Five important lessons we’ve learned from FIFA Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup has produced a number of interesting storylines and surprises since it began last month, and plenty has been learned over the course of the 32-team tournament. 

Brazilian clubs have shined — not at all surprising to their fans — and MLS may have gotten a better sense of where it stands on the international stage. It’s all set the stage for the quarterfinals, which begin this holiday weekend and include a showdown between Real Madrid and Dortmund at MetLife Stadium on Saturday (4 p.m., TNT/DAZN). 

Here are five things we learned heading into the Club World Cup quarterfinals: 

Brazilian soccer matches Europe’s best

Fluminense and Palmeiras are each one win away from an all-Brazil semifinals match in East Rutherford, but first they’ll need to survive the quarterfinals.