Latest news with #MLSAll-Stars
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
MLS beats Liga MX 3-1 in All-Star Game
Article content AUSTIN, Texas — Sam Surridge, Tai Baribo and Brian White scored goals and Major League Soccer defeated Liga MX of Mexico 3-1 in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night playing without Lionel Messi. Article content Messi and his Inter Miami teammate, Jordi Alba, both face possible league suspensions for their team's next match against Cincinnati on Saturday for missing the All-Star game. Article content Article content Article content 'Messi's the greatest,' MLS coach Nico Estevez said. 'Playing with him and coaching him would be something amazing. But we have to show respect for the guys that showed up today. They did great. It's a special week, a unique event. Not everyone can enjoy this. I'm fortunate.' Article content Article content MLS has defeated Liga MX three times in four tries. Last year Liga MX won 4-1 in Columbus, Ohio. The MLS All-Stars won in 2022 and beat Liga MX on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw a year prior. Article content Surridge scored another goal on Wednesday, from the middle of the box, heading in to the lower right corner a ball directed by LAFC's Denis Bouanga in the 28th minute. Article content Article content The opportunity developed after Bouanga had a point-blank attempt stopped by Liga MX goalkeeper Luis Malagon (Club America). Bouanga hustled to retrieve the long rebound and sent it to Surridge. Article content Before the goal, both teams had attempts rejected with diving stops by Luis Malagon and Austin FC's Brad Stuver in the 13th and 18th minutes. Article content MLS went ahead 2-0 in the 51st minute when Diego Rossi (Columbus) passed ahead to Baribo (Philadelphia), whose right footed shot from the center of the box made it to the lower left corner of the goal. Article content Liga MX closed the gap to 2-1 just 13 minutes later when Gilberto Mora (Club Tijuana) converted a pass from Elias Montiel (Pachuca) from the middle of the box. Article content 'We had moments when we played good soccer,' Liga MX coach Andre Jardine said. Article content Liga MX's bid to tie the match was snubbed when a shot by Diber Cambindo (Necaxa) was stopped by Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver) in the 75th minute. Article content White (Vancouver) finished the scoring in the 80th minute. Article content 'They are competitive,' Estevez said. 'One scores and the other says 'I have to score.' Brian in the end said 'I have to score.' ' Article content
UPI
6 hours ago
- Sport
- UPI
MLS All-Stars crush Liga MX despite Lionel Messi absence
July 24 (UPI) -- Sam Surridge, Tai Baribo and Brian White each found the net to steer a dominant MLS victory over Liga MX in the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas. Liga MX launched 21 shot attempts, but placed just seven on target in the 3-1 setback Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. The MLS All-Stars placed 7 of 13 attempts on target, including two second-half scores. "It was a special week," MLS All-Stars coach Nico Estevez told reporters. "I think I've been in the country enough to value what this event means. ... This is special. It's a unique event. "Not everyone can come enjoy this thing. I'm honored and fortunate to coach the MLS All-Stars." Philip Zinckernagel, Diego Rossi and Denis Bouanga logged assists for the MLS All-Stars, who played without Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba. Elias Montiel assisted Gilberto Mora for Liga MX's lone score. "It was my first time in the All-Star Game," Baribo said on the Apple TV broadcast. "I scored and we won, MVP, it's the best feeling. Great night." The win helped the MLS All-Stars avenge a loss to Liga MX in the 2024 MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars won three of the four previous editions of their matchup with Liga MX. "What I told them is that we have quality when we have the ball if we can do combinations, being together, get the good relations and interactions that will help us to break the opponent," Estevez said. "When we had the ball, it was less instruction and more about being a unit and being compact." The Liga MX All-Stars threatened early on, but were often denied by Austin FC goalie Brad Stuver. Those heroics included a one-handed diving block in the 19th minute. But Liga MX goalie Luis Malagon also stood strong between the posts, keeping the game scoreless until the 28th minute. Denis Bouanga Sam Surridge There's a reason he's the top goalscorer in MLS. #MLSAllStar // @NashvilleSC Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 24, 2025 Bouanga started that sequence by leading a breakaway into the Liga MX box. He blasted a shot on net, but the attempt was denied by Malagon. Bouanga regained