All-Star LAFC forward Denis Bouanga will test himself against the best talents from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s top soccer league, LIGA MX, in a competition of soccer skills at the highly anticipated 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. Taking place at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas a day before the 2025 MLS All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 22 at 6 p.m. PT, the Skills Challenge will be streamed live exclusively on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV in both English and Spanish.
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.
Bouanga, who was named among the four finalists for the 2025 MLS All-Star Captain Fan Vote, has been voted to his third consecutive All-Star Game this season - one of only four MLS players on on this year's All-Star roster to earn that distinction. The second all-time leading goal-scorer in club history, Bouanga once again leads LAFC in scoring this season with 10 goals and seven assists in MLS play (as of July 12) as he looks to become the first player in MLS history to score 20 regular season goals in three consecutive seasons.
Bouanga, Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), and Evander (FC Cincinnati) are among the top MLS players headlining the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge roster, which also includes: Jordi Alba, Sebastian Berhalter, Anders Dreyer, Alex Freeman, Sam Surridge, Brad Stuver, and Yohei Takaoka.
Joining the showcase are soccer 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.
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 (Watch Here). 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 (Watch Here). 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.
