CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (June 26, 2025) — Chattanooga Football Club announced today that goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović has been selected to compete in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Goalie Wars competition during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, July 22nd at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT.
Jakupović is one of only four goalkeepers selected from MLS NEXT Pro to take part in the competition, which will be broadcast nationally for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The following four goalkeepers were selected by the league to participate in the competition:
- Eldin Jakupović, Chattanooga FC - A 40-year-old Switzerland/Bosnia and Herzegovina dual national, Jakupović previously won the FA Cup with Leicester City and the Russian Cup with Lokomotiv Moscow, as well as started in six UEFA Champions League matches with FC Thun; he is currently tied for the League lead in clean sheets (5, in 15GP);
- Pedro Cruz, Houston Dynamo 2 - The 21-year-old Brazilian joined Dynamo Dos ahead of the 2025 season on a full transfer from Futebol Clube Ska Brasil and made his debut in the club’s home opener, a 3-1 win over Sporting KC II (90 minutes, six saves);
- Adisa De Rosario, Toronto FC II - A 20-year-old Homegrown signing with Canadian/American dual nationality, De Rosario is the son of MLS legend Dwayne De Rosario and his older brother Osaze stars for Tacoma Defiance/Seattle Sounders; he is currently tied for the League lead in clean sheets (5, in 11GP);
- Carlos Mercado, Orlando City B - The 25-year-old United States/Mexico dual national represented both countries at the youth level; he signed a first team contract with Orlando City in September 2024;
- Charlie Farrar – Austin FC II (alternate): The 22-year-old from Wakefield, England was signed by Austin FC II on April 29, 2025 after completing his collegiate career at Chowan University and UNC Asheville; he made 35 appearances for both schools and was named Big South Conference Goalkeeper of the Year both of his years with UNCA; he has started seven games for ATXII this season, recording 15 saves and two clean sheets;
The quartet will compete for a one-of-a-kind, custom championship belt.
The players will go head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, defending their own net while trying to score on their opponent by throwing, kicking or drop-kicking the ball; it’s a back-and-forth battle for three :90-second rounds as the goalkeepers test their shot-stopping abilities and goal-scoring touch.
There will be a new feature in 2025 called 'Bonus Ball!'. Each keeper will have the opportunity to play his Bonus Ball once per round for a possible 2 points instead of 1.
Last year, Crown Legacy FC’s Chituru Odunze emerged victorious and will be on-hand at this year’s event to help crown the next Goalie Wars champion along with other special guests.
The cult classic from 2001, Goalie Wars, made its official return to MLS at the 2023 All-Star Skills Challenge, featuring four goalkeepers from MLS NEXT Pro - and is back again in 2025 with four new MLS NEXT Pro keepers competing.
Last year’s Goalie Wars was the highest engaged of all MLS All-Star content on MLS social media.
Tickets for MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T are on sale at MLSsoccer.com/AllStar.
Additionally, 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. Fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass for $69 for the remainder of the 2025 season and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up for a seasonal subscription for $59 for the remainder of the season, through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com.
