to bed before the final 45 minutes even began. Tab Ramos, Alexi Lalas, and Brian McBride scored for Team USA, with goals from Preki, Roy Lassiter, and Cobi Jones to follow. Mauricio Ramos scored an 89th-minute strike for the World team as a late consolation goal.
It was a format that, if MLS opted to revisit in 2025, would likely look incredibly different. With much of the league now comprised of foreign stars, you'd have to expect the World All-Stars to claim victory. For perspective, the 2025 ASG squad has just seven Americans.
A food for thought, for sure.