It's time for a celebration of the thrilling Major League soccer season so far, as the MLS All-Star game will take place in Columbus. Initially, the Inter Miami quartet of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba were supposed to take part in the match but Messi and Suarez will miss out due to injuries. Real Salt Lake striker and the current Golden Boot leader Cristian Arango will also miss the match due to suspension for violating the league's anti-harassment policy. Both the All-Star game and the first match of the Leagues Cup are allowed to count toward this suspension.
Led by Wilfried Nancy, the MLS All-Stars will face Liga MX for the third time having won the previous two meetings.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, July 24 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Lower.com Field -- Columbus, Ohio
- TV: None | Live stream: MLS Season Pass
- Odds: MLS -127; Draw +320; Liga MX +280
Storylines
MLS: Already emerging with a victory in the skills challenge the MLS All-Stars will look to make it a clean sweep in this match. Diego Luna, Moise Bombito, Gabriel Pec, and Petar Musa were added as coaches selections to replace those who won't be available in a side that will be captained by Luciano Acosta. Acosta will take the armband in a rival stadium as he gets the honor of captaining the MLS All-Stars for the second consecutive season.
Liga MX: There are familiar faces suiting up for Liga MX although Jonothan Dos Santos will be the most recognizable name to MLS fans from his time with the LA Galaxy, Salomon Rondon and Ossama Idrissi were critical in Concacaf Champions Cup while Andre-Pierre Ginac has been one of the stars of Liga MX for a while now.
Prediction
MLS will get the job done for a third consecutive time over Liga MX with a late goal in the match. Pick: MLS 2, Liga MX 1