MLS All-Stars 1-4 Liga MX All-Stars: Mexico´s finest run riot in Columbus

The MLS All-Stars were routed 4-1 by their Liga MX counterparts in Wednesday’s All-Star Game in Columbus, with two goals in two second-half minutes taking the game away from them.

Without injured Inter Miami duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the MLS All-Stars fell behind after 16 minutes.

Jonathan dos Santos was allowed far too much time to cross from the right, and German Berterame steered his header past the despairing dive of Roman Burki.

The MLS side levelled almost immediately, with Columbus Crew star Cucho Hernandez a popular scorer at his Lower.com Field home, sweeping Diego Rossi’s low cross home.

The Liga MX All-Stars would re-establish their lead four minutes before half-time as Oussama Idrissi drove infield before crashing a shot into the bottom-right corner, and they would pull clear in the second half.

After Hany Mukhtar and Riqui Puig both struck the woodwork, Juan Brunetta doubled Liga MX’s lead in the 67th minute, tapping home after Gustavo Ferrareis headed across goal.

Brunetta was also involved as Liga MX killed off the contest one minute later, his incisive pass allowing Maximiliano Meza to spin and tuck a left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.

Calling it a wrap on the #MLSAllStar Game pres. by @Target. pic.twitter.com/OBAxlZ1Pw2

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 25, 2024

Data Debrief: Third time lucky for Liga MX

This was the third time a team made up of Liga MX’s finest had provided the opposition for the MLS All-Star Game, with the MLS side having won the previous two in 2022 and 2023, the latter via a penalty shoot-out.

The MLS All-Stars have now won just two of the last eight editions since beating Bayern Munich and Tottenham in back-to-back All-Star Games in 2014 and 2015.