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| - A Major League Soccer All-Star squad will face a Mexican League All-Star lineup in this year's MLS All-Star Game on August 25 in Los Angeles, the leagues announced Wednesday. The match will be staged at Banc of California Stadium, the home venue of MLS side Los Angeles FC, and feature the first matchup of elite rosters from two rival leagues. Last year's MLS All-Star match was scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "Fans have been looking forward to this historic matchup for more than a year, and we have no doubt the 2021 MLS All-Star Game will prove to be worth the wait," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "This event is a perfect expression of the groundbreaking partnership that continues to build between MLS and Liga MX." The Mexican circuit and MLS have combined to stage more events involving matches between league clubs in recent years. "Liga MX is proud to be part of the 2021 MLS All-Star Game," said Liga MX executive president Mikel Arriola. "This is going to be an intense match in a fantastic setting and world-class stadium." "It will only intensify the rivalry between MLS and Liga MX." Three-time MLS Coach of the Year bob Bradley, coach of host club LA FC, will guide the MLS All-Star roster. "This will be a special night of football in Los Angeles," Bradley said. It will be the first MLS All-Star Game in Los Angeles since 2003, when the MLS stars beat Mexico's Club Deportivo Guadalajara 3-1. For 15 years, from 2005-2019, MLS All-Star squads had faced European clubs in the All-Star Game, the North American side last winning in 2015 with a 2-1 victory over England's Tottenham Hotspur. js/rcw
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