Brandon Vazquez, MLS defeat Liga MX in All-Star Game Skills Challenge at Allianz Field

ST. PAUL, Minnesota – For one minute on Tuesday, North and Central American soccer fans were largely fixed on Brandon Vazquez, and he felt that pressure.

Vazquez stood alone atop of the penalty area in front of the Allianz Field supporters section during the Major League Soccer All-Star Game Skills Challenge. There, he waited as Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar and reigning MLS Most Valuable Player Carles Gil of New England Revolution served up crosses for Vazquez to hammer past a goalkeeper.

For 60 seconds, Vazquez hammered away at the crosses. But nerves kicked in, even as the Skills Challenges holds little significance. Perhaps that was why Vazquez managed to score just three volleys.

"Maybe a little bit. It's different when you're in a game," Vazquez said. "When you're in a game, you're like hyper-focused on your job. Here, you actually do hear all the crowd. You feel the buzz all around you, which I don't really feel in the game, so maybe a little bit nervous, for sure.

"I think in the volley's, I didn't do that great. I wish I would have warmed up the hips a little bit more, you know? But it is what it is. Everybody's trying to be safe, not get injured, but it was fun."

Vazquez rebounded in the final of five events, the Crossbar Challenge, and he and his team of 10 MLS All-Stars still managed to win the Skills Challenge against the 10 all-stars from Liga MX, the top division of Mexican soccer.

In five separate events that tested the players' technical skill in the areas of goalkeeping crossing, chipping, shooting, passing and general accuracy, MLS won the Skills Competition when Mukhtar drilled the crossbar from 40 yards out.

That clinched the Crossbar Challenge for MLS, and broke a 2-2 tie as MLS' best celebrated on the pitch.

The win was the second for MLS in three iterations of the Skills Competition since it was re-introduced at the 2019 All-Star Game in Orlando. That year, MLS defeated Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Liga MX won the 2021 Skills Challenge in Los Angeles but Vazquez helped pull the top league of the U.S. and Canada even with their southern counterparts.

"It was just a fun night. It's just one of these games that you usually play in FIFA. You don't really get to play these in real life," Vazquez said. "It was fun to be out on the field and just have fun, and enjoy it."

Vazquez participated in the Cross and Volley Challenge, the final event, and was a passer serving up chips to Gil in the Touch Challenge, where players had to settle the ball and shoot on a large skeeball-style structure on the field.

The night also saw the noteworthy return of a competition called Goalie Wars, which was a fan-favorite All-Star event from a past generation of MLS All-Star Games.

Per the competition rules, goalie wars sees two goalkeepers face one another as they use "their hands and/or feet to score past their opponent in regulation of a shortened field" over three 90-second segments.

Only MLS Next Pro goalkeepers participated, and the winner's victory did not count toward the Skills Challenge event score.

Alec Smir of Minnesota United FC won Goalie Wars.

FC Cincinnati's stay in Minnesota for All-Star Game activities continues Wednesday as the club's David Garcia of FC Cincinnati 2 will compete in the east-versus-west format MLS Next All-Star Game (11 a.m.)

On Wednesday night, Vazquez and FC Cincinnati teammate Luciano Acosta will compete in the MLS All-Star Game agains the Liga MX all-stars (8:30 p.m. ET).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLS All-Star Game Skills challenge sees Liga MX fall short