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Bragging rights still belong to Major League Soccer.
After defeating Mexico's Liga MX All-Stars in a thrilling penalty kick shootout in last year's contest, MLS' best players earned a 2-1 victory in the 2022 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This was the second straight year the All-Star Game format was a showdown between the two leagues, and MLS is now 2-0 thanks to goals from Carlos Vela and Raúl Ruidíaz.
The home side wasted little time setting the tone thanks to some brilliance from the LAFC teammates two minutes into the game.
Diego Palacios shook a defender with a beautiful fake and unleashed a perfectly placed cross to a waiting Vela, who buried the ensuing header in the back of the net. That it was Vela, the highest scoring Mexican player in MLS history, who scored against the Liga MX All-Stars made the goal all the more notable.
MLS maintained that advantage into the second half thanks in part to multiple saves from Minnesota United FC goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, much to the home crowd's delight.
His diving save right before halftime stood out:
The second half was far more wide open with each side creating a number of chances.
While MLS had a goal taken off the board for an offside ruling, it got one back by drawing a foul inside the box. Ruidíaz of the Seattle Sounders scored what proved to be a key insurance goal with a no-doubter on the penalty kick.
Still, it was just a matter of time before the Liga MX All-Stars finally broke through given the pressure they applied throughout much of the second half. Kevin Álvarez drilled one past New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who replaced St. Clair, to cut the deficit in half.
That was the end of the scoring, though, as MLS protected the lead to clinch a second straight victory in the current format.
Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa and Liga MX president Mikel Arriola announced a series of punishments for Liga MX side Querétaro following a fan brawl that took place at their home stadium, Estadio Corregidora, during a match against Atlas on Saturday.
Per ESPN's Cesar Hernandez, no fans will be permitted to watch Queretaro home games for one year. In addition, the barras supporters' groups are banned from the stadium for three years. They cannot attend any league matches at all for one year. Any individuals who were involved in the fighting will receive lifetime bans from all Mexican soccer stadiums.
Furthermore, Queretaro's ownership group has been banned from Liga MX activities for five years. In addition, ownership of the team has been transferred to its previous owners, Grupo Caliente.
Brawls broke out in the stands during the second half, which saw Atlas leading 1-0. Fans emptied out onto the pitch in an effort to escape the violence.
"Fans could be seen fighting across Queretaro's Estadio Corregidora, from the stands to on the field," Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports wrote. "Some images, which Yahoo Sports is not sharing, showed multiple bodies lying motionless on the ground."
Per CNN's Homero De La Fuente: "Photos from the game show fans, some of whom appear bloodied, brawling on the field and in the stands, throwing punches and hitting each other with objects."
Mauricio Kuri, the governor of the state of Queretaro, said that 24 men and two women were injured as the result of the brawl, per De La Fuente. Ten people suffered minor injuries, and three were in "critical" condition. No deaths have officially been reported.
Per Hernandez, 14 men have been arrested so far, with possible charges including attempted homicide and violence in a sporting event.
Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced Tuesday they are partnering on a new monthlong tournament that will begin in 2023.
According to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, the Leagues Cup will resemble an international tournament. Forty-seven teams from the two leagues will compete in a group phase and knockout stage to determine a winner.
Previously, the Leagues Cup consisted of four teams from MLS and four teams from Liga MX, and the matches were scheduled to run concurrently with the domestic campaigns. The Seattle Sounders will play Leon at Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday in the final.
The revamped Leagues Cup will supplement a newly formatted CONCACAF Champions League. The winner of the tournament earns a place in the Champions League round of 16, while the second- and third-place finishers qualify for the opening round.
In recent months, a merger between MLS and Liga MX has been floated with the idea they'd be stronger together than apart. Perhaps the Leagues Cup is a sort of compromise where the leagues retain their independence while growing the continental game.
Historically, Liga MX clubs have dominated the Champions League. D.C. United (1998) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2000) are the only MLS sides to have claimed a title.
Timing is often a problem for MLS representatives.
The reigning champion Columbus Crew, for example, had a two-legged tie with Real Esteli in April before they kicked off their domestic season. Ten days after their home opener, they were right back in the CCL against Monterrey in the quarterfinals.
MLS commissioner Don Garber believes the Leagues Cup "puts everybody on equal footing" because of how it's laid out, per Carlisle.
