Atletico Madrid overwhelms US football representative On the morning of June 20, Atletico Madrid had a 3-1 victory over Seattle Sounders at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
Last year, the Portuguese superstar caused controversy when he claimed that MLS was inferior to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) in terms of quality. “MLS is clearly weaker. But because SPL is an Asian league, in Saudi Arabia, people look down on it more. Only those who play here understand, Saudi Arabian football needs to be recognized properly,” Ronaldo said in interviews with El Chiringuito and LaSexta .
At the time, many people thought that CR7 was just trying to put down MLS, the tournament Messi plays in. However, after the first matches of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup group stage, Ronaldo's comments seem to have some basis.
MLS sucks
On the morning of June 21, Los Angeles FC lost 0-1 to Esperance Tunis and became the first club to say goodbye to the Club World Cup. After 2 matches, Los Angeles FC (LAFC) has no points. Above Olivier Giroud and his teammates are Esperance Tunis and Chelsea with 3 points each. Flamengo is leading with 6 points.
In the final match, Los Angeles FC faced Flamengo. Even though they won, the MLS representative was still eliminated, due to a head-to-head record behind both Chelsea and Esperance Tunis. After losing to Chelsea in the opening match, the pressure to win was on Giroud and his teammates.
Los Angeles FC were rated slightly higher than their Tunisian opponents but had a disappointing performance. Seattle Sounders, another MLS representative, also lost both matches and was almost eliminated.
Seattle Sounders have a very slim chance of advancing in the final group stage match as they must beat PSG by a big score and wait for their opponents to stumble. Since the beginning of the tournament, except for Inter Miami, the other two MLS representatives have played poorly.
Seattle Sounders were also almost eliminated. |
Los Angeles FC and Seattle Sounders lost all four matches, scoring two goals and conceding seven. Inter Miami were the only bright spot, as after two matches they were second in Group A with four points, equal to Palmeiras, but behind due to an inferior goal difference.
Despite being the lowest-rated team in the MLS at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Inter Miami are on track to make it to the round of 16. However, with the form Messi and his teammates have shown, it will be difficult for them to make a difference in the knockout stages, when facing stronger opponents from Europe or South America.
Not only MLS, the remaining teams of the CONCACAF region, including Pachuca and Monterrey (both from Mexico), show their inferiority compared to other regions of the world. Meanwhile, Al Hilal, the only representative of Saudi Arabian football in this tournament, is surprising everyone.
Al Hilal Quality
In the first match of Group H of the FIFA Club World Cup™, many people said that Real Madrid dropped the victory against Al Hilal. In the 90+2 minute of injury time, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty when Mohammed Al-Qahtani fouled his opponent in the penalty area.
The drama happened when Federico Valverde's shot from 11 meters was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, to be fair, Real were often outplayed by their underdog opponents.
Al Hilal proved their potential under new coach Simone Inzaghi. Under the guidance of the Italian coach, the Saudi Arabian representative surprised many people with an excellent match. They were ready to hold the ball and play an open game with the La Liga giant.
Even if Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo had not missed two good chances in the second half, Al Hilal could have pulled off a shock. However, Al Hilal were not the strongest team in the Saudi Pro League last season, finishing second in the league behind Al Ittihad.
Al Hilal impressed despite having to face Real. |
In the AFC Champions League Elite, Al Hilal also lost to Al Ahli, another representative of Saudi Arabian football. It can be seen that the level of Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli or Al Nassr is not inferior to any other decent team in Europe. The Saudi Pro League, although only recently developed, has invested heavily, attracting Ronaldo, Benzema, and Mane, creating a highly competitive tournament.
It is also worth remembering that in February 2024, Inter Miami suffered a 0-6 defeat to Al Nassr in a friendly despite having Messi in the squad.
Obviously, there are many factors that go into determining the level of a particular league. MLS has the advantage of infrastructure and long-term development, while the Saudi Pro League remains dependent on oil finances and lacks historical depth.
However, the performances of Al Hilal and the MLS teams at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup have shown some of the differences between the two tournaments in Saudi Arabia and the US.
Source: https://znews.vn/ronaldo-da-dung-giai-saudi-chat-luong-hon-mls-post1562589.html
Comment (0)