"An All-Star game with no All-Stars." That's how analyst Daniel Solana opened his takedown of the MLS All-Star Game, and it's hard to argue with the framing.
Eleven Liga MX players have withdrawn from this season's fixture against MLS, including goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Nahuel Guzmán, Gilberto Mora, and Brian Rodríguez. On the MLS side, Lionel Messi is out, along with Rodrigo De Paul, Hugo Cuypers, and Mbekezeli Mbokazi. What was supposed to be a showcase of the best footballers in North America is now a patchwork of whoever clubs are willing to release.
The scheduling problem clubs refuse to ignore
This is not a new issue. The All-Star Game lands mid-season, when both MLS and Liga MX clubs are still chasing points, managing cup fixtures, and navigating CONCACAF Champions Cup commitments. Clubs have every reason to protect their players. They have almost no reason to hand them over for an exhibition that has zero bearing on trophies.
Messi's absence is a direct consequence of FIFA's mandatory 21-day recovery rule for players involved in the 2026 World Cup final. That rule has already kept the Inter Miami captain out of two league matches. Liga MX clubs are following the same logic — shield your key assets, compete when it matters.
Solana put it plainly: "You can't parade soccer players around mid-season like it's the NBA — football isn't built that way." He's right. The NBA All-Star Game works because every team is on a scheduled break. The calendar clears. Players show up without a match in five days hanging over their head. Soccer doesn't have that window, and the MLS calendar is packed enough that there's no obvious place to create one.
What's actually left on the pitch
Fans will still see Son Heung-min, Thomas Müller, and Evander, so it's not a complete write-off. But the gap between what was advertised and what's being delivered is real, and it shows up in how neutral observers are reacting to the event.
From a betting perspective, the match's entertainment value — and therefore its audience engagement — has taken a hit. Exhibition specials and correct score markets thrive on the presence of marquee names. With Messi absent and the Liga MX contingent thinned out, the unpredictability that makes those markets interesting is reduced considerably.
Until MLS carves out a proper international break window — something it has resisted doing — clubs will keep making the same calculation. The All-Star Game will keep losing its stars. And the product will keep looking exactly like what Solana described.
