ORLANDO, Fla. (June 26, 2025) – Orlando City SC goalkeeper Carlos Mercado has been selected as one of four shot-stoppers who will compete in Goalie Wars at MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T, MLS NEXT Pro announced today.
This year’s Skills Challenge will be held at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, July 22 at 9 p.m. ET, and marks the third consecutive year that Goalie Wars – a concept originally popularized in the early 2000s – returns with MLS NEXT Pro talent on display.
Mercado, 25, signed a first-team contract with Orlando City in September 2024 and has since become a standout performer for the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro side, Orlando City B (OCB). This year, Mercado has started 10 matches for OCB, recording 40 saves and two clean sheets to date. Over the past two seasons, he has faced seven penalty kicks in regulation play (excluding shootouts) and saved four, while amassing 120 saves in 29 matches. Mercado has also stood tall in pressure moments, guarding the net in three of OCB’s five shootout victories over the last two years.
In 2024, Mercado served as OCB’s primary goalkeeper and helped lead the Lions to their second straight playoff appearance. The Laredo, Texas, native made 83 saves in 20 starts that season, notching a 1.50 goals-against average with nine wins and six draws along the way.
Goalie Wars is a single-elimination tournament where goalkeepers face off head-to-head, attempting to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking or drop-kicking the ball while protecting their own goal. Each round lasts 90 seconds and the player with the most goals in each round wins. New this year, each goalie can play one “Bonus Ball” per round, worth two points instead of one if scored. The winners of two semifinal rounds will meet in the final to determine the 2025 Goalie Wars champion and take home the coveted championship belt.
The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T will be available to watch for free in more than 100 countries and regions in English, Spanish, and French on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