control on the left flank and fired a pass back toward the far post. Surridge -- who is tied with Messi with a league-leading 18 goals this season -- jumped into the area and headed a point-blank range shot past Malagon for first blood. Bouanga and Surridge each earned separate attempts about five minutes later. Bouanga drilled the right post with a volley, while star defender Sergio Ramos blocked Surridge's shot. The MLS All-Stars finally doubled their lead with Baribo beat goalie Kevin Mier in the 51st minute. Ross cut off several Liga MX defenders with a ball into the box for Baribo on that play. The Philadelphia Union striker let the ball roll onto his right foot and finished with a shot just inside the left post. Mora cut the deficit in half by beating Minnesota United goalie in the 65th minute, but White went on to add the clincher in the 80th. Carles Gil gained control in transition, weaved through defenders and found fellow midfielder Cristian Espinoza on the left flank to lead that attack. Espinoza proceed to tap a pass ahead for Zinckernagel, who spotted White about eight yards in front of the net. The All-Star striker finished with a one-touch shot off Liga MX All-Star Brian Rodriguez and into the net. The MLS regular-season slate will continue with six games Friday. Orlando City will host the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Columbus, Ohio. The New England Revolution will host CF Montreal at the same time in Foxborough, Mass. Messi and Alba, who were the leading vote getters for their positions, could be open to one-game suspensions for not playing in the MLS All-Star game. Their fifth-place Herons will host first-place FC Cincinnati at 7:15 p.m. Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Al-Ahram Weekly
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
MLS, playing without Messi, beat Liga MX 3-1 in All-Star Game - World
Sam Surridge, Tai Baribo and Brian White scored goals and Major League Soccer defeated Liga MX of Mexico 3-1 in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night playing without Lionel Messi. Messi and his Inter Miami teammate, Jordi Alba, both face possible league suspensions for their team's next match against Cincinnati on Saturday for missing the All-Star game. 'Messi's the greatest,' MLS coach Nico Estévez said. 'Playing with him and coaching him would be something amazing. But we have to show respect for the guys that showed up today. They did great. It's a special week, a unique event. Not everyone can enjoy this. I'm fortunate.' Liga MX's James Rodríguez also chose not to play in the game played in front of more than 20,000 fans at Q2 Stadium. MLS has defeated Liga MX three times in four tries. Last year Liga MX won 4-1 in Columbus, Ohio. The MLS All-Stars won in 2022 and beat Liga MX on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw a year prior. Messi has yet to appear in an MLS All-Star Game. He missed the game last year with an injury. Messi is currently tied with Nashville's Surridge for the MLS lead in goals with 18. Surridge scored another goal on Wednesday, from the middle of the box, heading in to the lower right corner a ball directed by LAFC's Denis Bouanga in the 28th minute. The opportunity developed after Bouanga had a point-blank attempt stopped by Liga MX goalkeeper Luis Malagon (Club America). Bouanga hustled to retrieve the long rebound and sent it to Surridge. Before the goal, both teams had attempts rejected with diving stops by Luis Malagón and Austin FC's Brad Stuver in the 13th and 18th minutes. MLS went ahead 2-0 in the 51st minute when Diego Rossi (Columbus) passed ahead to Baribo (Philadelphia), whose right footed shot from the center of the box made it to the lower left corner of the goal. Liga MX closed the gap to 2-1 just 13 minutes later when Gilberto Mora (Club Tijuana) converted a pass from Elias Montiel (Pachuca) from the middle of the box. 'We had moments when we played good soccer,' Liga MX coach André Jardine said. Liga MX's bid to tie the match was snubbed when a shot by Diber Cambindo (Necaxa) was stopped by Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver) in the 75th minute. White (Vancouver) finished the scoring in the 80th minute. Baribo ranks fourth in MLS with 14 goals and White has scored 11 as they chase Messi and Surridge. 'They are competitive,' Estévez said. 'One scores and the other says 'I have to score.' Brian in the end said 'I have to score.' " Up next MLS and Liga MX continue their rivalry with the Leagues Cup that begins on July 29 and concludes Aug. 31. The competition features a new format, with all 18 clubs from Liga MX and the top 18 from MLS competing. Last year all 47 clubs from the two leagues were included. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Major League Soccer — When is MLS played and how can its schedule change?
