It’s been a busy July for Inter Miami, what with the Club World Cup and all. Between June 15th and July 20th, 2025, they played 9 games in 36 days, which is one game every 4 days.
So, when the All-Star Game took place on July 24, you can understand why Inter Miami wanted their star player, Lionel Messi, to rest. They had another game 3 days later, too.
So he missed the All Star Game.
What did MLS do? Did they respect the athlete? No. They suspended Messi for missing the All Star Game. Only for one match, but it was a punishment nonetheless.
The league’s most famous player, a global icon whose arrival was a marketing dream for MLS, was suspended for one competitive match because he missed a midseason exhibition friendly.
This was a spectacular own goal for Major League Soccer, because it is not the behaviour of a serious sporting entity. The rest of the world doesn’t recognise an All Star game, it’s a very American thing. MLS has grown to become a more global league, and this incident highlights the need for a policy overhaul to evolve some of its more outdated policies that belong to a bygone era.
The Incident Itself
On the 25th of July, MLS confirmed that Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba had been suspended after failing to appear at the All Star game without first getting permission.
Miami wanted them rested because of the intense schedule, but MLS dug its heals in. They are the boss, not the club.
It’s unlikely that Messi or Alba knew the rules around this. There are no All Star games in Spain where they both spent most of their incredible careers, and they are new to playing within a single entity league structure.
Inter Miami’s owner, Jorge Mas, was vocal in his criticism of the suspensions, calling them “draconian”. He rightly made the point that resting the players was in the interest of their health and long term availability, and to penalise that was very short sighted.
Messi himself is reportedly very upset about it too, especially the lack of any sort of appeal process.
An Out of Date Legacy Rule
To be fair, MLS have operated within their own rules here, they haven’t gone after Messi and Alba with any sort of prejudice, but the rules certainly need looking at.
The All Star game originally existed to promote the league and reward fan interest by showcasing the league’s best players on the international stage.
In the early days, this was a good idea.
But MLS in 2025 is a very different beast. Enough high profile players have played and do play in MLS that the All Star Game is no longer really necessary to promote it.
League matches are broadcast globally, stadiums are busier than ever, the league has swelled to 30 teams and they all play more competitive football each season than they used to.
Major League Soccer is now successful enough that fixture congestion is becoming an issue, and with many of MLS’s most famous players being well into their 30s, something has to give.
I’m not saying the MLS All Star game is redundant and should be scrapped. It’s a unique element to the league that is part of American soccer’s heritage. But out of date legacy rules forcing players to take part don’t make sense. If MLS gets a reputation as an authoritarian league which works its players to death, those big names will stop coming.
Given the way MLS is positioned globally, seen as a place where ageing players can extend their careers with integrity, those at the top need to make sure these legacy rules don’t end up being obstacles.
Designated Players Are Usually Older
The designated player rule exists to attract international star talent, and it works. Some of the biggest names in football have played Major League Soccer because of it. But the biggest names all make the move in their early to mid-thirties, knowing their days in the world’s top leagues are numbered. MLS is no retirement league, but there is no denying that the pace is different to that of the Premier League or La Liga.
Messi is 38. Alba is 36. Match fitness and injury risk is a prime considerations when managing players of this age. Clubs invest millions in these guys, and not just in wages and transfer fees. The fitness programs, recovery sessions, performance staff etc., who all work to keep them in top condition to be able to perform week in week out.
They need it too. MLS players are constantly expected to increase their workload. The league, Leagues Cup, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, and now the World Club Cup – not to mention those still on international rosters. It’s a lot. So on the one hand the league is desperate for these sorts of players to come to America, but on the other, they aren’t willing to properly accommodate them.
In other words: the designated player rule was invented to attract star names, but the All Star rule pulls in the opposite direction. Anyone coming to MLS to extend their career won’t want to risk their fitness by overworking themselves and tempting injury. Especially not for an exhibition match.
An Opportunity to Modernise
The good thing to come out of all of this is that Don Garber has acknowledged the situation could lead to a review of the rule. This is very positive because it means he understands the incident from the other side.
So actually, this could turn into a great opportunity to modernise the league and some of its policies that no longer serve the purpose they once did. It would also further demonstrate that MLS takes itself seriously as a top tier competition.
No other league forces players to take part in mid-season exhibitions or friendlies. Those players are focussed on competitive soccer.
Messi’s suspension will come and go, he and Alba will be back to business for the next game. If their suspensions lead to a rule change, they might even see it as a positive outcome.
The whole thing sort of encapsulates the league’s success in some ways. You could say MLS is going through some growing pains. A bigger league that now attracts bigger players shaking off rules that reflect a smaller past.
The key is adaptability. MLS needs to behave like the league it wants to become, not the league it used to be, and reviewing the All Star rule is a good place to start, because if you want to build a league based on star players, punishing the clubs they play for for protecting them helps no one.