MLS 2026 All-Star notebook: Son Heung-min brings the vibes, Thomas Muller cracks jokes as league stars put club rivalries aside to face Liga MX

Early in the first training session, Son realized someone needed to lighten the mood. There was the typical awkwardness that comes with an All-Star Game and a warm-up filled with unfamiliar faces. So, Son looked around and tried to make light of the situation by feigning frustration and yelling, "This is crazy!"

"It was a little required," he said. "I just wanted to try to pump the vibes up by making some jokes. There were no nerves, but I think everybody needed time to get to know a little bit about each other. I think some guys had to jump in."

The other veteran to jump in? Muller, who has been having the time of his life. While one player was speaking with media, Muller snuck in behind and rattled the backdrop. He was seen cracking jokes with any of his new teammates willing to have some fun. He had fun with reporters, too, as he told media that he's treating both the All-Star Game and skills challenge with the utmost seriousness.

"Why do you laugh?" he said with a smile. "We have a training session today. We fight for our spots today, so I think it's on."

He added: "We had a walkthrough yesterday through the Skills Challenge. First time in my life I was in a baseball stadium. That was also a nice experience. I think the Skills Challenge could be fun tonight, and I think tomorrow it's a normal game of soccer, and I'm quite familiar with that."

Son and Muller have played against each other plenty. Both Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood are plenty familiar with Son, in particular, from their battles in the Premier League. Throughout the roster, there is no shortage of longtime competitors and first-time teammates. It's one of the things that makes this week fun.

"Thomas, for example, his career has been amazing," Son said. "I think everybody would be dreaming of playing with him. I'm that kind of a guy as well. When I'm with Thomas, I feel like a kid and playing with him together will be like a dream. This is only one day this happens, so I should enjoy this moment, not only Thomas, but with every single player because they deserve to be here.

"It's sometimes having this weird feeling of playing against those guys, those kind of players and I'll play Thomas next weekend, but I'm playing on Wednesday together with him. It's the same team, so it's kind of weird, but I try to enjoy this moment. It's a huge honor."

Making this game even more unique for some players? Their prior battles. Just this past weekend, the Columbus Crew's 2-1 win over local rivals FC Cincinnati ended with a tunnel melee. Days later, Crew regulars Steven Moreira and Max Arfsten are teammates with Cincy star Evander.

"We just played a few days ago against Cincinnati and Evander," Moreira told GOAL. "Right now, we're just together, cheering, having moments. In the game, some stuff happened that was not too good, but I love him. We know each other. It's just nice to see everyone when you play games. Sometimes you're just mad or fighting, but right here, we just enjoy the moment."

For one final wrinkle? Charlotte FC boss Dean Smith is taking charge of the MLS All-Stars ahead of his side's clash with the Chicago Fire this weekend. Charlotte captain Ashley Westwood jokingly said he hoped that his coach would play Fire star Philip Zinckernagel all 90 minutes to tire him out for the game while limiting the home team's stars to just a cameo.

Regardless of minutes and relationships, starting Thursday, everything goes back to normal. The key now, then, is to enjoy a brief moment with different teammates and different friends.

"It's always neat when you can bring guys in from all over the league," Tim Ream said, "and be a part of a group where you're not kicking each other."

There is no shortage of golf fans in the MLS All-Star squad, and love of the links has given Ashley Westwood plenty to discuss with some of his new teammates. In particular, Westwood has found a fellow golfer in Muller.

"It always makes sense to talk about golf, Muller said. "I think that's for humans in general."

"Yesterday we were talking about the grass," Westwood added. "The Bermuda grass is different here. So we're talking about that."

As for who'd put on a better show in a hypothetical round between the two, Westwood wasn't quite willing to pick sides.

"It'd be a good game," the Charlotte FC midfielder said. "I think his handicap's four, so it should be a close game."

It's been a whirlwind for Ream. He was joking with his wife that this week has somehow become busier than the World Cup. As the most recognizable face of the All-Star hosts, Ream is this game's unofficial ambassador after serving in a similar role for the U.S. Men's National Team for so much of the last few years.

"My favorite saying right now is there is no rest for the weary, and I'm the weary," he said. "That's okay. It just means that I'm able to do and experience so many different unique opportunities. That's kind of the way I'm looking at it all."

This isn't Ream's first All-Star game, but it is his first in a while. He previously played in the game in 2011, playing 76 minutes in that year's match against Manchester United. On that day, he took the field with legends like David Beckham and Thierry Henry, two icons in the twilight of their careers. It was one of the best moments of that era of his career.

"The guys that were on that first All-Star team, I grew up watching and was able to then play with them," he said. "Now being here, being with Sonny and Thomas and Westy, we were all joking about it. We're all sitting on the front of the bus, and we're the oldest guys here! It's pretty special to share this with them, but you get to share it with guys you've been playing against for so long. Yeah, it's pretty cool."

As for what he's looking forward to most, it's not the game itself; it's the Skills Challenge, mostly because of who he gets to enjoy that event with.

"I think it'll be fun for my kids because they get to be on the field," Ream said. "They get to be mingling with the other kids and all the guys who are here. I think the biggest takeaway for me is how young I was and inexperienced in my first one and how not young and inexperienced I am for this one. Again, it's a cool experience."