Minnesota United and Major League Soccer announced today that midfielder Emanuel Reynoso and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair are part of the 10-player roster of highly-acclaimed newcomers and MLS All-Stars that will compete against 10 marquee LIGA MX players in the ultimate test of five skills during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G on Aug. 9 at Allianz Field. 

The thrilling showdown will provide fans with a fun and uniquely competitive take on the intracontinental rivalry, as MLS looks to capture the title from LIGA MX, who were the victors last year in Los Angeles. 

Joining hometown stars Reynoso and St. Clair are two newly signed international players, Mexican National team captain Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC) and Italy National Team captain Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC), as well as reigning Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player Carles Gil (New England Revolution) alongside 2021 MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson (New York City FC), U.S. Men’s National Team striker Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (LA Galaxy), and attacking midfielders Sebastián Driussi (Austin FC) and Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC). 

With anticipation building for the best in MLS to take on the best from LIGA MX, the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G will put the following five skills on full display: 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. Additional information – including rules and scoring for each competition – will be announced in the coming weeks. 

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.

Player Bios: MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G

Sebastián Driussi | Attacking Midfielder | Austin FC | Nationality: Argentina | Born: February 9, 1996

The first MLS All-Star selection in Austin FC history, Sebastián Driussi also earns his place on the All-Star Skills Challenge squad following a stellar first half of the season in which he recorded 11 goals – tied for the third-most in MLS – and six assists. Driussi’s 17 goal contributions are tied for the most in the league alongside fellow All-Star Hany Mukhtar, and he has been the drumbeat of an Austin FC attack that leads MLS with 42 goals scored in 21 games this season. Since arriving in MLS on August 7, 2021, Driussi has recorded 16 goals and 11 assists in 38 career appearances for the Verde and Black.

Jesús Ferreira | Forward | FC Dallas | Nationality: United States | Born: December 24, 2000

The first Homegrown Designated Player in FC Dallas history, Jesús Ferreira earns his first MLS All-Star bid and Skills Challenge squad inclusion in the 21-year-old’s breakout campaign. Appearing in all the club’s matches this season, Ferreira sits two goals off the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi leaderboard with a career-high 11 goals and has added five assists, while pacing an explosive FC Dallas offense in 2022. Ferreira scored five goals over a three-week span in Weeks 4-6, including his first career MLS hat trick on March 19 vs. Portland. Ferreira continues to play his way into a major role for the United States Men’s National Team with seven goals and four assists in 12 first-team appearances and he became the fifth player in USMNT history to score four goals in a match, doing so against Grenada on June 10, 2022.

Carles Gil | Midfielder | New England Revolution | Nationality: Spain | Born: November 22, 1992

A second-time MLS All-Star, Carles Gil, the league’s leading assister and reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP, is one of the most dynamic creators and productive passers in MLS. In 20 matches this season, the Best XI honoree has matched the goal total of his MVP campaign (4 goals), leads the league with 67 key passes, and owns the league lead with 11 assists. His 29 assists since the start of the 2021 season, nine more than the next closest player, and his 177 key passes over the span are 41 more than the next player.

Héctor Herrera | Center Midfielder | Houston Dynamo FC | Nationality: Mexico | Born: April 19, 1990

Fresh off his arrival to MLS, Herrera joins the Skills Team with an opportunity to best the league that gave him his start in professional soccer at Pachuca in LIGA MX. Herrera has over 100 caps for the Mexico National Team and was instrumental to their 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup title and 2012 Summer Olympics Gold Medal. Before arriving in Houston, he spent the last 10 years of his career playing in Europe for Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Atlético Madrid in Spain’s La Liga, winning a league title with both teams over that time. Herrera has also made the most UEFA Champions League appearances (55) of any Mexican player to compete in the competition.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernández | Forward | LA Galaxy | Nationally: Mexico | Born: June 1, 1988

In his third season with the LA Galaxy, Hernández has earned his second selection to the MLS All-Star team and his second Skills Challenge squad inclusion as one of several world class forwards in this group. Hernández sits on seven goals through 18 games played so far this season and has tallied 26 goals and three assists across 51 career regular season appearance for the Galaxy. Hernández has also been a hero for the Galaxy in their most recent meetings with local rivals Los Angeles FC, scoring in two of their three meetings against them in the regular season and their U.S. Open Cup.

Lorenzo Insigne | Forward | Toronto FC | Nationality: Italy | Born: June 4, 1991

Insigne, a 2020 European Championship winner with the Italian men’s national team, joins the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge squad as one of the league’s marquee superstars. The Italian international is a proven talent both in Europe throughout his 12-year career with Napoli in the Italian Serie A and his 10 years within the Italy national team setup. After years of rivalry matchups against Juventus, Roma, and Palermo, the diminutive forward will now have his first taste of what the head-to-head rivalry between MLS and LIGA MX is like as he takes center stage for MLS in the Skills Challenge.

Sean Johnson | Goalkeeper | New York City FC | Nationality: United States | Born: May 31, 1989

The reigning MLS Cup MVP earned the first MLS All-Star selection of his 13-year MLS career this season and now joins the MLS All-Star Skills Team ahead of All-Star week. Johnson currently leads all MLS goalkeepers in clean sheets with 10 and was a crucial part of New York City FC’s six-game run without conceding a goal through the month of May. Johnson also recently put in an outstanding individual performance for the U.S. Men’s National Team against Uruguay, helping preserve a clean sheet for his country as he continues to cement his place on their roster for this year’s World Cup in November.

Hany Mukhtar | Attacking Midfielder | Nashville SC | Nationality: Germany | Born: October 3, 1998

Hany Mukhtar has been one of the most complete attacking players in MLS over the past two seasons, accumulating 28 goals and 17 assists in 52 matches for Nashville SC over the span. Since the start of the 2021 season, Mukhtar is one of two players in MLS to have more than 40 combined goals and assists, joining Taty Castellanos (41). He is also the only player with at least 20 goals and 15 assists over that span. A 2021 MLS Best XI selection, Mukhtar is the leading scorer in the short history of Nashville SC with 39 career goals across all competitions.

Emanuel Reynoso | Midfielder | Minnesota United FC | Nationality: Argentina | Born: November 16, 1995

A second-time MLS All-Star, Emanuel Reynoso is one of two players representing the host city’s club team at this year’s All-Star Game and Skills Challenge. Since arriving in MLS, Reynoso has provided double digit assists in both 2020 (14) and 2021 (10) across regular season and playoff appearances, including an impressive seven assists in three games during the 2020 MLS Playoffs. This season, Reynoso’s added a scoring touch to his game as he’s already surpassed his career-best of five goals in MLS and currently sits on nine for the season with six of those goals coming in his last five games for Minnesota.

Dayne St. Clair | Goalkeeper | Minnesota United FC | Nationality: Canada | Born: May 9, 1997

Dayne St. Clair was thrust into starting duty for Minnesota United FC in Week 3 and made eight saves, including one on a penalty kick, while keeping a clean sheet en route to MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire honors for his play. From there, he has not looked back, starting 19 games and allowing just 23 goals this season. St. Clair (67 saves) is one of only six goalkeepers in MLS with at least 65 saves this season. As he continues to cement his position with the Loons, he is also looking to play his way into a prime position on the Canada Men’s National Team roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.