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber says the league continues to look at shifting to a fall-to-spring season, saying he'd 'rather get it right and take our time than get it wrong and do it quick.' Garber spoke before Wednesday night's MLS All-Stars game in Austin, Texas, about the league's Apple TV streaming deal and the sale of the Vancouver Whitecaps in his state of the league address before the game. What months are the MLS season? Currently, MLS plays a spring-to-late fall season. It starts in late February or early March and runs through mid-October. What is the conventional season like around the world? A conventional season runs between early August and late May around the world. It's a timeline followed in major domestic leagues like the Premier League and La Liga. ALSO READ: Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba out of MLS All-Star Game in Austin What would be the impact of changing the MLS schedule? A shift to align the league with its international counterparts would make MLS teams more competitive in the player transfer market, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major global tournaments take place. What could be the challenges to the change in schedule? 'Making this change is seismic. It's not something we should do lightly. We obviously have teams across multiple climate zones, multiple time zones, unlike any other league in the world, and if we do make the change, we're not going to go back on that decision,' Garber said. The MLS Board of Governors announced in April that it was giving further consideration to the shift, but gave no timeline. Garber suggested there would be an announcement by the end of the year. What is the viewership of MLS like, and what are plans for it in the future? As for the league's streaming deal with Apple, Garber said MLS is working with the company to provide fans greater access. Distribution through cable and satellite services this season has helped. Metrics for viewership have been hard to come by because there's no system to determine exactly how people are 'viewing and consuming' games via a subscription service, Garber said. But he revealed that there have been 120,000 unique viewers per match and vowed greater transparency going forward. (with inputs from The Associated Press)
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
MLS All-Stars, without Lionel Messi, beats Liga MX All-Stars 3-1
Major League Soccer joint leading scorer Sam Surridge of Nashville SC scored in the first half to help the MLS All-Stars to a 3-1 victory over their Liga MX foes despite the absence of Lionel Messi in the All-Star Game on Wednesday night in Austin, Texas. Philadelphia Union's Tai Baribo added the eventual winner early in the second half, and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White provided late insurance for MLS, which won for the third time in four All-Star Games played in this format since 2021. Tijuana's 16-year-old Gilberto Mora pulled a goal back later in the second half for Liga MX and became the youngest goal-scorer in the event's history. Earlier this month, he became the youngest player ever to win a senior continental international title as part of Mexico's CONCACAF Gold Cup championship squad. Surridge and Inter Miami's Messi each have 18 league goals. It was uncertain all week whether Messi would play on Wednesday, but the 38-year-old, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner did not appear. His Miami teammate, Jordi Alba, also missed the exhibition. Per MLS rules, Messi and Alba would face a one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game, which would see them miss a home match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. ALSO READ: UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Spain reaches final after 1-0 extra-time win over Germany However, MLS commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday that no decision on suspensions had been made. Surridge opened the scoring in the 28th minute on a chance created by Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga, who beat the Liga MX defence with his pace but saw his initial effort denied by Club America goalkeeper Luis Malagon. Bouanga reached the rebound, then bent in a diagonal cross toward the six-yard box, where Surridge met it with a downward header that beat Malagon. Baribo, who has 14 regular-season goals this year, four behind Messi and Surridge in the MLS Golden Boot race, doubled the advantage in the 51st minute. He reached a cross from the left by Columbus' Diego Rossi and beat Cruz Azul goalie Kevin Mier from about 15 yards out. Mora pulled a goal back in the 64th minute, but White made sure of the MLS win in the 80th minute. The New England Revolution's Carles Gil was exceptional in setting up the attack for the final goal, manoeuvring out of traffic at midfield before playing in the San Jose Earthquakes' Cristian Espinoza down the left. The Chicago Fire's Philip Zinckernagel provided the final pass for White's tap-in from close range.
