Inter Miami players Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have been named to the 26-player Major League Soccer All Star roster set to compete against the best of Liga MX at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on July 23.
The United States team playing at this summer’s Gold Cup is also well represented, with seven players on Mauricio Pochettino’s side selected as All Stars.
The league builds the roster through a variation of fan, player, and media voting (12 players), selections from All Star and Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez (12 players) and two picks by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
Messi and Alba were both voted into the roster by fans, making the squad for a second time after receiving the league honor in 2024. Though Alba participated in the event against Liga MX All Stars in 2024, Messi failed to feature after suffering an ankle injury while playing the Copa América final with Argentina.
Despite making the 2024 roster, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets did not earn the necessary fan votes to join the team or receive a coach’s selection this year.
U.S. players Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Diego Luna, Miles Robinson, and Brian White will also be joining the best of MLS in Austin. Agyemang was chosen by the league commissioner to make the trip to Austin, while the rest of the USMNT additions vary from fan, player and media votes and coach’s selections.
Garber picked San Diego FC designated player Hirving Lozano as his second commissioner’s selection.
A select few of the All Stars will also participate in the MLS Skills Challenge, which will take place on July 22 at Q2 Stadium.
Liga MX won the last iteration of the All Star match between the two leagues, triumphing 4-1 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio in 2024.
