Steven Moreira's All-Star Journey in MLS

Steven Moreira walked into MLS in 2021 with a simple, almost childlike target in his head: become an All-Star. Not win MLS Cup. Not crack Best XI. Be an All-Star.

He’s done it twice now.

“I wanted to see how it looks,” the Columbus Crew defender told GOAL. He grew up in France watching the NBA circus, the lights, the show. “Because I love the NBA and that was crazy. I'm from France, so all of my ex-teammates, when they saw I was an All-Star, they were like, 'Damn, that's crazy!' What the league does and everything, they really enjoy the concept. Even me, I really enjoy the concept."

For Moreira, the All-Star badge is validation and spectacle rolled into one. And he’s not alone.

Stars, kids and a strange kind of honor

On paper, this week in Charlotte is an exhibition. No trophies, no legacy, no season-defining stakes. Yet here are Thomas Muller and Son Heung-Min, serial winners who have lived at the sharpest end of the game, speaking about this like it matters.

"Being called up for the All-Star Game, I think it's everybody wants to participate in these events," Son said. "It's a great experience to be here with great players, great names, and I'm looking forward to it."

For players of Son’s stature, the All-Star Game is a break from the grind. A chance to swap kicks instead of tackles with Muller, Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood. Longtime opponents become temporary teammates. The guys who’ve been snarling at each other for 90 minutes all season now share jokes in the same dressing room.

There’s a different buzz for the kids.

For rising talents like Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall and Lucas Herrington, this isn’t a mid-season diversion. It’s a window into a world they’ve only watched on TV.

"It sounds weird, but it just reminds me of when I was 17 or 18, you know?" Son said. "Probably, they're a little bit nervous, but it's an amazing experience. I think they have a chance to learn, to speak with us, and to play with us. I think it's a great honor.

"Also, I say age is just a number, so I think they deserve to be here. We are, as athletes, happy to have them, and also, from my side, I'm very happy to play with the young boys. I'm also learning something from these young kids and the younger generation."

So while Son bounces between generations, sharing stories and soaking up energy, something very different is happening a few blocks away.

The real power plays

The All-Star Game is one of the few dates on the calendar that guarantees a critical mass of billionaires in the same city. Owners, executives, power brokers. The people who shape MLS.

While fans watch the crossbars and tricks, the league’s future gets sketched in hotel lobbies and sealed in conference rooms.

On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that the MLS Board of Governors would meet in Charlotte, with a proposal on the table from the sporting and competition committee that could overhaul how clubs build their rosters. That’s not a tweak; that’s structural surgery. The most important moments of All-Star week are happening far from the TV cameras.

At the same time, this week is a marketplace. Every major MLS corporate partner is here in some form. The league sells All-Star as a premium asset and a networking hub, a place where sponsors and would-be sponsors can be wined, dined and convinced.

So the game is the showpiece, but also the excuse. Ninety minutes of football wrapped around days of meetings that will echo long after the final whistle.

A showcase jammed into chaos

For the players, it’s complicated. The All-Star crest looks good on a résumé, but the calendar is brutal.

A World Cup summer has already stretched bodies and travel plans to the limit. MLS stars played last weekend, they’ll play again this weekend, and in between they’re asked to switch cities, switch teammates and switch intensity levels.

On Saturday, Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati were trading shoves in a tunnel after a heated rivalry game. Days later, Moreira and Max Arfsten are in the same All-Star kit as Evander. Dean Smith spends midweek coaching MLS All-Stars, then turns back to Charlotte FC and a league match against the Chicago Fire on Saturday. The real games don’t pause for the party.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: who’s not here.

This year’s schedule, squeezed and skewed by the World Cup, has sidelined some of MLS’ biggest names. Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul have yet to return from World Cup duty. Sebastian Berhalter and Hugo Cuypers have already moved on from the league. That’s a lot of missing star power for an event built on shine.

Messi’s absence inevitably dulls the glow, especially for casual fans who tune in for him first and everyone else second. For players, it’s another date on a calendar that already looks unhinged.

"Obviously, if I'm honest, the schedule was a little bit crazy because we had way too many games and filling in this game in that schedule, I think it was a little bit crazy," Son admitted. "But look, this experience is huge for everyone. Thomas and me, we are getting a little bit older, but I think this experience is special. It doesn't matter how old you are, and we are all excited and we are all happy to be here, and we want to make this game as special as possible."

