Central division wins All-Star Pro-Skills Challenge

Columbus, Ohio (Thursday, July 27) -- After finishing in last place in the first three events of the night, the Central Division rallied to win Thursday night's MLS All-Star Pro Skills Challenge at Columbus Crew Stadium. Big performances by Chicago's Zach Thornton in the Power Shot and Columbus' Robert Warzycha in the Bullseye led the Central comeback.

The Central took the competition with 90 points, the Western Division finished second with 81 points and the Eastern Division ended up in third place with 76 points.

Marcelo Balboa (far right) and Peter Vermes proved too tough for Adolfo Valencia and Jaime Moreno in the Air Soccer event.

The following is a chronological recap of the Skills Challenge:

The Western Division tandem of Marcelo Balboa (Colorado) and Peter Vermes (Kansas City) proved too tough for the competition in the Air Soccer event. The veteran duo gave the West the full 10 points in the opening event, defeating the Eastern Division team of Adolfo Valencia (MetroStars) and Jaime Moreno (D.C. United) 11-5 in the final. The Central Division finished at the bottom of the standings, taking three points.

Moreno earned 10 points for the East in the Fastest Man competition. Ansil Elcock (Columbus) of the Central had the fastest time in the 40 yard dash at 4.79. However, it was Moreno who had the best combined time in the dash and slalom events to finish first. The West's Matt McKeon (Kansas City) finished second in the event, while the Central's Steve Ralston (Tampa Bay) finished third.

Tony Meola (right) and Zach Thornton were Goalie Warriors but lost this round robin competition to Mike Ammann.

San Jose's Khodadad Azizi gets the jump on the Crew's Ansil Elcock in the dash portion of the Fastest Man competition.

In Goalie Wars, Thornton and the East's Mike Amman (MetroStars) battled to a 1-1 draw to open the event. The West's Tony Meola (Kansas City) then routed Thornton 4-0. Meola bested Ammann in a preliminary match to close the opening round, but it was Ammann who delivered when it counted in the championship match. The Metros' goalkeeper downed the Wizards' veteran 4-3 to claim the 10 points. The Central again finished in third, earning the minimum three points.

In Goal Olimpico, MLS' top scorer Mamadou Diallo of Tampa Bay helped the Central finish first. Diallo hit two three-point shots in the Mini Goal stage to give the Central (eight points) the Goal Olimpico crown. The Central's Robert Warzycha was the only star to score in the Wall Shot, earning two more points. The East finished second with two points, as Clint Mathis tallied the score. The West meanwhile was shut out in the event.

Thornton earned his third straight Power Shot championship, claiming 10 points for the Central with a drive clocked at 81 miles-per-hour. Dallas' Jason Kreis finished second with a 78-mile-an-hour blast, earning seven more points for the Central. The West picked up the final three points thanks to McKeon's 78-mile-an-hour shot, but his two-shot average placed him behind Kreis.

"We are all friends off the field, but when you get on the field its a different story," Columbus forward Dante Washington said after the Central players gathered in a celebratory huddle. "We are always very competitive when it comes to soccer."

The North End of Crew Stadium was full of 4,274 spirited fans, who took delight in Warzycha's competition-high 40-point score in the Bullseye.

The fifth-annual MLS All-Star Game will be played on Saturday at Crew Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET). The contest will be seen nationwide on ABC.