Is MLS going to get embarrassed at the Club World Cup?

Major League Soccer doesn't person a peculiarly beardown grounds successful planetary competitions. In the league's 30 years of existence, MLS sides person won 3 continental titles: D.C. United (Concacaf Champions Cup and the short-lived Copa Interamericana) successful 1998, the LA Galaxy (Concacaf Champions Cup) successful 2000 and the Seattle Sounders (Concacaf Champions League) successful 2022.

Is the tide turning? Six of the past 8 Concacaf Champions Cup finals person featured an MLS club, though lone the 2022 Sounders managed to champion absorption from Liga MX successful the competition's showpiece event. In this year's finale held earlier this month, the MLS-leading Vancouver Whitecaps were thoroughly dismantled by this past season's third-best squad successful Mexico, Cruz Azul, by a 5-0 scoreline.

It was a catastrophe of a effect for a league that aspires to beryllium known arsenic the champion successful North America, and yet, determination whitethorn beryllium worse to come.

The FIFA Club World Cup gets underway connected Saturday, pitting 32 of the biggest teams successful the satellite against 1 another. Inter Miami, LAFC and the Seattle Sounders volition each participate, taking connected immoderate of the astir decorated sides successful the planetary game: reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, and winners of 4 of the past six South American championships successful Flamengo and Palmeiras.

MLS is caller disconnected its league person getting destroyed successful a continental championship, and present with teams sitting sixth, 12th and 13th successful its 30-team array facing the imaginable of competing against the astir talented sides from Europe and South America, a earthy question arises: Is MLS going to conflict astatine the Club World Cup?

What happened to Vancouver?

MLS teams tin spend to marque the occasional mistake during a regular-season match, but up against an elite Liga MX broadside specified arsenic Cruz Azul successful the Concacaf Champions Cup final, the margins for those slipups abruptly became much, overmuch smaller.

"When we made mistakes, they punished us," Vancouver's Brian White said aft the 5-0 thrashing by Cruz Azul successful the title match. "That's what bully teams bash successful large finals similar this."

Clearly overwhelmed by the precocious property of the Liga MX squad, Vancouver stumbled implicit antiaircraft mistakes and were down 4-0 by halftime. Arguments could beryllium made whether manager Jesper Sørensen was excessively cautious, but the harsh world erstwhile analyzing some teams was the opposition successful endowment disposable to Cruz Azul, who had the know-how to capitalize connected the Whitecaps' errors.

For reference, without immoderate of the roster limitations seen successful MLS, Cruz Azul's starting XI marketplace worth was astir $21.8 cardinal higher than that of Vancouver. In fact, Cruz Azul had six players successful their XI with a "market value" (for transfers) that was higher than the Whitecaps' lone designated subordinate successful the final, Andrés Cubas.

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Infantino: Club World Cup a 'big bang' successful shot history

FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks up of the commencement of the Club World Cup.

Coupled with a suspension for Sebastian Berhalter and an atypically mediocre evening from Cubas, Sørensen & Co. needed a near-perfect show from different members of his roster who struggled to compensate.

Things won't get immoderate easier for MLS practice astatine the Club World Cup. The gulf successful extent and roster worth of teams becomes adjacent greater erstwhile you look astatine galore of the opponents MLS clubs volition person to look this summer. While spending much wealth doesn't needfully warrant success, it doesn't instrumentality overmuch to find a wide correlation betwixt the two.

In Concacaf alone, it's besides not a daze to spot however that has played retired with Liga MX -- which has much state with roster gathering than MLS does -- winning 19 of the past 20 Concacaf titles. When they're connected the satellite signifier against teams acold much intimidating than Mexican clubs? Let's spot if MLS hopefuls tin debar defeats that could beryllium much terrible than 5-0. -- Cesar Hernandez

The unit facing Inter Miami arsenic the look of MLS

Since Lionel Messi joined the Herons connected July 15, 2023, Inter Miami person represented MLS successful assorted planetary competitions, tasking players specified arsenic Messi and Luis Suárez to amended the league's representation done information successful the likes of the Leagues Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup.

MLS has generated a ton of publicity astir Inter Miami since Messi and a trio of different erstwhile Barcelona players joined the squad successful the summertime of 2023, with enhanced media coverage, selling campaigns and publicity to summation the league's visibility. Now, with the satellite watching done the Club World Cup, the league depends connected the Herons much than ever.

Miami stands arsenic 1 of 3 MLS ambassadors astatine the Club World Cup with arguably higher expectations than their peers to assistance the league's estimation astir the world. Though the Seattle Sounders and LAFC volition besides compete, the league's hopes for planetary designation beryllium connected a palmy tally into the aboriginal knockout stages from Inter Miami and Messi.

Head manager Javier Mascherano and Inter Miami proceed to instrumentality a much realistic approach. Despite boasting arguably the world's top subordinate connected the roster, Mascherano insists connected tempering expectations by emphasizing that the level of the American league remains acold beneath the levels of Club World Cup participants.

"We person to beryllium honest. The level [of play] volition beryllium higher than what we've faced successful Concacaf [Champions Cup] and MLS," Mascherano said. "The Club World Cup has a precise precocious level, and it's a level we intelligibly don't have. We person to beryllium honorable astir it, and there's nary shame successful saying so."

Veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets agreed.

"It's wide that we are not astatine the level to vie astatine the Club World Cup, but we volition effort to vie successful our group," Busquets told DAZN. "Go crippled by game, combat and hopefully beforehand to the adjacent circular though it'll beryllium difficult."

Though Inter Miami participate the contention connected the backmost of 2 consecutive MLS victories, the period of May saw the Herons struggle. The South Florida broadside won conscionable 3 of 7 matches, conceding a full of 17 goals to exposure antiaircraft weaknesses.

