MLS All-Stars, without Lionel Messi, beats Liga MX All-Stars 3-1

Main compressic football joints Sam Surridge from Nashville SC scored in the first half to help the MLS All-Stars with a 3-1 win over their League MX enemies despite the absence of Lionel Messi in the All-Star match on Wednesday evening in Austin, Texas.

Tai Bararibo from Philadelphia Union added the final winner early in the second half, and Brian White from the Vancouver WhiteCaps offered Late insurance for MLS, who won for the third time in four All-Star Games that have been played in this format since 2021.

Tijuana’s 16-year-old Gilberto Mora later withdrew a goal for Liga MX in the second half and became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the event. Earlier this month he became the youngest player ever to win a Senior International Title of Continental as part of the Concacaf Gold Cup Championship team in Mexico.

Surridge and Inter Miami’s Messi each have 18 league goals. It was uncertain all week whether Messi would play on Wednesday, but the 38-year-old, eight times Ballon d’Or winner did not appear. His Miami teammate, Jordi Alba, also missed the exhibition.

For each MLS rules, Messi and Alba would be confronted with a suspension of one game for skipping the All-Star game, which would miss a home game against FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

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However, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said on Wednesday that no decision about suspensions had been made.

Surridge opened the score in the 28th minute on an opportunity created by Denis Bouanga by Los Angeles FC, who defeated the Liga MX defense with his pace, but his initial effort was refused by Club America goalkeeper Luis Malagon.

Bouanga reached the rebound and then bent in a diagonal cross to the six-year box, where Surridge met it with a downward header that Malagon defeated.

Bararibo, which this year has 14 goals for regular season, four behind Messi and Surridge in the MLS Golden Boot Race, doubled the benefit in the 51st minute. He reached a cross from the left through Columbus’ Diego Rossi and defeated Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier from about 15 meters.

Mora withdrew a goal in the 64th minute, but White provided the MLS victory in the 80th minute.

Carles Gil from the New England Revolution was exceptional in setting up the attack for the ultimate goal, maneuvering the movement in midfield before he played in the Cristian Espinoza of the San Jose -Pasters on the left. Philip Zinckernagel of the Chicago Fire provided the last pass for White’s Tap-in up close.