The Major League Soccer All-Star team faces a new but familiar opponent on Wednesday at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
The best players in MLS will go head-to-head with a team comprised of the top stars from Liga MX.
Over the years, MLS and Liga MX clubs have done battle in the CONCACAF Champions League and the recently established Leagues Cup, but this is the first time the sets of stars will face off on this stage.
Before this format, the MLS All-Stars played in an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format and against European clubs that came stateside for their preseason tours.
MLS All-Star Game Info
Date: Wednesday, August 25
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
Predictions
Liga MX 1, MLS 0
The MLS All-Stars come into Wednesday on a four-match losing streak.
Two years ago, the best players MLS had to offer fell 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in Orlando, Florida. Other losses during that run came against Arsenal and to Real Madrid and Juventus on penalty kicks.
As a whole, Liga MX has been the best domestic league in North America for quite some time. That is backed up by the success the league's teams have experienced in the CONCACAF Champions League. A Mexican club has won the CCL in every year since 2006.
The MLS All-Star Game is typically on the low side when it comes to scoring, and that should be the case again in Los Angeles.
Each roster boasts a handful of world-class goalkeepers. Mexico No. 1 Guillermo Ochoa, Nahuel Guzman and Alfredo Talavera will be in net for Liga MX. United States men's national team netminder Matt Turner, Peru's Pedro Gallese and Andre Blake of Jamaica are on the MLS roster.
With a handful of No. 1 international netminders set to take the field, it is hard to imagine chances flying in at will.
The frenetic nature of the All-Star Game itself can also suit a low-scoring game. Both teams are thrown together in just under a week and have little time to train together.
If you mix in the countless substitutions, you will have two squads that lack chemistry on the field.
Those factors could lead to some choppy play and a feeling-out process early on that could limit the number of chances.
Continental league pride could be an extra motivator to some of the players, but it will lack the punch of a USMNT-Mexico rivalry game because the MLS squad is full of players from around the globe.
Forwards Raul Ruidiaz of the Seattle Sounders and Gustavo Bou of the league-leading New England Revolution are the best options to score for MLS.
Orlando City midfielder Nani could be considered for the scoring role as well, but he may best off as provider on the wing, or in tight spaces around the net, to set up the talented forwards across the MLS roster.
Rogelio Funes Mori is one of the top danger men for Liga MX. He scored twice in Monterrey's first four league games and produced double-digit goals in each of the last six league campaigns.
Even if those players create chances, it could be hard for them to put tallies past some of the best goalkeepers in the world.
The Liga MX squad carries a bit more overall quality, and the advantages shown over the last decades in the CCL should bleed into the All-Star Game.
Enrique Bonilla, president of Liga MX, has tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced Friday evening.
Bonilla is currently asymptomatic and under isolation.
"I'll keep myself informed about the situation the country is going through and the alternative and possible solutions to resolve it," Bonilla said via translated statement. "Especially in the Liga MX and Ascenso MX family."
Liga MX has been on hiatus since March 15 as the pandemic continues to spread around the world. Bonilla becomes the second known case in the league after Atletico San Luis president Alberto Marrero was confirmed to have contracted the disease Tuesday.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 118 cases of the coronavirus across Mexico as of Friday night. There are 234,073 confirmed cases worldwide with China, Italy and Iran among the hardest-hit nations.
ESPN's Jose Ramon Fernandez notes that Bonilla, who often deals with FIFA officials on behalf of Liga MX, had recently returned from Spain, which has been exposed to a high number of cases as well.
Liga MX has not given a timetable for its return to play but was planning on continuing with the contests without fans before suspending the schedule entirely.
Bonilla is in quarantine and remains in stable condition.
Mexico has become the latest country to have its top-flight football matches postponed in response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus.
Play will be brought to a halt after fixtures for Matchday 10 of the 2019/20 season have been wrapped up Sunday night:
Toluca are currently hosting Atlas, while Santos Laguna at home to Necaxa and Club America's game against Cruz Azul are the remaining matches. The decision to call subsequent games off means Liga MX will join leagues in England, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and the United States that have suspended play.
Games had been allowed to continue but only when played behind closed doors. The league's statement (h/t Joel Soria of NBC Sports) referenced "communication with the Ministry of Health to attend to their recommendations and, of course, health and prevention measures will continue to be carried out in the stadiums for players, club staff and the media."
