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MLS in CWC TakeawaysGetty/GOAL

Three teams, one win, three draws, six losses: After sustaining a black eye in the Club World Cup, MLS must decide whether to accept its fate - or push for something better

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was pretty passive when asked about his team's chances in advance of the 2025 Club World Cup.

"If we could get a result, that would be unbelievable," he told GOAL at MLS media day.

That was six months ago. Three CWC group stage losses later, and not much has changed. Seattle were comprehensively beaten by two European sides, and played Brazilian Serie A outfit Botafogo close. But they were, by some distance, the worst team in group B. Schmetzer knew as much. Instead, he chose to take heart from the performances

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"The guys showed that they could compete with some of the best teams in the world," he said.

That sentiment encapsulates the way MLS clubs have looked at this competition. Three clubs - Inter Miami, Seattle and LAFC - were involved in FIFA's shiny, glitzy new 32-team club tournament. They combined for just one win. Only Miami made it out of the group stage.

In two weeks, the competition effectively reinforced Major League Soccer's place in the global game - a league with enough pride to take heart from its performances, but nowhere near the level of the best in either Europe or South America.

Now it's up to the league to decide whether its content with taking the black eye of home soil disappointment, or do something that can change fortunes the next time the competition rolls around.