Austin FC fans will have two of their own to cheer on during the 2025 MLS All-Star Game at Q2 Stadium on July 23, as goalkeeper Brad Stuver and striker Brandon Vazquez were both selected to the league’s All-Star squad.
Stuver and Vazquez will team up with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, among other big names, in taking on the LIGA MX All-Stars in an exhibition match at the Austin FC home ground. ATXFC head coach Nico Estévez will serve as the manager of the MLS All-Stars.
For Stuver, Austin FC’s all-time leader in appearances, it’s a well-earned and long-overdue accolade. The 34-year-old has consistently ranked as one of the league’s top net minders since becoming a regular starter in ATXFC’s inaugural 2021 season, including leading the league in saves in each of the previous two seasons. That form has carried over to this season, in which Stuver ranks as a top-five keeper in both saves and clean sheets, serving as the anchor of one of the league’s top 10 defenses.
He’s also held himself to an All-Star standard off the pitch. He’s historically been among the club’s most accessible players, whether it comes to speaking with the media – in good times and in bad – or showing up to meet-and-greet events to engage with fans. He and his wife, Ashley, regularly host “free laundry” days in the community as part of the Laundry Project, efforts which have earned Stuver multiple nominations for the ESPY’s Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Vazquez, meanwhile, earns his second career MLS All-Star appearance, after being selected in 2022 while with FC Cincinnati. The 26-year-old, in his first season with Austin FC, leads the club with eight goals in all competitions, including five in MLS play.
Vazquez most recently scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls, which marked the club’s second consecutive win after eight straight MLS matches without a victory.
Stuver and Vazquez are Austin FC’s third- and fourth-ever All-Star selections after Sebastián Driussi in 2022 and Jon Gallagher in 2023. The club did not have an All-Star last season. Had this year’s All Star festivities taken place elsewhere, it’s possible that Austin FC would have gone a second consecutive year without one. However, the league gives the host club manager a significant voice in player selection, in part to ensure that the local team will have at least one representative on the roster.
In addition to the All-Star Game itself, the weekend will also include a skills challenge on July 22.
This article appears in June 20 • 2025.
