The 2024 MLS All-Star Game is set to take place on Wednesday, and fans will once again be treated to a thrilling exhibition against top international competition.

For the third time in four years, the game will pit standouts of Major League Soccer against all-stars from Liga MX of Mexico. The MLS squad carries a 2-0 record into the series after winning on penalty kicks in 2021 and winning 2-1 in 2022.

The MLS team lost 0-5 to Arsenal in last year's exhibition.

The game lost a little star power when Inter Miami confirmed that both Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez will no longer participate. Both players made the team via fan, player and media vote, and the two are among the biggest names in the sport.

However, players like Diego Rossi, Jordi Alba and Luciano Acosta still headline a talented team, and fans will have plenty of reasons to tune into the All-Star Festivities.

2024 MLS All-Star Game

Who: MLS All-Stars vs. Liga MX All-Stars

When: Wednesday, July 24

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Lower.com Field in Columbus, OH

TV and Live Stream: MLS Season Pass

All-Star Skills Challenge: Tuesday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET

A Few Top Stars out for MLS

Messi remains one of the most notable footballers in the world, and he was set to make his All-Star debut after joining Inter Miami last July. However, he suffered an ankle injury while playing for Argentina in the Copa América final.

According to Inter Miami, Suárez will miss the match due to knee discomfort.

"Leo Messi will miss the All-Star Game due to an ankle injury, while Luis Suárez, who recently returned from international duty after over 40 days away from the club, will miss the All-Star Game due to knee discomfort," the club said in a statement (h/t the Miami Herald's Michelle Kaufman). "Their availability for Saturday's League's Cup match will be assessed based on their daily recovery process."

Messi's status for the All-Star game has been in doubt since the Copa América ended, as his injury was described as a ligament injury. Inter Miami may be taking more of a cautionary approach with Suárez. The club is currently leading the Eastern Conference and searching for its first appearance in the MLS Cup Final.

Messi and Suárez aren't the only notable players who won't take the pitch on Wednesday. Real Salt Lake star Cristian Arango, who leads the league with 17 goals, was suspended for four games for violating the MLS anti-harassment policy.

Neither the league nor Real Salt Lake have addressed what led to the suspension.

"The club has fully cooperated with Major League Soccer's investigation and accepts the disciplinary decision," Real Salt Lake said in a statement (h/t ESPN).

FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson withdrew from the All-Star game after he was selected to the U.S. Men's Olympic Team. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld will miss the game with a knee injury.

The MLS team should still pack an offensive punch, however. Acosta leads the league in assists with 18, while Christian Benteke and Denis Bouanga sit one goal behind Arango with 16 goals apiece.

Team Chemistry Could Play a Factor for Both Sides

All-star contests don't always offer the best fundamental competitions, and MLS exhibitions have been no different. It's simply a product of jamming unfamiliar players together and expecting them to quickly establish a rapport. It also explains why all-star teams often struggle against established squads.

This year, though, we could see a fair amount of team chemistry on the field. While Messi and Suárez won't take part, Inter Miami teammates Alba and Sergio Busquets will. see action—and they won't be the only group of teammates.

Other teammate pairings include Riqui Puig and Gabriel Pec of the L.A. Galaxy and Acosta and Luca Orellano of FC Cincinnati. The reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew will have a whopping five representatives—Rudy Camacho, Steven Moreira, Darlington Nagbe, Cucho Hernández and Rossi—who were selected by vote or as a commissioner's or coach's pick.

That's not altogether unsurprising, as Crew manager Wilfried Nancy will oversee the MLS squad.

"I think there's a lot of curiosity in terms of how we play, what coach is like," Nagbe said, per Charles Boehm of MLSsoccer.com. "How do we play the way we play? So I don't think he'll give away everything, but I'm sure he'll make it a fun environment for everyone."

All-star contests typically see frequent lineup shits as managers look to get as many standouts on the field as possible. That could be an advantage in this game, as rotations could put several different groups of players with preexisting chemistry on the field.

It's a potential strategy that could work for both sides, as the Liga MX squad features some interesting teammate groupings. C.F. Monterrey, for example, had stars—Maximiliano Meza, Oussama Idrissi, Sergio Canales and Germán Berterame—selected to the game.

Liga MX manager André Jardine should have players from his Club América squad—Luis Malagón, Javairô Dilrosun, Jonathan dos Santos and Álvaro Fidalgo—in the lineup on Wednesday.

Match Preview and Predictions

Wednesday's game should take on a familiar form for soccer fans. It will be a standard 90-minute match and, if tied at the end of time will be decided by penalty kicks. While it won't have the intensity of a cup match, the budding rivalry All-Star rivalry between MLS and Liga MX should deliver a tightly contested match.

Fans probably shouldn't expect a goal-fest, though. While many all-star exhibitions are known for a lack of defense and high scoring, that's usually not the case in soccer—where points are often at a premium anyway.

And losing players like Messi and Suárez—who have 12 goals apiece this season—will undoubtedly hurt the MLS squad. However, the team should get enough from players like Acosta, Benteke, Bouanga and Evander to make the game an interesting one.

Nancy's aggressive style of coaching should mesh well with the strikers he has at his disposal. The question is whether they can outpace a Liga MX squad that has some scoring prowess of its own.

Tigres UANL forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, for example, has already notched two goals in four games this season and scored 37 goals over the previous two years.

The prediction here is that the MLS All-Stars do claim victory for the third straight time in the series, though they're not going to run away with anything. Expect this to largely be a defensive affair that, with MLS narrowly avoiding another penalty shoot-out.