Consultation with the authorities has led to sterner measures from the league. Those measures cap an escalated response to dealing with the threat of the virus, a process detailed by ESPN FC's Tom Marshall:
It means the Mexican top flight is now going to begin considering how, when and if its season will be able to end. The same dilemma is dominating the agendas of football's governing bodies across Europe and beyond.
Major League Soccer had already taken the decision to suspend play for 30 days as part of a large stoppage of sports across North America, per BBC Sport. Meanwhile, England's Premier League is at a standstill until April 4, with Liverpool 25 points clear at the top. It's possible the season could be called off altogether.
The division would need 14 clubs to consent to voiding the campaign, according to the London Evening Standard (h/t Joe Miles of The Sun).
Mexico's title picture could be even more complex, with Cruz Azul able to move a point above Leon with victory over Club America. The latter would only be a point off the top with victory.
What form leagues take as and when the suspension of play is lifted will be the main focus of football's top decision-makers.
Meanwhile, all sports will continue trying to adjust to a virus that has so far been confirmed in over 152,400 people in 144 countries, per data provided by the World Health Organisation (h/t CNN).
Monterrey only have to avoid defeat when they travel to face Club America in the second leg of the 2019 Liga MX Apertura final on Sunday in order to win their first such title since 2010.
Los Rayados lead 2-1 on aggregate after Rogelio Funes Mori won Thursday's home leg with a spectacular bicycle kick in injury time.
Defending Apertura champions America are targeting their second title in as many tournaments under Miguel Herrera, who is the only Mexican manager to win a Liga MX title since 2013. Monterrey counterpart Antonio Mohamed has had a rejuvenating effect since returning to the club for his second stint in October and has yet to be beaten in 13 domestic matches.
Date: Sunday, December 29
Time: 9:15 p.m. ET/2:15 a.m. GMT (Monday, Dec. 30)
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
TV Info: Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes (U.S.)
Preview
America came close to becoming the first Mexican team to beat Monterrey since Mohamed took back control of the club, with the Argentinian reviving their campaign and then some.
Their journey to the final has been remarkable considering Monterrey were 14th in the regular-season standings when he was reappointed, recovering to finish eighth and take the last play-off spot.
Sunday's guests find themselves in a much more confident position as they prepare to visit Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the same site where America beat bitter rivals Cruz Azul to lift last year's title.
Carlos Rodriguez's own goal in the first leg briefly set Monterrey on course for a shock home defeat, but Stefan Medina and Funes Mori got on the scoresheet to complete their narrow comeback:
Funes Mori converted his 11th Liga MX goal of the season to move to within one of the competition's joint-top scorers, Alan Pulido of Guadalajara and Mauro Quiroga of Necaxa. A brace on Sunday would see the 28-year-old finish the campaign with the Golden Boot:
Netherlands striker Vincent Janssen missed the club's recent run to third place at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup through injury but came on as a second-half substitute in the first-leg win over America.
He could be in the running to start when Mohamed's men travel to Mexico's capital, though ESPN Stats & Info provided evidence as to why Funes Mori has the ability to lead the line alone once again:
America midfielder Sebastian Cordova will play no part in the final second leg after he was sent off following a review by the video assistant referee in the opener. Despite his red card, Thursday's visiting team almost saw out a draw.
ESPN FC's Cesar Hernandez teased it would be an open affair between on Sunday:
America have won 13 top-tier titles in Mexican league football—more than any other team—but Herrera's men will be hard-pressed to stop Monterrey earning their fifth.
The battle for the Liga MX Apertura title begins at the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Thursday when Monterrey will host America in the first leg of this year's final.
Miguel Herrera coached America to the Apertura last year and hopes to bring the title back to Mexico City as a late Christmas present despite a run of inconsistent form.
Monterrey only recently returned from the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Doha, Qatar, where they defeated Al Hilal on penalties to finish in third place.
Los Rayados haven't lost a game at home since September 29 and look to be intimidating hosts for the first leg, while titleholders America will hope their experience provides the key to securing an important result in Guadalupe.
Date: Thursday, December 26
Time: 9:36 p.m. ET/2:36 a.m. GMT (Friday, Dec. 27)
Venue: Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
TV Info: Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes (U.S.)
Preview
Tigres have been the most successful team this decade in the Apertura, but defending champion America—who finished the regular season in sixth place—edged them out of the way in this year's quarter-finals.
