Assessing the three MLS teams' performances so far in Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup is under way in the United States, with 32 of the world's strongest club teams — from Spain's Real Madrid to South Korea's Ulsan — battling one another.

Major League Soccer sent Inter Miami, the Seattle Sounders and LAFC to the tournament. All three have played one game and each has a minimum of two remaining. 

Here's a breakdown of MLS' Club World Cup performances so far:

Los Angeles FC: 2-0 loss to England's Chelsea FC

Poor LAFC found out it would be playing in the Club World Cup just two weeks ago after an ownership snafu in Mexico booted Club Leon out of the tournament and opened a spot for another North American team. It had little time to prepare, and it looked like it during its opening game Monday against England's Chelsea. 

LAFC is a perennial tournament favorite in the U.S. because of its defensive, locked-down play; it rarely makes silly mistakes. Faced with Chelsea's aggressive offensive press, though, LAFC folded in minutes.

LAFC has one advantage that Miami and Seattle don't: Its easiest games are ahead. It will face Tunisia's Esperance Sportive de Tunis and Brazil's Flamengo to close its group stage. While neither opponent is a pushover, neither is anywhere near as strong as Europa League winner Chelsea. LAFC will fancy its chances against both.

Inter Miami: 0-0 draw with Egypt's Al-Ahly

Inter Miami entered the Club World Cup under dubious circumstances: FIFA, determined to feature Lionel Messi in its premier club tournament, saved a last-minute spot for the team even though it didn't achieve the same international results its MLS peers did. Miami's gilded path to the Club World Cup, coupled with its relatively easy draw and home-field advantage, didn't win over any neutrals as the tournament drew near.

Whether Miami deserved to qualify or not, though, it put in a strong performance in its opening match Saturday against famed Egyptian club Al-Ahly. The teams played out a fierce 0-0 draw in South Florida that saw momentum shift frequently. Al-Ahly is one of the winningest teams in global club soccer with 45 league titles and 12 Champions League titles. It feels like good news for MLS that Miami — far from the league's strongest team — could go toe-to-toe with such a locked-in side.

Still, Miami's galactico approach means a 0-0 draw is simply never enough. Its 0-0 draw with Al-Ahly was good for MLS as a whole but disappointing for Miami and its goal-hungry fans. With tough games against Portugal's Porto and Brazil's Palmeiras to come, Miami needed to do better on Matchday 1 to have a shot for a deep run. 

Seattle Sounders: 2-1 loss to Brazil's Botafogo

Seattle, one of MLS's best-supported franchises, kicked off its Club World Cup campaign Sunday at home against Brazil's Botafogo. Ravaged by injuries and playing with a largely untested back line, Seattle did pretty well, falling 2-1 in a close match. Seattle's goalscorer, American midfielder Cristian Roldan, was the only MLS player to score on Matchday 1.