Fans' guide to MLS All-Star week at Loons' Allianz Field

Minnesota will play host to its first MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday at Allianz Field, a matchup pitting the top MLS players against the best from Mexico's Liga MX.

Here's a fan guide for the game and events leading up to it:

MLS Works' All-Star Day of Service

9 a.m.-4 p.m., Target Center Plaza Commons

Giving back with a family-friendly celebration with food, music, entertainment and games that will pack 100,000 healthy meals for local children and families in need.

MLS All-Star Concert

7:30 p.m., The Commons

MLS All-Star Soccer Celebration

Tuesday and Wednesday, 3-7 p.m., Allianz Field Great Lawn

This festival for the sport features interactive fan zones, games, autograph sessions, giveaways and MLS player appearances on Allianz Field's Great Lawn before both Tuesday's All-Star Skills Challenge and Wednesday night's game. It also includes musical performances by Minnesota hip-hop artist Nur-D (Tuesday at 6:10) and singer-writer-dancer Tinashe (Wednesday at 5:45).

Soccer Celebration is free whether you have tickets for the Tuesday skill challenge and Wednesday game or not. It's held from 3 to 7 p.m. both Tuesday and Wednesday.

MLS All-Star Skills Challenge

Tickets: Available starting at $15 on SeatGeek.com

TV: ESPN2

MLS and Liga MX players meet each other in a competition designed to demonstrate their talents. Included on MLS' 10-man roster is Minnesota United midfielder Emanuel Reynoso and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

They will join fellow MLS All-Stars such as L.A. Galaxy's Chicharito, reigning MVP Carles Gil from New England, Austin FC's Sebastian Driussi, Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar and 2021 MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson from New York City FC.

The MLS side will play for Special Olympics Minnesota and the Special Olympics Unified Soccer Team while the Liga MX All-Stars play for the Sanneh Foundation.

All-Star Shooting Challenge

Three players from each team will shoot at 11 targets of varying values, from two points to a moving target worth 20 points. One player at a time shoots for 60 seconds in each of three rounds.

All-Star Touch Challenge

Two passers and a receiver from each team participate in each round. The receiver collects a ball chipped by his teammates or launched high in the air. The receiver controls and redirects each ball into one of four targets with varying point values.

All-Star Cross & Volley Challenge

All-Star Passing Challenge

One player per team competes in a head-to-head competition. Each player tries to hit four targets in 60-second rounds.

All-Star Crossbar Challenge

Seven players from each side compete simultaneously in a final event that determines the overall skills champion. Three players line up 18 yards from goal, four others do so from 40 yards and points are awarded for hitting the crossbar from distance.

WEDNESDAY

11 a.m., National Sports Center stadium

North America's Players of the Future — 44 of them — will play in an East-West format that is free to the public in Blaine. Loons academy defender Carlos Leatherman, who is playing up with MNUFC2, will play for the West. MNUFC2 assistant coach Jeremy Hall will coach the West. It can be seen on Twitter, mlssoccer.com and the MLS app.

Special Olympics Unified All-Star Game

3:30 p.m. National Sports Center stadium

Players with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympics athletes) and without (Unified partners) will play in an 11 vs. 11 competitive game. Video on ESPN3, mlssoccer.com and MLS app.

7:30 p.m., Allianz Field

Tickets: Sellout expected, but at last check available starting at $90 on Ticketmaster.

TV: ESPN

Fans, coaches and media voted 12 players into the game and Minnesota United's Adrian Heath, as the home coach, selected another dozen. MLS commissioner Don Garber picked the final two for a 26-man roster that will play Mexico's Liga MX All-Stars for a second consecutive summer.

The MLS stars won last year on penalty kicks.

Heath also chose two Mexican striker superstars from Los Angeles — Chicharito and Carlos Vela — to play against their homeland's first-division best as well as Seattle star Jordan Morris among his 12 picks.

The balloting picked Dallas FC stars Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola, Austin FC's Sebastian Driussi and U.S. national team defender Walker Zimmerman among its 12 while Garber's picks included NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

The Liga MX All-Stars include three players — Chivas' Alexis Vega, Cruz Azul's Uriel Antuna and Leon's Angel Mena — who likely will play in the World Cup come November in Qatar.

Heath faces a unique challenge coaching his first MLS All-Star Game.

"I'm trying to work out how you get 26 into 11," he said. "Math was never my strongest point."

All-Star eats

There will be new all-star menu additions at Allianz Field for the game: