VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain Ryan Gauld has been selected as one of the best of the best from Major League Soccer in a test of soccer skills at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, July 23, at the highly anticipated 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T. Gauld along with nine MLS teammates will join stars from LIGA MX, as well as National Women’s Soccer League Houston Dash forward Diana Ordóñez, LIGA MX Femenil Chivas forward Alicia Cervantes and MLS and LIGA MX greats Sacha Kljestan and Luis Hernández. The event will broadcast live exclusively on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish.
The competition is comprised of five head-to-head contests rooted in the sport that require ball control, accuracy, strategy, and teamwork. Gauld will participate in both the MLS All-Star Touch Challenge presented by Crest, as well as the Cross & Volley Challenge presented by AT&T. For more information about the five challenges, click here.
2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP midfielder Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), 2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi MVP forward Cucho Hernández (Columbus Crew), and two-time MLS All-Star midfielder Riqui Puig (LA Galaxy) are among the top players headlining the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T roster. In total, the group represents nine different teams across the league and were selected for their skill in shooting, touch, and passing.
Three participants on the MLS roster, including St. Louis CITY SC and reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Bürki, Acosta and Puig have previously completed in the Skills Challenge. The remaining players including Hernández, former Spain men’s national team defender Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), European Championship-winner Federico Bernardeschi (Toronto FC), FIFA World Cup-winner Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF), midfielder Evander (Portland Timbers), Gauld, and goalkeeper Maarten Paes (FC Dallas), are set to compete in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T for the first time.
Representing LIGA MX, former Mexico men’s national team icon Andrés Guardado (León), 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup winner Salomón Rondón (Pachuca), and 2024 LIGA MX Clausura champion and former LA Galaxy player Jonathan Dos Santos (Club América) will lead the 10-man LIGA MX Skills Challenge squad. Also participating will be Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Juan Brunetta (Tigres), Sergio Canales (Monterrey), Cesar Huerta (Pumas UNAM), Luis Malagon (Club América), Kevin Mier (Cruz Azul), and Gonzalo Piovi (Cruz Azul).
For player bios and a listing of which event each player will participate in, click here.
Tickets for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T are on-sale now for $25 and can be purchased here. MLS and LIGA MX will compete on behalf of Adaptive Sports Connection and Special Olympics Ohio resulting in $25,000 donations to their respective charities.
MLS and LIGA MX are tied in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T intracontinental rivalry. LIGA MX won the first installment in Los Angeles in 2021, with former Cruz Azul and current Portland Timbers forward Jonathan RodrÃguez hitting the winning shot in the Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs (Watch here). MLS took the honors in Minnesota when Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar struck the crossbar for the victory shot in the Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs in 2022 (Watch here).
After a rousing success last year, the fan-favorite Goalie Wars competition returns to MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T in 2024. Throughout Tuesday’s event, four MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, defending their own net while trying to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking or drop-kicking the ball. It will be a back-and-forth battle for three:90-second rounds as the goalkeepers test their shot-stopping abilities and goal-scoring touch.
The MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers competing in the 2024 edition of Goalie Wars will be: Jean Antoine (Chattanooga FC), Michael Collodi (North Texas SC), Stas Lapkes (Columbus Crew 2) and Whitecaps FC BMO Academy product Chituru Odunze (Crown Legacy FC). The quartet will compete for a one-of-a-kind, custom championship belt.
Last year, Crown Legacy FC’s **Isaac Walker** emerged victorious and will be on-hand at this year’s event to help crown the next Goalie Wars champion along with other special guests.
In addition to the official MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T between MLS and LIGA MX on Tuesday night, TOCA — official soccer training partner of MLS and the world’s leading tech-enabled soccer experience company — will host the TOCA Skills Showcase exhibition. Following a nationwide competition, a top player from the East will take on a top player from the West in a head-to-head final on the All-Star Skills pitch between skills challenges. The overall winner from the Under-12 and Under-18 age groups will receive a $1,250 donation to their local soccer club to top off their grand prize MLS All-Star week experience in Columbus.