There exists a existent anticipation that Inter Miami cannot past the radical stage. -- Lizzy Becherano

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Al Ahly manager: Not imaginable to hole for Messi astatine Club World Cup

Al Ahly manager José Riveiro speaks astir his excitement for the Club World Cup up of facing Inter Miami successful the radical stage.

How MLS clubs comparison to the competition

Considering the deficiency of connectivity among leagues, evidently immoderate benignant of shot powerfulness rankings trying to comparison teams from each continent is going to beryllium lone somewhat accurate, but it's amended than nothing. Opta's Power Rankings endeavor to bash precisely this, and they person semi-encouraging things to accidental astir the MLS teams progressive successful the Club World Cup.

LAFC (126th successful the world, per Opta) are the No. 19 squad successful the field, Miami (146th) are 23rd, and the Sounders (191st) are 24th. Compared to European teams, LAFC beryllium betwixt RB Salzburg and Sunderland, Inter Miami beryllium betwixt FC Twente and West Bromwich Albion, and Seattle, having suffered a mates of mediocre results aboriginal successful June, is betwixt Blackburn Rovers and Southampton. None volition beryllium favored to beforehand to the knockout rounds, obviously, but each volition person opportunities to triumph matches.

LAFC upset Club América (90th) to suffice for the tournament, and wrong Group D they're ranked up of Esperance Sportive De Tunis (255th) and not that acold down Flamengo (78th). Flamengo hardly pb América, and based connected the ratings, an LAFC upset of Flamengo -- 1 that theoretically mightiness let them to beforehand to the knockouts -- would beryllium acold little astonishing than a Flamengo upset of Chelsea.

The different 2 teams person much of a steep climb. Seattle landed successful Group B, the lone radical with 2 Opta top-20 teams (No. 3 PSG and No. 14 Atlético Madrid), and portion they could possibly propulsion 1 implicit connected Botafogo (118th overall), their likelihood of advancing would inactive beryllium astir zero. The gully volition apt forestall them from getting excessively overmuch utile acquisition from the tournament.

If Seattle landed successful the hardest group, Inter Miami mightiness person landed successful the easiest: Thanks to a mediocre play from FC Porto, Group A doesn't diagnostic a azygous Opta top-50 squad arsenic Porto fertile 56th, Palmeiras 74th and African powerfulness Al Ahly 99th. If there's immoderate home-soil vantage astatine play, Inter could propulsion an upset oregon two.

The Club World Cup is fundamentally 2 competitions successful one. First, tons of likewise ranked clubs from extracurricular of Europe -- including MLS' 3 entries -- could get utile acquisition battling each other. Then, starting astir the quarterfinals, the European teams volition instrumentality over. MLS volition astir surely not person an introduction successful the quarterfinals oregon beyond, but the "useful experience" portion is precise overmuch connected the table. -- Bill Connelly

MLS' hazard and reward astatine the Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup presents MLS with risks, but besides imaginable rewards.

Since its inception, MLS has contended with the communicative that it is thing much than a low-level circuit that doubles arsenic a status league. Yes, it's presently the league that Messi, Jordi Alba, Busquets and others telephone home. Before that, it was David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Yet the "retirement league" statement ignores the information that MLS has besides go overmuch much of a selling league, with 30 outbound transfers successful the past wintertime transportation window. Players specified arsenic Miguel Almirón -- backmost with Atlanta United aft a six-year spell with Newcastle United -- arsenic good arsenic Lazio guardant Valentín Castellanos and adjacent existent U.S planetary and Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams person utilized the league arsenic a springboard to greater heights.

Perhaps the champion mode to thrust location that revised communicative is with memorable performances connected the tract against stiff competition. The league's ventures successful the Concacaf Champions Cup person been humbling of late, particularly fixed Vancouver's 5-0 shellacking astatine the hands of Cruz Azul. The Leagues Cup seems tainted fixed that astir of the games are held connected U.S. soil, though that is changing this year.

The Club World Cup is offering much fixed the accrued level of competition. If the 3 MLS entrants autumn level connected their faces, past the status league cognition volition beryllium further entrenched. A respectable show by immoderate 1 of the three, though, volition spot the cognition pendulum plaything backmost a spot -- the imaginable upside is greater than the downside of already existing opinions.

What mightiness occurrence look similar for MLS and its teams? Getting retired of the radical signifier should suffice, though that volition instrumentality immoderate doing.

The barroom for gaining respect is admittedly little for the Sounders. Placed successful a radical with PSG, Botafogo and Atlético Madrid, Seattle's foray into the Club World Cup has the look of a damage-limitation exercise. If it tin nick a constituent oregon 3 disconnected of immoderate of those teams, past the Sounders tin exit the tourney with pridefulness intact.

The expectations for LAFC and particularly Miami are higher. The Opta rankings person them some placed 3rd successful their respective groups, and fixed the Messi factor, determination is anticipation that the Herons volition bash MLS proud. Having LAFC advancement retired of the radical signifier mightiness bash adjacent much to bolster MLS' image, though. The Black and Gold aren't precisely tally connected a choky budget, and they bash boast FIFA World Cup winners Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud connected their roster, but the linchpin of the squad is simply a less-heralded French-born subordinate successful guardant Denis Bouanga with lunch-bucket guys specified arsenic Mark Delgado and Aaron Long providing the glue.

If a broadside much typical of MLS and the mode teams are built tin scope the knockout stages, past fans astir the satellite mightiness formed a much respectful and nuanced glimpse astatine MLS, with the league moving up different measurement successful respectability. -- Jeff Carlisle