Diego Luna barreling down on Luis Angel Malagon. Obed Vargas talking trash after shouldering his potential Mexico teammate Erik Lira off the ball. They’re moments we may see in Leagues Cup, but scenes we could also get a preview of in the All-Star Game.
MLS’ annual celebration and showcase of the best players in the league also serves as a mouthwatering appetizer for Leagues Cup and a reminder of how intense and enjoyable the MLS vs. Liga MX rivalry can be. For the fourth time in five years, MLS’ All-Star squad will meet their Liga MX counterparts - Tuesday in a skills competition that also will include legends like Clint Dempsey and Oribe Peralta and then Wednesday in a more traditional matchup at Austin’s Q2 Stadium.
Seeing Real Salt Lake attacker Luna squaring off with América shot-stopper Malagon or watching the Sounders midfielder Vargas square off with Cruz Azul counterpart Lira will happen on the field for their clubs when Leagues Cup kicks off July 29. But we may get a preview during the All-Star Game with the internationals coming together in the MLS vs. Liga MX showdown.
It’s hardly just those individual battles, either. The All-Star Game will give players an opportunity to have informal contact with their rivals, leading to a jersey swap or friendships celebrated after the 90 minutes. On the field, though, the All-Star Game can provide moments that will stick in the craw of players who have an instant opportunity at revenge days later when they represent their clubs and their league during the two-league competition.
San Diego FC winger Hirving Lozano will see many familiar faces from his time playing with Pachuca when he suits up for MLS on July 23. But he’ll also see Tigres defender Joaquim when SDFC faces Tigres on Aug. 1. All-Star may be a time when Lozano can give Elias Montiel a few words of advice, with the 19-year-old midfielder potentially soon following in his footsteps and leaving Pachuca for Europe. But when Lozano sees his old club in Leagues Cup action on July 29, it will be all about trying to get a win and reach the quarterfinals.
Along with a Luna v. Malagon showdown, other familiar faces from the summer of soccer will once again renew their own individual rivalries. Toluca and Mexico attacker Alexis Vega had the last laugh on Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten, lifting the Gold Cup as Arfsten and the U.S. had to settle for silver. They’re both on the All-Star rosters and their teams are set for one of the most anticipated matches of the Leagues Cup group stage with Toluca playing the Columbus Crew on July 29.
And while it wouldn’t take place in the group stage, surely fans of European soccer are doing the math about what it would take to see Monterrey defender Sergio Ramos and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi meet in Leagues Cup after the Real Madrid and Barcelona exes near-miss in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Ramos will square off with FC Cincinnati star Evander in both the All-Star Game and the Leagues Cup group stage, with the teams trying to clinch a return to the CCC by locking up one of the top three places in Leagues Cup.
There will, of course, be other pairings or even groups who take exception to a tackle, who want another opportunity at a goalkeeper, or who hope to put an attacker in their pocket again with so many of the All-Stars on both sides ready to feature in Leagues Cup just days later.
Those moments in soccer, the storylines, and the relationships off the field always add to the on-field product. The narrative the fans talk about during the pre-match tailgate or recap in the bar after the game adding that little extra bit of texture to a great night at the stadium.
The All-Star Game in Austin will only serve to create more of those memories and those moments that make a rivalry special.
