Messi and Alba will miss the MLS All-Star Game
Inter Miami CF stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will not participate in the MLS All-Star Game against the best of Liga MX this Wednesday night in Austin, Texas, despite having been voted onto the roster, according to MLS officials. MLS executives plan to speak with Inter Miami before making a decision on the participation of both players in Saturday’s match against FC Cincinnati at Chase Stadium. The league’s rules state that any player who decides not to participate in the event without an approved medical reason may be subject to a one-match suspension, although MLS will not immediately sanction Messi or Alba. Messi and Alba were included in the MLS All-Star roster after being selected by fan and media vote, returning to the team by popular demand. Both Messi and Alba were included in the 2024 All-Star team, although Messi was unable to participate in the event after suffering an ankle injury in the 2024 Copa América final. Alba did participate in the Skills Challenge and in last year’s All-Star game against the best of the Liga MX in Columbus, Ohio.The 2025 MLS All-Star team will be led by Hirving “Chucky” Lozano of San Diego FC and Denis Bouanga of LAFC. The concept of All-Star is foreign to most of the soccer world outside of North America, and 14 members of the 30-player MLS roster come from outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Wednesday will mark the league’s 29th All-Star Game, as MLS celebrates its 30th season (there was no All-Star event in 2020), and the fourth time it’s played in this format. MLS has won two of the previous three matches against its border rival league, although the Liga MX team secured a 4-1 victory in last year’s edition.The players are summoned, I would like them to be able to rest, but that is not my decision.
Javier Mascherano, coach of Inter Miami