Monterrey haven't clinched this title since they won back-to-back Apertura crowns in 2009-10, and ESPN FC's Tom Marshall highlighted their final foes as a much stronger force in the competition this past decade:
Striker Rogelio Funes Mori has 10 goals in Liga MX this season—two off the top-scorer status—and he'll be motivated to make up that gap in the remaining two fixtures this year.
America opened up the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to the public for their training session, and fans reminded players of their loyalty and the importance of this fixture before the team traveled to Guadalupe:
Monterrey—who finished seventh in the regular season—have been otherwise distracted from their domestic commitments after finishing third at the Club World Cup on Saturday.
Los Rayados fell victim to a late Roberto Firmino decider in their semi-final clash against eventual champions Liverpool, though the Reds found it anything but simple to advance:
That was Antonio Mohamed's first defeat in 15 matches since he returned to the club's helm in early October, though that pristine record against Mexican teams remains intact.
Monterrey celebrated the achievements of goalkeeper Luis Cardenas after he played a major role in their third-place play-off win over Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal:
Arturo Gonzalez and Maximiliano Meza found the target for Mohamed's side at the Khalifa International Stadium to claim third place.
Their title chances in Liga MX look far more favourable, though, and America will hope Thursday's hosts are still suffering the effects of the long journey ahead of the first leg.
Monterrey have won their last four home games and are unbeaten in six at the Estadio BBVA, while America have scored four and conceded four in their last two away games.
The two teams will reconvene at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday for the deciding leg, but each finalist will hope to book a big enough advantage before then.
Veracruz went 2-0 down in less than four minutes of their home match against Tigres in Liga MX on Friday because the players refused to play to protest against unpaid wages.
Players from both teams initially took part in the demonstration, according to ESPN FC's Tom Marshall. However, while those representing Tigres only stood still for a minute, Veracruz's players maintained their act of defiance for a further three minutes and 20 seconds.
In that time, Eduardo Vargas and Andre-Pierre Gignac put the away side 2-0 up. Veracruz goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado Roca made no attempt to save either effort, having initially given the ball away as he continued to protest.
Vargas went on to complete a brace after eight minutes, while former Fenerbahce and Celtic and forward Colin Kazim-Richards got one back in vain for Veracruz in the 90th minute.
There appeared to be uncertainty among the visitors about exactly how to play things, even as the goals were going in:
The bizarre turn of events stemmed from a disagreement over the length of the protest, per the report. Tigres skipper Guido Pizarro explained how a show of solidarity lasting 60 seconds had originally been agreed, only for Veracruz to then ask for a longer action, something Tigres would not consent to.
Pizarro said the request to extend the protest came from the Veracruz captain, but he doubted whether other members of the home team knew about it, per Marshall: "For them to make us responsible for a protest that they were making to their president I think is an error. We came here, respected what they put in the group [about a one-minute protest]...and went through with it."
However, Veracruz duo Angel Reyna and Carlos Salcido both refuted Pizarro's claim, with Salcido saying: "Tigres knew perfectly well that we would stop for three minutes. It's sad. We are all professional. We're all in football and you all saw what happened."
Fidel Kuri, the Veracruz owner, was damning in his assessment of events when he spoke to ESPN Mexico's Futbol Picante (h/t Marshall): "The players wanted to send a message that wasn't discussed, but they are in their right. We were once again the joke of the nation, or the world with this topic."
Despite Kuri's words, the Veracruz players' complaint dates back six months. The Mexican footballers' association (AMFproMX) released a statement on Thursday, saying some players threatened to boycott the game against Tigres (h/t Marshall).
AMFproMX President Alvaro Ortiz described situations involving players being forced to sleep at the Estadio Luis "Pirata" Fuente and failing to make payments for their children's education.
Meanwhile, Marshall also noted how FMF President Yon de Luisa said that there had only been two complaints from the playing staff before Friday's game, although a fund of "around $1 million" would be used to help repay debts, provided any official complaints "could be verified."
Before the game, several players, including Jurado and Reyna, posted messages of solidarity on Twitter:
Subsequent to the events on the pitch, Veracruz players, led by Salcido, have been shedding more light on the state of affairs at the club, which is rooted to the foot of the table in Mexico's top flight:
Despite the contrasting viewpoints regarding the protest, the actions of Salcido and his team-mates have given the situation widespread attention. A broader focus on how things play out may even lead to a satisfying resolution.
