Juan Brunetta scored a goal and had an assist to lead the Liga MX All-Stars over the MLS All-Stars 4-1
Columbus, Ohio — Juan Brunetta and Maximiliano Meza scored within a minute of each other in the second half, and Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars beat Major League Soccer’s All-Stars 4-1 in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night.
Brunetta (Tigres) scored in transition in the 68th minute to make it 3-1 and set up Meza (Monterrey) shortly after in front of a record crowd of 20,931 at Lower.com Field.
This is Liga MX’s first MLS All-Star Game victory in three attempts. The MLS All-Stars won in 2022 and came out on penalties after a 1-1 draw a year earlier.
“It was an incredible game,” Liga MX coach Andre Jardine said. “There were a lot of top players. It was a tight game. Both teams really played. In the second half, they also played some big names. I was a little surprised. It was a little difficult, especially in the first 15 minutes, but we had to adapt and in the end, it was a great game.”
There were plenty of big names on the pitch, but the absence of the brightest and biggest of them all marred the event. The league announced Monday that Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi was unable to play due to a ligament injury in his right ankle.
The 2022 world champion was injured while playing for Argentina in their win over Colombia in the Copa America final the 14th of July.
Fans cheered as Columbus’ forwards combined to tie the game 1-1 in the 17th minute, about a minute after Germán Berterame (Monterrey) scored for Mexico on a header.
From the left flank, Diego Rossi found his Crew teammate Cucho Hernandez, who was running unmarked in the middle of the box to equalise.
“It’s incredible for me to score in front of my fans,” Hernandez said.
Oussama Idrissi (Pachuca) made it 2-1 in the 41st minute with a shot from the top of the penalty area.
MLS had two chances to equalize in the 63rd minute when Riqui Puig (Los Angeles Galaxy) hit the crossbar and, in the process, Luca Orellano (Cincinnati) was denied on a goal-line clearance by Unai Bilbao (Tijuana).
A few minutes later, Liga MX put the match out of reach.
MLS recognized the Columbus market’s renaissance by awarding it the All-Star Game. The Crew, a founding member in 1996, was threatened in the fall of 2017 with a move to Austin, Texas, by then-owner Anthony Precourt.
A grassroots movement called Save the Crew gained international attention and helped persuade Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam to purchase the team and keep it in Columbus.
The team won the MLS Cup in 2020 and 2023, reached the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup final and opened Lower.com Field in 2021, where there have been 28 consecutive sellouts for MLS.
“It shows everybody the courage of the owner,” said Crew and MLS All-Star coach Wilfried Nancy. “Listen, it’s a representation of what Columbus is all about and the passion for soccer.”
The All-Star team featured five players from the team. Hernandez and Rossi were joined by midfielder Darlington Nagbe and defenders Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira.
FOLLOWING
MLS and Liga MX continue their rivalry with the start of the Leagues Cup on Friday. The 47 teams will compete in a World Cup-style format, with the championship game on August 25. There will be 77 games in the United States and Canada. Inter Miami is the reigning Leagues Cup champion.
___