MLS vs Liga MX: a rivalry with teeth

To crank up the intensity, MLS has leaned into a familiar storyline. No more Premier League or European giants using this as a preseason jog.

"When you get the English sides over here, they're in the middle of their preseason so they don't take it seriously," said Charlotte FC captain and former Burnley midfielder Ashley Westwood. "It's just a workout for them. To play Liga MX, it makes it more competitive. We're representing the MLS, representing America, and we want to win."

This isn’t just a format tweak. It’s a calculated decision to tap into the sporting and cultural rivalry between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and to deepen the partnership between MLS and Liga MX as they try to lift each other’s global profile.

"The rivalry just starts from the top and trickles down into every level," USMNT captain Tim Ream said. "I don't think there's any way around saying that. It starts at the very top. It starts at the league level. It goes into the teams. It goes to the players. It goes to family ties. It's everything, right?

"It's such a big rivalry, and whether it's an All-Star Game or not, one side wants to get over the other. That's forever how it's been and forever how it always will be. I think that's just being competitors and being so close. It's about who can get the best out of themselves and get the better of their opponent."

Even for players without deep personal ties to the rivalry, the competitive instinct kicks in quickly. You don’t reach this level without a sharp edge. That edge has been visible all week, from the Skills Challenge to training sessions.

"As an athlete, you don't want to lose the game," Son said. "But most importantly, I think both sides, we stay healthy, and we don't get hurt. I think this is most important. We want to make it as fun as possible and entertaining as possible. We don't want to get hurt, but we still want to win this game."

That’s the balance: intensity without recklessness, showmanship without injuries.

Rain, mascots and a rare chance to breathe

Even the Skills Challenge had to fight for its stage. Heavy rain lashed Charlotte, forcing a significant delay. The mascots disappeared. The players waited. The crowd fidgeted.

Then the skies eased, the mascots trotted back out, celebrities drifted along the touchline, and the contests resumed. Crossbars were pinged, volleys were struck, precision passes threaded through neon targets.

And through it all, there was laughter.

"You get to just enjoy," Moreira said. "Yeah, you get to take a breath and enjoy and just laugh. It's just a pretty cool moment, and that's cool because we're so focused and you don't have time to just relax and enjoy. Now, you just enjoy the moment with everyone. It's perfect."

For players who live inside a relentless cycle of travel, tactics and pressure, that matters. An All-Star week might feel like an extra burden on the legs, but it’s also a rare mental release.

MLS is banking on that joy being contagious.

Maybe someone tunes in to see Muller and Son on the same side and stumbles across Evander for the first time. Maybe a teenager in the stands sees Gozo or Hall up close and decides that MLS is worth following. Maybe a kid gets a selfie with a player they never thought they’d meet and becomes a fan for life.

"It's a great event to have all these names here playing for the MLS," Westwood said. "But I think the MLS in general is doing that. They're attracting attention off the back of the World Cup. They're doing a great thing. You see how many people are here today and yesterday. It's phenomenal, so it's doing a great job. It's being recognized around the world. We've got some top talent here. Obviously, [Robert] Lewandowski has just joined as well. Players want to be here, and that's a sign of how far the league's grown."

What comes next

Lewandowski is the latest heavyweight to cross the Atlantic. Maybe next year he’s in the All-Star squad. Maybe Messi finally makes it, too.

By then, MLS will be in motion again. The league plans a sprint season in 2027 before switching its calendar to align with Europe’s. That shift alone will reshape schedules, transfer windows and, inevitably, what All-Star week looks like.

So does the game itself truly matter?

On the scoreboard, probably not as much as MLS would like. The result will fade quickly. The week around it will not.

This remains an honor that players chase, a platform for sponsors, and a rare summit for the league’s decision-makers. It’s a showcase, a sales pitch and a strategy summit disguised as a festival of football.

"The debates will continue, as they do around every All-Star Game. But as long as players want to be there, fans find something worth watching, and MLS can use the week to move itself forward, the All-Star Game will have a place in both American sports and American soccer culture.

"A lot of players in the league want to be here," Moreira said. "So you have to enjoy, represent them, and just enjoy the moment. You see these other guys, and you can spend so much time together, so that's nice to see them outside.

"All the marketing stuff, I feel like the league deserves way, way more. Everyone here is just giving their best to put the league on top of the world."

That’s the bet MLS is making with this week in Charlotte: that beneath the fireworks and photo ops, this is another step toward that ambition.