Real Salt Lake Icon Diego Luna Headlines 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge

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Real Salt Lake Icon Diego Luna Headlines 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge

July 15, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah / NEW YORK - Real Salt Lake star and recent U.S. Men's National Team Gold Cup icon Diego Luna headlines a group comprised of the best talents from Major League Soccer and Mexico's LIGA MX, squaring off in the highly-anticipated 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T. Taking place at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, July 22 at 7 p.m. MT, the event will be streamed live exclusively on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV in both English and Spanish.

Luna returned to MLS action in last Saturday's 1-0 win over visiting Houston, starting and playing the full 90 minutes just five days after completing 40+ days with the U.S. Men's National Team in the run-up to and including USA's run to the Gold Cup Final. Luna led Mauricio Pochettino's side with five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) during the Concacaf tourney, including his first-ever USMNT goal in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica and a 15-minute brace in the opening quarter-hour of the semifinal win against Guatemala.

Luna - Real Salt Lake's leading 2025 scorer with eight goals (matching last year's All-Star output) - makes his second consecutive Skills Challenge appearance, joining Denis Bouanga (LAFC), and Evander (FC Cincinnati) amongst the top MLS players headlining the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge roster. In total, the group represents nine different clubs across the league with each player selected for their skill in shooting, touch, and passing.

Then on Wednesday, Luna will participate in the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, with the third-year RSL player Luna joining global superstar and 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi and fellow United States Men's National Team standouts Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Miles Robinson and Brian White among 26 players honored today as Major League Soccer unveiled the roster for the 2025 MLS All-Star Game.

Luna - one of 12 players named 2025 All-Stars through a combination of fan / player / media voting - becomes the first Real Salt Lake All-Star named to the team in back-to-back years in nearly a decade, repeating the feat accomplished by Hall of Famer Nick Rimando in the 2014/15 seasons. Rimando and former Claret-and-Cobalt Captain Kyle Beckerman each appeared in three consecutive MLS All-Star Games, while Will Johnson was selected in the 2013/14 editions.

Four participants on the MLS roster have previously competed in the All-Star Skills Challenge, including Luna, Evander, Bouanga, and Jordi Alba. The remaining players - Sebastian Berhalter, Anders Dreyer, Alex Freeman Sam Surridge, Brad Stuver, and Yohei Takaoka - are set to make their debut in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T.

For player bios and a listing of which event each player will participate in, click here.

Joining the MLS and LIGA MX All-Stars are legends Clint Dempsey and Oribe Peralta, along with U.S. Women's National Team star Lindsey Heaps and LIGA MX Femenil standout Nicki Hernández. This marks the second year in a row that MLS and LIGA MX greats, alongside two of the best female players in North America, will join the All-Stars in the Skills Challenge.

The competition is comprised of five head-to-head contests rooted in the sport, each requiring ball control, accuracy, strategy, and teamwork. For more information about the five challenges, click here.

CBS Sports analyst, U.S. Men's National Team stalwart, and a Texas native, Dempsey will return to his home state to take part in the competition after a storied career with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, the New England Revolution, and Seattle Sounders FC. Heaps, who plays for OL Lyonnes (France) and stars with the U.S. Women's National Team, will also compete on Tuesday night, bringing her signature flair and World Cup-winning pedigree to the event. Representing Mexico are former LIGA MX veteran and Olympic gold medalist Peralta, and standout Mexico Women's National Team defender Hernández who is currently starring for Club América.

Tickets for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T are on sale now and can be purchased here. MLS and LIGA MX will compete on behalf of 4ATX Foundation and MAS Cultura resulting in $25,000 donations to their respective charities.

LIGA MX currently leads the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge series, presented by AT&T, 2-1. LIGA MX won the inaugural competition in Los Angeles in 2021, with former Cruz Azul and current Portland Timbers forward Jonathan Rodríguez striking the winning shot in the Crossbar Challenge presented by Gillette. MLS responded in 2022, taking the honors in Minnesota when Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar struck the decisive hit in the Crossbar Challenge presented by Gillette. In 2024, LIGA MX reclaimed the intercontinental rivalry, as they edged MLS in a back-and-forth contest at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Cruz Azul defender Gonzalo Piovi sealed the win with the final kick of the evening, hitting the crossbar for the victory shot.

Following its successful showings in 2023 and 2024, the fan-favorite Goalie Wars competition returns to the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T. During Tuesday's event, four MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, defending their own net while trying to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking, or drop-kicking the ball. It will be a back-and-forth battle for three 90-second rounds as the goalkeepers test their shot-stopping abilities and goal-scoring touch. To add even more drama this year, each goalie can play one "Bonus Ball" per round, worth two points instead of one if scored.

The MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers competing in the 2025 edition of Goalie Wars will be: Eldin Jakupović (Chattanooga FC), Pedro Cruz (Houston Dynamo 2), Carlos Mercado (Orlando City B), and Adisa De Rosario (Toronto FC II). The quartet will compete for a one-of-a-kind, custom championship belt.

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