Looking Back on MLS All-Star Week in Charlotte
All-Star Week ends with Son's brace, and Ciara Steals Halftime as MLS Edge LIGA MX 4-3 in Front of 35,000 fans in Charlotte.
All-Star week in Charlotte saved its best for last. A capacity crowd of 35,197 packed Bank of America Stadium Wednesday night to watch the MLS All-Stars outlast the LIGA MX All-Stars 4-3 in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game — and somehow the soccer almost wasn’t even the headline of the night.
2026 MLS All-Star Game
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 35,197
MLS All-Stars 4 - 3 LIGA MX All-Stars
MVP: Son Heung-Min (LAFC)
Goals
MLS All-Stars
Son Heung-Min - 20’, 23’
Philip Zinckernagel - 42’
Evander - 58’
LIGA MX All-Stars
Luis Gabriel Rey - 9’
Salomón Rondón - 55’
José Paradela - 90’+1’
Son’s Night, Twice Over
LAFC forward Son Heung-Min wrote the story on the field, scoring twice in the first half to earn MLS All-Star Game MVP honors and become the first player in LAFC history to take home the award.
However, LIGA MX struck first, with Tigres’ Juan Brunetta setting up Chivas’ Luis Gabriel Rey for a header off a set piece in the 9th minute.
The MLS All-Stars responded quickly: Carles Gil found Son with a ball over the top in the 20th minute for the equalizer, and just three minutes later, Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar and Gil combined to feed Son again, who volleyed home his second of the night to put MLS in front for good.
Chicago Fire’s Philip Zinckernagel doubled the lead right before the break with a first-time finish off a loose ball in the box, making it 3-1 at halftime.
The Princess Is Here …
And speaking of halftime — let’s talk about the MVP of the intermission. Grammy Award winner Ciara headlined the MLS All-Star Halftime Show and absolutely brought it, closing with “Level Up” in a performance that had the whole stadium on its feet.
LIGA MX Don’t Go Quietly
The second half stayed lively. Pachuca’s Salomón Rondón pulled one back for LIGA MX in the 50th minute off a clever backheel assist from Cruz Azul’s Carlos Rodríguez, but FC Cincinnati’s Evander answered eight minutes later, curling home a beautiful finish off a slick Nashville SC combination from Sam Surridge and Andy Najar to make it 4-2. LIGA MX got one more in stoppage time — Cruz Azul’s José Paradela burying a cross from América’s Israel Reyes into the top corner — but it wasn’t enough, and MLS held on for the 4-3 win. That moves MLS to 4-1 all-time against LIGA MX in the All-Star Game.
Tim Ream’s 15-Year Wait
Charlotte FC fans had extra reason to pay attention. USMNT captain Tim Ream suited up as an All-Star for the first time since 2011, when he was a young player with the New York Red Bulls — a 15-year gap that’s the longest between All-Star selections in league history, edging out fellow USMNT captain Tim Howard’s 14-year gap between 2003 and 2017. Ream spent 13 years in England before landing back in MLS with Charlotte FC, so seeing him back on an All-Star roster, in his own city no less, was a nice full-circle moment for the home crowd.
“I’ve been an All-Star twice, both times in my home market,” said Ream during a post-match interview. “I know what the Charlotte market is about, and the soccer culture here, so to show it off for the guys [in the locker room] has been [fun].”
Ream said that winning an All-Star skills challenge, and having his family in attendance both stuck out to him as moments that meant a lot.
More Numbers Worth Knowing
The game featured 15 players who competed at the FIFA World Cup 2026 — 10 on the MLS side, 5 on the LIGA MX side.
Orlando City’s Maxime Crépeau made six saves for the MLS All-Stars, the most in the event since Edwin van der Sar’s 10-save performance for Manchester United back in 2010.
Colorado’s Lucas Herrington became just the fifth teenager ever named an MLS All-Star in his first MLS season, joining a list that includes Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu.
Houston’s Guilherme has had a hand in nearly 70% of his team’s goals this season — the second-highest single-season rate in league history behind Sebastien Le Toux’s 2010 campaign with Philadelphia.
Real Salt Lake’s Zavier Gozo has racked up 3,249 minutes and 18 goal contributions before turning 20 — a mark only eight other players in MLS history have hit that young.
Bonus: We Asked the Coach About an Avenger
While we had him, we couldn’t resist asking MLS All-Stars head coach Dean Smith what it was like having a Marvel actor on his sideline for the week, between Danny Ramirez’s Skills Challenge cameo and general presence around the squad.
Smith seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience, but when we asked if a Marvel cameo of his own might be in the cards, he laughed it off — sounds like coaching is a one-and-done deal for him. As much as he’s enjoyed the ride this week, he told us what he really wants is to go out on a win in these All-Star Games.
All-Star week is officially in the books, and Charlotte showed out for every bit of it — rain delays, record-setting shooting, and a halftime show we’re still talking about.
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Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Zavier Gozo as a Charlotte FC player. He plays for Real Salt Lake.
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