What does Inter Miami's Al-Ahly draw mean for its Club World Cup chances? | OneFootball

Is Inter Miami in over its collective head at the FIFA Club World Cup? That remains to be seen. Oscar Ustari, Miami's 38-year-old goalkeeper stood on his head, figuratively, to keep the Herons from being blown out in the first half of the highest-profile match of the club's young history.

Egyptian champions Al-Ahly were the more composed and more dangerous side through the first 45 minutes of the clubs' Club World Cup kickoff Saturday. Inter Miami regrouped and played much better in the second stanza but, with Al-Ahly keeper Mohamed El Shenawy almost matching Ustari's heroics, neither team could find the other's net and the match ended 0-0.

Brazil's Palmeiras and Portugal's FC Porto also played to a scoreless draw Sunday in the second Group A match, leaving the four-team table arranged in alphabetical order. All four teams have a single point and no goal differential.

For me, the result is more than acceptable. Some supporters think Inter Miami has to get out of the group stage for this tournament appearance to be a success; I'm not one of them. I'm one of those fans that thinks the Herons are pretty lucky just to be included. My hope for Los Garcas is to make the knockout round, the round of 16 of the 32-team competition; my goal is for the Pink to exit the tournament with their heads held high and their pride intact.

Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi hugs Al Ahly FC goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy after the teams tied 0-0 during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Realistically, does Club Internacional de Futbol Miami belong in this tournament? Traditionally, Club World Cup challengers have won CONTINENTAL championships; the Herons still haven't won a Major League Soccer title. The team began play in 2020 and has won three trophies: the 2022 Carolina Challenge Cup (a preseason invitational tournament), the 2023 Leagues Cup (contested by teams from MLS and Mexico's Liga MX), and the 2024 Supporters Shield (presented to the MLS team with the best regular-season record).

Under its expanded format, FIFA cited the Supporters Shield to justify inviting Inter Miami to serve as the Cup's host team, despite the fact that, unlike most leagues around the world, the best regular season doesn't determine the league champion (Inter Miami set a new single-season points record with 74, but suffered an embarrassing loss to Brad Guzan and Atlanta United in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs last year).

Contrast Miami's track record with, oh, say, Al-Ahly's. Most of us -- myself included -- knew nothing about this African powerhouse until it was drawn in the same group as the Herons. Al-Ahly, from Cairo, formed in 1907; according to its website, it has won 45 Egyptian Premier League titles, 39 Egyptian Cups, 12 African Champions League titles, eight African Super Cups and four African Cup Winners Cup.

Oh, but that's Africa, you say? They've played in nine Club World Cups, second most of any team (Auckland City has 10), and finished third four times, including in 2023.

The point is, Inter Miami is less than a minnow in this pond. FIFA invited 12 teams from Europe, six from South America, four each from Africa, Asia and North America, one from Oceania, and one from the host nation. If you're interested in the full breakdown, go to the FIFA World Cup News site. Every team invited, with the exception of Inter Miami, have met specific requirements for eligibility. Everybody knows FIFA invited Lionel Messi's team, not a team expected to contend for a title.

That said, the games are decided on the pitch, not by pundits or fans. And the Club World Cup gives supporters of the Pink & Black to see how well our Herons stack up against some of the world's very best clubs.

So, what does Saturday's draw do for Inter Miami's Club World Cup chances? Not much, really. It's a relief to see us play even with the least well-known team in the group; if they'd run us off the pitch it could have been a disaster. I expect sterner challenges from Porto on Thursday and Palmeiras on Monday; we surely must win at least one of those matches to sneak into the Round of 16, but it's possible.

My priority remains on winning MLS, with a secondary focus on winning a second Leagues Cup. My plans never included winning the Club World Cup so, for now, I'm suspending my expectations and enjoying the soccer.