​The 2026 MLS season resumes Thursday, cleverly holding its return on the days between the World Cup semi-finals and third-place game. Fans of any of the league’s 30 teams will be trying to recall the state of affairs after a six-week pause, with more than half of the regular season still to be played and the Leagues Cup further congesting the schedule.The league was curiously absent from the World Cup, only cited during the broadcasts viewed by millions if a commentator named an involved player’s club and whose reach largely depended on the in-market efforts of its franchises. And yet, through the quarter-finals, MLS ranked sixth in total minutes by its players, the highest of any league outside Europe’s big five. Twenty-two of MLS’s 30 clubs had at least one man make a tournament squad.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementForty-four players left their teams midway through the MLS season for the World Cup. Here are seven with storylines that’ll follow them back to their day jobs.Son Heung-min’s ineffectiveness in front of goal played a part in South Korea’s stunning group-stage exit. The ex-Tottenham icon led the team with seven shots, but just one landed on-frame. If not for the Concacaf Champions League and a May friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, Son would be goalless for club and country throughout 2026, as he has also failed to ripple the net in 13 MLS appearances for Los Angeles FC.Son is their second scoring option, behind downhill winger Denis Bouanga. Nineteen of Son’s 39 attempts have been taken from outside the box, while just seven of his shots have come from within 12 yards of goal. His eight assists have kept LAFC around the top of the West, but if they’re to get more out of the league’s record signing, they’ll need to get him in shooting spaces far closer to goal.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSebastian Berhalter’s stock rose greatly with his composed performances for the United States. He was the first man off the bench on most occasions for Mauricio Pochettino. He also plays a crucial role for the Vancouver Whitecaps as a possession epicenter with license to roam around the field and keep the league’s most tactically sound outfit whirring. He’s also among the best right-footed set-piece takers in the league and in the American men’s talent pool.Berhalter arrived with Vancouver as a bargain flyer and is nearing the end of his contract in December. As the club’s future hangs in the balance, other suitors may have a clear path to secure his signature. Will an MLS rival back up a Brinks truck to improve their engine room, or will the 25-year-old London-born midfielder leave the league altogether?Orlando City were one of the best-represented MLS teams at this World Cup, with Maxime Crépeau (Canada), Braian Ojeda (Paraguay) and Marco Pasalic (Croatia) each seeing the field for knockout-stage sides. And yet, the Lions struggled mightily in the season’s first trimester, entering the World C