There has been a lot of positive press around Major League Soccer in recent years.
The arrival of several global superstars – albeit those in their autumn years – has brought the league plenty of global attention, and improved the standard, too. The increase in soccer’s popularity more generally across America has also been a boon for MLS.
And then Major League Soccer sent three clubs to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. This was the first time the league had any real presence in the competition, despite fleeting appearances from the Sounders in 2022 and LA Galaxy in the 2001 Intercontinental Cup before it merged with the FIFA Club World Championship. So the 2025 competition was a big deal for MLS, and not just because the US was the host country.
Yet, while all three MLS clubs played like they belonged there, the results were a sobering reminder that, while vastly improved, there is still a huge gap between Major League Soccer and European leagues.
They also raise a fundamental question: does MLS want to compete with the world’s best, or is preserving domestic parity through centralised control more important?
What the Results Tell Us
The following statistics are not flattering, but the individual team performances were more encouraging than these stats suggest:
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
On a team by team basis, here’s how things looked:
- Seattle Sounders: Worst run of the three. Lost 3 out of 3, scored 2 and conceded 7. Didn’t make it out of the group stage.
- LAFC: A touch better, managing a draw and 2 losses, but only scored once and conceded 4.
- Inter Miami: Would have won their group but for goal difference, with a win and two draws. Progressed, but got hammered 4-0 in the Round of 16.
To be fair, Seattle were in a group of death with PSG, Atletico Madrid, and Botafogo. They did ok under the circumstances and played with discipline, but were never likely to progress.
LAFC had Chelsea worried once or twice, showed strong intent overall, and were ahead against group winners Flamengo and looked like taking all 3 points, if only for a couple of minutes.
Inter Miami did well to beat Porto and lost a two goal lead against Palmeiras, a couple of mistakes costing them first place in their group. Nevertheless, they made it through, only to suffer a 4-0 pasting by PSG. This was the first time Messi ever lost a game in the competition.
Perhaps this didn’t expose anything MLS fans didn’t already know about their league, but it served as a reminder of how far US soccer still has to go.
There were moments of technical and tactical excellence from all three teams, but sustained excellence is needed to win elite competitions, not just flashes. Defensive transitions and midfield control were two weak areas I noticed. MLS teams repeatedly suffered after losing possession, because teams that moved the ball more quickly and efficiently would punish them.
Squad depth is another glaring issue, although this is down to the structure of Major League Soccer as much as anything else. Tight roster and budgetary rules inevitably limit how deep or balanced a squad can be. When facing rich clubs with no salary caps and more flexible domestic rules this is always going to leave MLS clubs playing catch up.
And this leads me onto the big question.
A Learning Curve or Something More?
After their loss to PSG, Inter Miami’s coach, Javier Mascherano, framed the defeat as part of a necessary learning curve. Now, to some degree he is right, but it’s not a complete explanation.
Learning requires the ability and the inclination to adapt.
As I said, part of the issue MLS has in competing internationally is structural. A salary cap which does a pretty good good job of maintaining parity domestically keeps MLS clubs at a disadvantage globally. The same is true of designated players, international roster spots, transfer spending rules, etc. They are well meaning and work for the league, but are limitations rather than safeguards on the global stage.
The MLS needs to ask itself whether it seriously wants to compete globally. Because fielding ageing stars against elite players still in their prime, often at the very clubs those veterans had to leave, is not going to cut it.
So yes, you can look at the 2025 Club World Cup and say that MLS clubs went toe to toe with some of the best in the world and, although they lost, they didn’t embarrass themselves. It’s true, and it shows how far MLS has come.
On the other hand, three of the league’s best clubs managed to produce just a single win between them against top tier opposition from rival leagues. This is also true, and shows how far MLS still has to go.