Soccer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Asked about his Man-of-the-Match performance during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Egyptian side Al Ahly in their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener, Inter Miami CF’s Óscar Ustari argued that opposing goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was equally deserving of the prize.
“The rival’s goalkeeper was incredible. Incredible,” Ustari told the assembled media at Hard Rock Stadium after the final whistle. “I was named MVP, but he easily could’ve won it as well.”
Humble as he is, Ustari didn’t necessarily make the comment out of sportsmanship.
“I’m left with the feeling that we could’ve scored,” he said. “And we were the better team.”
Chances gone begging
Ustari’s teammates shared his sentiment with reporters post-match, expressing a consensus that the Herons could’ve taken all three points to begin play in Group A, despite the 38-year-old bailing them out with several key saves in the first half, including a 43rd-minute penalty kick stop on Trézéguet.
Miami improved significantly in the final 45 minutes, with Lionel Messi striking the side netting on a free kick before El Shenawy deflected his last-gasp effort off the crossbar deep into stoppage time. El Shenawy’s stellar reflexes also stopped a late Fafà Picault header from giving the hosts the win.
“Their goalie made a lot of saves,” said striker Luis Suárez when asked what prevented the Herons from getting on the scoresheet. “He was the player of the game, along with Óscar, in the first half.
“But that’s what the goalies are there for.”
Telasco Segovia, who credited Ustari for “saving” him after committing the foul that led to Trézéguet’s ill-fated penalty kick, also made the case for the Herons deserving a better outcome.
“We wanted more, we wanted to win. It was an important game,” said the Venezuelan international. “We’re left with the feeling that we could’ve won.”
Not in OSCAR USTARI’S house ☝️@InterMiamiCF | @FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/Rt1eDi2Tzq
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 15, 2025
Crucial contests await
There’s little time to sulk for Miami, who face Portuguese giants FC Porto Thursday at Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a game that could very well determine their Club World Cup fate. They’ll return to Hard Rock Stadium on June 23 to close out group play against Brazil’s Palmeiras.
“The next game is very important against a great team that is Porto,” Segovia said. “And I think we’re going to come out like we did in the second half [tonight].”
For Suárez, the Herons have much to be proud of after their performance on Saturday, which bodes well for what’s to come in the tournament.
“Physically we were up to the occasion, up to the competition,” the legendary Uruguayan striker said. “The opponent was physically very strong as well, and we knew how to compete.
“Now we have to prepare for what’s next, which is going to be more difficult, more complicated. We know the circumstances we’re in.”
Cool, calm and collected
Even with Miami facing what’s likely a must-win scenario on Thursday, Suárez isn’t feeling overwhelmed.
“I don’t think we have that much to improve,” Suárez said. “Just score a goal next game to give us peace of mind.”
Suárez, who won the Club World Cup with FC Barcelona in 2015, urged calmness for any Miami fans frustrated by Saturday’s draw.
“We put the pressure on ourselves because we want to show why we’re here. We want to compete, we want to win,” Suárez said.
“We know the difficulty of this tournament, we know who we’re facing, and it’s a nice moment to show what Inter can do.”
Read MoreBlythe Michaud