Major League Soccer Cancels All-Star Game, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup Due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic
It is sad to hear of so many soccer games and tournaments canceled because of the insidious Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic but the safety of the players, coaches, staff, and fans should always come first. Soccer will return. Just not right now.
Major League Soccer (MLS) announced the sad news of its All-Star game being canceled yesterday as the league continues to work on plans for a return to competitive play.
The MLS Media Release stated the following:
The following decisions were made to provide the most available dates for the remainder of the year for league competition:
The 2020 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target: Originally scheduled to take place on July 29 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, between the best of MLS and a team of LIGA MX all-stars has been canceled.
While tickets to the All-Star Game had not gone on sale yet, fans who purchased tickets to the All-Star Skills Challenge via Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded. Refunds will take up to two weeks to be processed by Ticketmaster.
Last year, the 2019 Major League Soccer All–Star Game was the 24th edition of the annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game. Played on July 31 in Orlando, Florida, the MLS All-Stars took on Spanish club Atlético Madrid. Atlético won the game 3–0.
The 2021 MLS All-Star Game and festivities are expected to take place in Los Angeles at the same venue. MLS and LIGA MX will resume discussions regarding the event, and there is every expectation that next year’s All-Star Game will be MLS vs. LIGA MX in Los Angeles.
In addition, the league is reviewing proposals from three cities to host the 2022 MLS All-Star Game. Details regarding the 2021 and 2022 All-Star Games will be announced at a later date.
Leagues Cup: The second edition of the annual tournament between top MLS and LIGA MX teams, which was to take place between July and September, has been canceled in a joint decision by both leagues. MLS and LIGA MX plan to play Leagues Cup in 2021.
Campeones Cup: The third edition of Campeones Cup, which features the reigning MLS Cup champion against the winner of LIGA MX’s Campeón de Campeones, has been cancelled by the two leagues. It was scheduled to take place on August 12 at CenturyLink Field, the home of the 2019 MLS Cup champions, Seattle Sounders FC. The event will return in 2021.
