Ten MLS & 10 Liga MX players to face off in ultimate test of five skills on Aug. 9 at Allianz Field
Following the first four competitions, each league’s combined points total will set the stage for the champion-crowning event – the Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs
NEW YORK (Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022) – As the excitement builds in the Twin Cities for weeklong celebration of MLS All-Star festivities, Major League Soccer today confirmed the rules scoring and scoring for each event in the 2022 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G. The star-studded, league-versus-league competition will feature 10 of the best players in MLS taking on 10 of the best from LIGA MX in the in the ultimate test of the five electrifying skills at Allianz Field on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. CT.
Tickets to the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge can be purchased through MLSsoccer.com/All-Star orSeatGeek.com.
With MLS looking to take the title from LIGA MX, the victors of last year’s event, the 2022 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G will feature the following five head-to-head competitions: the Shooting Challenge presented by AT&T 5G; Touch Challenge presented by Old Spice; Cross & Volley Challenge presented by AT&T 5G; Passing Challenge presented by Bounty; and Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs.
The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G will kick off in-stadium festivities at 7 p.m. CT on Aug. 9 at Allianz Field before the live broadcasts begin on ESPN2 and TUDN in the U.S. and on TSN and TVA Sports (digital) at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Complete rules and scoring are below for each of the five competitions in the 2022 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G. Additional information about the event – including rosters for both clubs – is available by visiting the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge Media Center.
MLS All-Star Shooting Challenge presented by AT&T 5G
- Participants: Three players from each team will participate in this competition.
- Rules: Players will shoot at 11 targets of varying values (two points, five points, 10 points, and the moving target is worth 20 points), as they try to rack up as many points as they can for their teams. One player at a time shoots for 60 seconds in each round. Each team participates in three rounds, with the two teams alternating after each round. For instance, MLS will shoot first, followed by LIGA MX, followed by MLS, and so on.
- Scoring (1 Point on Scoreboard): The team with the most points after three rounds wins the shooting portion of the competition and is awarded one point on the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge Scoreboard.
MLS All-Star Touch Challenge presented by Old Spice
- Participants: Three players from each team will participate in each round of this competition. The three players will consist of two passers and one receiver.
- Rules: In this ultimate test of touch, the receiver will collect balls chipped in by his teammates or launched high in the air by a ball launcher and will have the task of controlling and redirecting each ball into one of four targets that have varying points values (five points, 10 points, 20 points). Any ball that lands on the apparatus and remains there, but does make it into a target, will count for two points. Teams will alternate between rounds. The final 5 balls, launched from behind the apparatus are worth double points.
- Scoring (1 Point on Scoreboard): The team with the most points after both rounds is awarded one point on the Skills Challenge scoreboard.
Cross & Volley Challenge presented by AT&T 5G
- Participants: Eight players per team will participate, including six field players and two goalkeepers.
- Rules: Creativity and skill will be on display, as players connect with a teammate to score goals in style. The more style, the more points. In each round, the shooting team will have two players sending in crosses from outside the 18-yard box and one shooter behind the penalty spot. The non-shooting team will have one goalkeeper in the net. As the crossers serve balls in, the shooter must receive the ball and volley a shot past the opposing goalkeeper.
- Scoring (1 Point on Scoreboard): Players earn points for each goal scored, with 20 points awarded for bicycle or scissor kick, 15 points for a standard one-touch goal, 10 points for a two-touch goal that doesn’t hit the ground, and five points for any half-volley goals scored after the ball hits the ground one time.
- After points are tallied from two rounds, a fan vote will add 25 more points to the team with the “Best Moment” (save or goal). The team with the most total combined points after the fan vote wins this portion of the competition and earns one point on the Skills Challenge scoreboard.
Passing Challenge presented by BOUNTY
- Participants: One player per team will compete in this head-to-head competition.
- Rules: With a variety of targets spread in an array, players must strike their passes with pinpoint accuracy. In each 60-second round, one player from each team will compete simultaneously in a race to be the first to hit each of the four targets in his league’s respective zone before attempting the “Final Pass” on the Bounty target to win that round. There will be up to three rounds.
- Scoring (1 Point on Scoreboard): The first team to win two rounds in the passing challenge wins this portion of the competition and earns one point on the Skills Challenge scoreboard.
Crossbar Challenge presented by GilletteLabs
- Participants: Seven players per team will participate.
- Rules: Both teams will compete simultaneously in this one, final, electrifying event that will determine the overall champion of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. Each team will line up three players in Zone 1, located at the top of the 18-yard box, and each team will line up four players in Zone 2, located 40 yards out from the goal. The team that has the lowest total points on the MLS All-Star Skills Scoreboard through the previous four events will go first. Teams will then alternate kicks back and forth, as they aim to hit the crossbar at the top of the goal.
- Scoring: Teams will start this competition with an initial score comprised of their total points accumulated over the previous four challenges. For instance, if a team has three points on the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge Scoreboard, that team will begin this final competition with a starting total score of three points. One point will be awarded each time a team hits crossbar from Zone 1 (18-yard box). Teams must reach a combined total of five points to unlock Zone 2. Each ensuing kick in Zone 2 will be an attempt to hit the crossbar for The Victory Shot. The first team to hit the Victory Shot wins the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.
Possible Scoring Scenarios Needed to Unlock Zone 2:
4 points (starting score): Need to hit cross bar 1 time (4 + 1 point) = 5 total points
3 points (starting score): Need to hit crossbar 2 times (3 +1 point + 1 point) = 5 total points
2 points (starting score): Need to hit crossbar 3 times (2 + 1 point + 1 point + 1 point) = 5 total points
1 point (starting score): Need to hit crossbar 4 times (1 + 1 point +1 point + 1 point + 1 point) = 5 total points
0 points (starting score): Need to hit crossbar 5 times (0 + 1 point +1 point + 1 point + 1 point + 1 point) = 5 total points
