Union players do their part in MLS All-Star Game, with MLS defeating Mexico’s Liga MX, 2-1

It’s that rare time of the year when, for once, the Union can put aside their rivalries against other teams in Major League Soccer and stand beside all the league’s best players in the common cause of defeating another squad from another country. It’s the All-Star Game, which in MLS has for years meant an invited outside squad, rather than the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference.

For 2022, it was another All-Star team — that of Liga MX — that faced its MLS counterpart, which featured three Union players. The Union’s total tied with LAFC for the maximum number of players any of the teams contributed to the All-Star roster and consisted of goalkeeper Andre Blake, left back Kai Wagner, and centerback Jakob Glesnes. All were key contributors to the 2-1 victory by the MLS side.

Although the game was marketed as USA-versus-Mexico — the leagues version — it’s also worth noting that Blake is Jamaican, Wagner is German, and Glesnes is Norwegian. No matter what country they represent internationally, however, for their club crest they all play on behalf of the City of Brotherly Love.

» READ MORE: 2022 MLS All-Star Game: What to watch, where to stream and why you should tune in

Blake was the only one of the Union’s trio to start the game, though the honor was well-deserved by the stalwart veteran who is putting up some of the best numbers of his career this season. With 10 clean sheets, Blake has only conceded 15 goals in 23 games.

Carlos Vela of LAFC put the MLS squad up with a crisp header in the third minute, finishing well off an incisive pass from his club teammate, Diego Palacios.

Blake did well to keep Liga MX from finding an equalizer during his stint on the field. He had one notable fingertip save in the 25th minute to deny Luis Quiñones. Blake was subbed out just after the half-hour mark.

Wagner came in for Palacios in the second half of the game and was his usual industrious self, snuffing out attacks and helping set up the counter. Part of the play that led up to the 70th-minute second goal from the MLS team was generated from his side of the field. Carles Gil earned the penalty conceded by Jesús Angulo in the box. Raul Ruidíaz took the penalty shot well, scoring on a low, fast shot to the corner.

The goal from Liga MX came in the 85th minute on the right side of the field when Kevin Álvarez belted a shot from distance past MLS goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

The tall Norwegian centerback didn’t perform badly, but his play lacked his usual assertive style. Perhaps that should not have been a surprise, given that it was his first time in the format and that he was a late addition to the squad.

Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who played in the middle stint between Blake and Johnson, kept a clean sheet with multiple saves and was named the MVP of the All-Star Game, which was held at his club’s home stadium, Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.

The Union’s youth also starred in the MLS NEXT game for younger players in the league (18 and under). Striker Marcos Zambrano-Delgado, 17, had the game-winning goal in the 89th minute of the 2-1 contest between East and West. Goalkeeper Andrew Rick, only 16, had multiple key saves to keep the score close until the East side claimed the comeback victory. Daniel Krueger, also 16, played in the defense for the East. The match was played before the All-Star Game.