How does MLS pick up the World Cup mantle? Casemiro helps, but it’ll take much more

Casemiro was introduced at a Thursday event at Inter Miami’s home ground. Photograph: Anissa Dimilta “Thanks World, we’ll take it from here,” is Major League Soccer’s message to the American public. Yet two moves in the last week were emblematic of the issues the league faces in taking on the mantle of North America’s hosting of the game’s grandest stage. A rising, under-the-radar homegrown player left for Europe, and a veteran with immense pedigree arrived, likely to close out his career. Sebastian Berhalter’s swapped title-chasing Vancouver Whitecaps for Middlesbrough of the EFL Championship. Free agent Brazil legend Casemiro traded Manchester’s Old Trafford for Nu Stadium in Miami. The MLS Cup holders unveiled their new No 5 on Thursday. They called it The Arrival. Season ticket holders filled the seats around the players’ tunnel as their rhythm section formed a guard of honor, welcoming the new signing onto the field. Here he was. A World Cup star who has captained Brazil. A five-times Champions League winner with Real Madrid and a popular figure at Man United. Now striding on to the turf at Inter Miami’s dazzling new arena wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the club’s motto: “Freedom to Dream”. He’d had other great offers from Europe, but Casemiro only wanted Miami, both player and ownership enthused at the event. “We have to keep growing, keep evolving and that’s why I’m here too,” Casemiro told the Guardian. “Not only to help Inter Miami and my teammates, but also the league, and the country. To transmit the values of what football is and the greatness of football. MLS can count on me. I want to help.” However, there was an unfortunate irony in the 34-year-old’s unveiling coming on the day Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti called time on his 91-cap international career. Ancelotti told Globo in Brazil: “I think that this World Cup brings a generation of very important players to an end. Starting with Neymar, also Danilo and Casemiro, all of these players who were over 30 at the World Cup. We are going to look at new players who can come in.” Can the arrival of players like Casemiro alone propel the domestic league forward and capitalize on the World Cup momentum? It helps maintain excitement levels, but it keeps the league in a holding patten where the most marketable names are all born in the last century. Up the road in Orlando, Antoine Griezmann is another recent star acquisition. Robert Lewandowski has arrived in Chicago. Son Heung-min at LAFC and Timo Werner at San Jose have been standout performers in the western conference. Inter Miami have enjoyed a conveyor belt of players with name value coming to play alongside Leo Messi. Sergio Busquets ended his career here. Luis Suárez (39) and Jordi Alba (37) are likely to follow suit. Casemiro joins 32-year-old Rodrigo de Paul in Inter’s midfield. During the introductory press conference – which managing owner Jorge Mas began with 10 minutes of defending Inter Miami against tampering allegations – Casemiro added: “A lot of people think MLS is a league that still has a long way to grow, but you have to remember the best player of the last World Cup plays in this league. Leo was the best player of the World Cup, and he’s in MLS.” Messi’s presence is a source of immense pride for Miami and MLS. Had Argentina won the World Cup final, another Ballon d’Or and another landmark distinction for the league would have surely followed. There is no other Messi. And the GOAT is on borrowed time. Efforts to bring in new fans after “the Fifa” travel through the lens of what energized the American public this summer – elite stars like Messi performing at their absolute best, the colorful cultures of visiting fans, and the hope inspired by a likable and talented States team. Erling Haaland captivated, Kylian Mbappe mesmerized and Jude Bellingham’s NBA-like athleticism stood out. Those players at the peak of their powers are not realistic targets for MLS. Miami owner Mas likes to say: “We’re not competing with other MLS teams for this level of athlete. We are competing in a global marketplace.” However, that only applies in these situations with veteran players. And, as is often the case in US sports, the stars trump the wider galaxy. Alexi Lalas’ assertion that Spain “went under the radar” relied solely on the notion that a half-fit Lamine Yamal had not been as impactful. Lalas is a tough watch, but his voice can be representative of the fan MLS would love to introduce to stadiums around the league. “Their biggest star, Lamine Yamal, he’s a world champion, but did he star throughout the tournament? In his own unique way but not compared to the other stars in this tournament,” the Fox Sports pundit said. Yet Spain’s marvelous ensemble cast had not flown under the radar. Their World Cup campaign bordered on mastery of the sport. Much of the domestic enthusiasm derived from American team and that Country Roads spirit. The last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina was the most-watched English-language soccer game in US history, with 26.4m tuning in. Eight (soon to be six) of Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-man squad represented MLS clubs. 13 others were MLS homegrown players or came through MLS academies. Of his preferred XI, only goalkeeper Matt Freese and 38-year-old team captain Tim Ream are currently MLS-based. Of the challenges ahead, outgoing commissioner Don Garber said this week (via SBJ ): “We’ve got to evolve our roster rules. We’ve got to re-engage our thinking on homegrown player development programs. We’ve got to continue to sign players like Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski and find ways to keep the best young American players here in the United States.” That last point is key. While it’s heartening to see the US team composed of impressive talents who are important players at major European clubs, that doesn’t really help MLS. Nor does standout homegrown talents like 15-year-old Benji Flowers (Chelsea) and 16-year-old prodigy Cavan Sullivan (Man City) being plucked from MLS academies. Both will leave for England when they’re legally able. Sebastian Berhalter did represent MLS at the tournament. The 25-year-old impressed with Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps prior to the break, with six goals and four assists. At the World Cup, he appeared in all five US games, racking up 185 minutes. He’s off to play in England’s second tier. “This is where I want to be,” Berhalter, 25, said in a sobering message for the league. “I want to keep getting better as a player and person, and this is a great place to do it.” New fans wondering where they can see Christian Pulisic or Tyler Adams or Weston McKennie or Antonee Robinson or Brenden Aaronson must look beyond these shores. For better or worse, the enduring symbol of the American World Cup effort was Folarin Balogun, and he’s in Monaco. It’s akin to a new fan becoming enthralled by the US Olympic basketball squad, and learning only a couple played in the NBA. It’s a bummer. Twenty-five-year-old Columbus Crew wingback Max Arfsten’s only World Cup action was a minute in the 4-1 loss to Belgium. He was the first Crew player to represent the US at a World Cup since Brian McBride in 2002. He is also finalizing a move to Middlesbrough to join Berhalter, The Athletic reported on Friday. Back-up keeper Chris Brady of the Chicago Fire didn’t play in the tournament. Matt Turner deputized for Freese against Turkey with group stage qualification already guaranteed. Miles Robinson and Christian Rodlan are good pros and have spent their entire careers in MLS. Robinson played the 90 minutes against Turkey. And didn’t feature otherwise. Rodlan made the squad but did not play a World Cup minute, just like in 2022. As Garber says, the challenge for MLS is keeping the best American players here. Bringing the current crop home with their prime years still intact would be great too. Casemiro, Griezmann and Lewandowski help short term, but there will always be more players of that profile arriving every year. The league has grown exponentially in other ways. The expansion of teams, and purpose-built arenas. The increases in attendance and TV viewing audiences (thanks to a global TV deal with Apple). They’re all markers of a league truly on the rise. However, to “take it from here” and join the world’s elite leagues, MLS needs more.