Ahead of the Club World Cup opener between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, Luis Suarez stood by his teammates and MLS representative teams in the competition, sending a warning to European clubs that think they have the upper hand. This is the first time FIFA is hosting a tournament like this, and it won't be the last.
The 2025 Club World Cup is the new version of the previous tournament, where champions from all continents, and some guest teams, play to determine who will be crowned the "world champion." On the other side, a couple of teams have entered the competition without winning a national or continental title recently, such as Inter Miami, Flamengo, and Inter Milan.
With European giants like PSG, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, and Real Madrid in the mix, Luis Suarez said in the most recent press conference that MLS teams can surprise the Europeans in the competition because they are coming from a long season, and Paris Saint-Germain should be the most affected club by the tight schedule.
Some of the players might not be 100% fit for the tournament, and this gives other teams the advantage. On the other side, Suarez also highlighted that the clubs coming into the U.S. to play have the advantage of preparation due to the structure in Europe.
"Obviously, the European clubs are more organized because of their club structure and the players they have. We should also note that they’re coming here after a long season. It’s getting longer for them. There are many tournaments they've had to play, and perhaps they’ll arrive with some fatigue" - Suarez said in media availability on Friday, one day before the opening game at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The current European champions will play in the tournament, with many players coming from an exhausting schedule. After winning the Champions League, most players were called to their national teams for the UEFA Nations League semifinal, such as Ousmane Dembélé, Desire Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Warren Zaïre-Emery to France; Fabian Ruiz to Spain; Vitinha, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos to Portugal; Marquinhos and Beraldo to Brazil.
"But players will always want to play against Atlético Madrid, Paris have won it all. There’s (Manchester) City, Madrid, Juventus, Inter Bayern all really strong teams, but I think there will be some surprise results. Let’s hope it comes from our end, but we know how difficult it’s going to be".
One day to go. The world’s watching. Let’s dial in.
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 13, 2025
Watch every game for free on DAZN. pic.twitter.com/FjLdeQv3RG
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba dominated European soccer for years playing for Barcelona. After leaving the club to play in other teams and leagues in Europe, they gathered one last time in Miami to help the club achieve the highest level in the MLS and compete for the title.
The possibility of playing against the biggest clubs in the world excites the Uruguay striker, and he couldn't be happier to play at the Club World Cup once again.
"First of all, we have to enjoy this opportunity to play in a Club World Cup. Some of the more veteran players on the team have already had that fortune, and the players who haven’t should try to enjoy it and take advantage of the important showcase that it is in order to grow as a player and show their quality.
Inter Miami will play at the opener against the Egyptian club Al Ahly, and starting with a win could push the club forward in their group, which also includes Palmeiras from Brazil and Porto from Portugal.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
Manchester United and Newcastle United are neck and neck in pursuit of RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko. The two Premier League clubs have endured their fair share of setbacks this summer, with both missing out on Liam Delap and Hugo Ekitike to Chelsea and Liverpool, respectively. Now, with suitable centre-forwards few and far between on the market, both sides have been left vying over the Slovenian international. United, Newcastle and Sesko: The state of play It was confirmed this morning that United and Newcastle had initiated talks with Sesko and were ‘presenting their projects’ to the player. Then, once he decides whether he wants to join either of the teams and a verbal agreement is reached, the side will submit a formal bid to Leipzig. In the meantime, Ben Jacobs has further confirmed this afternoon that Newcastle have informed the Bundesliga outfit that ‘they are prepared to pay over £60 million’. This’ll come as music to Leipzig’s ears, as it was differing financial valuations that led to Arsenal ending their pursuit and going all-out for Viktor Gyokeres instead. How much will it take to sign Sesko this summer? Despite the 22-year-old having a £70m release clause included in his current terms, it was recently claimed by German football expert Christian Falk that a fee of £60m would indeed be enough to prise Sesko from Leipzig this summer. That being said, if the Magpies are willing to fork out the sum upfront, it’ll almost certainly price United out of a move, given they’ve yet to sanction any permanent outgoings and have welcomed both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to Old Trafford. Sesko has notched 39 goals and contributed a further eight assists in 87 appearances for Leipzig over the last two seasons.
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.