The MLS All-Stars were routed 4-1 by their Liga MX counterparts in Wednesday's All-Star Game in Columbus, with two goals in two second-half minutes taking the game away from them.

Without injured Inter Miami duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the MLS All-Stars fell behind after 16 minutes. 

Jonathan dos Santos was allowed far too much time to cross from the right, and German Berterame steered his header past the despairing dive of Roman Burki.

The MLS side levelled almost immediately, with Columbus Crew star Cucho Hernandez a popular scorer at his Lower.com Field home, sweeping Diego Rossi's low cross home.

The Liga MX All-Stars would re-establish their lead four minutes before half-time as Oussama Idrissi drove infield before crashing a shot into the bottom-right corner, and they would pull clear in the second half.

After Hany Mukhtar and Riqui Puig both struck the woodwork, Juan Brunetta doubled Liga MX's lead in the 67th minute, tapping home after Gustavo Ferrareis headed across goal.

Brunetta was also involved as Liga MX killed off the contest one minute later, his incisive pass allowing Maximiliano Meza to spin and tuck a left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.

Data Debrief: Third time lucky for Liga MX

This was the third time a team made up of Liga MX's finest had provided the opposition for the MLS All-Star Game, with the MLS side having won the previous two in 2022 and 2023, the latter via a penalty shoot-out.

The MLS All-Stars have now won just two of the last eight editions since beating Bayern Munich and Tottenham in back-to-back All-Star Games in 2014 and 2015.

Cucho Hernandez is certain the top players from across MLS and Liga MX will give everything to win when they face off in Wednesday's All-Star Game at his club home in Columbus.

Lower.com Field – home to MLS Cup holders the Columbus Crew – will play host to the 28th edition of the MLS All-Star Game, with a team comprised of Mexican football's finest the opponents.

This will be the third edition of the All-Star Game to use the inter-league format. 

The MLS All-Stars beat their Liga MX counterparts on penalties in 2021, then triumphed 2-1 in a repeat fixture in 2022 with Carlos Vela and Raul Ruidiaz scoring.

Though Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will miss Wednesday's game due to injury, Hernandez is expecting a high-quality contest and is relishing the chance to play alongside those he is used to facing.

"Nobody holds back," he said. "Even when it's a game of ping pong, you want to win. That's how we are as players. 

"We were born competitors and it'll definitely be an intense game that both teams want to win.

"What I really like is meeting new people. Sometimes you see this level of players on television and say, 'What a player!' or 'What a golazo!' 

"Then he's here beside you and you can chat with him. It's a really nice experience."

Hernandez, who was selected by his club boss and All-Stars coach Wilfried Nancy, could be partnered in attack by Denis Bouanga, who won the 2023 MLS Golden Boot and has 16 goals in the competition already this term.

The forward, though, insists his priority is always team success, saying: "I try to be as decisive as possible for the team with the players around me, to bring something each day.

"That all speaks to the collective, I'm not being decisive and making my team win so I can be named MVP or get the Golden Boot."

Club America coach Andre Jardine will lead the Liga MX All-Stars after capturing both titles on offer in 2023-24 – the Apertura and the Clausura. 

Like Hernandez, Jardine – who has selected a squad containing the likes of Salomon Rondon, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Sergio Canales – will take the game seriously.

"We won't be able to do much tactically, because we will hardly have training, but there is great quality with these players and we want to win," he said.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

MLS All-Stars – Luciano Acosta

As the reigning MLS MVP and the captain of the All-Star side, FC Cincinnati talisman Acosta should take centre-stage, particularly with compatriot Messi ruled out.

Acosta's 82 chances created in MLS this year are more than any other player in the competition, while his 26 goal involvements (11 goals, 15 assists) are also the most in the league.

Liga MX All-Stars – Salomon Rondon

Rondon has already proven his worth on US soil this year, firing Venezuela to the Copa America quarter-finals, where they were edged out on penalties by Canada.

Only Golden Boot winner Lautaro Martinez (five) bettered his tally of three goals at the tournament, with those efforts coming from chances worth 2.44 expected goals (xG). The target man also ranked joint-eighth for chances created with eight, recording one assist.

MATCH PREDICTION: MLS ALL-STARS WIN

Victories have been hard to come by for the MLS All-Stars in recent years, though the calibre of opposition has certainly played into that.

Indeed, since beating Bayern Munich and Tottenham in back-to-back editions of the game in 2014 and 2015, the MLS All-Stars have only triumphed on two of seven occasions.

However, their conquerors through that spell have been Arsenal (twice), Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus. 

Their two victories both came versus teams made up of Liga MX's finest, and given the level of attacking talent found in Nancy's squad, not to mention the experience of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, they go in as favourites. 

Lionel Messi will miss the annual MLS All-Star game in Columbus on Wednesday due to his ongoing ankle injury, MLS has confirmed.

The Argentina captain sustained the injury during his nation's Copa America final victory over Colombia on July 14.

Messi subsequently left the pitch in tears, and watched from the dugout as substitute Lautaro Martinez struck an extra-time winner in Miami.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was expected to be part of the annual clash between an MLS XI and Liga MX XI.

However, he was listed as unavailable on the MLS website along with fellow Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez, though their team-mates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are both included.

The likes of Hugo Lloris, Christian Benteke and Federico Bernadeschi also feature in the MLS roster, while Andre-Pierre Gignac and Salomon Rondon will feature for the Liga MX All-Stars.

Mexican referee Fernando Hernandez will serve a 12-match suspension after kneeing a player in the groin during a Liga MX game between America and Leon.

Hernandez kneed Leon midfielder Lucas Romero as he and his team-mates surrounded the official during Sunday's 2-2 draw, demanding a VAR review into an America equaliser.

The bad-tempered affair saw both coaches dismissed following a scuffle which left Leon boss Nicolas Larcamon with a torn shirt, while one 10-minute second-half stint featured six yellow cards.

Any referees looking to replicate Hernandez's methods for dealing with dissenting players may have to think twice, with the league's disciplinary committee hitting the official with a long ban.

After widely shared footage showed Hernandez kneeing Romero while issuing him with a yellow card, the Leon man described the incident as a "misunderstanding".   

"Referees are human beings, many times they can make mistakes and those mistakes end up developing what happened, a lot of misunderstandings," he told Mexican broadcaster TUDN.

Hernandez has since apologised to Romero and said he "would never attack him or any other player", promising to accept the punishment handed down by the league's disciplinary committee.