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LIONEL MESSI AND HEAVY SECURITY PRESENCE WERE ON SHOW AS THE REVAMPED CLUB WORLD CUP GOT UNDERWAY IN THE UNITED STATES ON SATURDAY

Lionel Messi and a heavy security presence were on show as the revamped Club World Cup got under way in the United States on Saturday.

Host city side Inter Miami, led by Argentine legend Messi, played out an entertaining goalless again Egyptian giants Al Ahly to kick off the tournament.

Miami were thankful to goalkeeper and man of the match Oscar Ustari for making a string of saves, including one from the penalty spot, to preserve a clean sheet.

Messi came close to opening the scoring in the second period with a free-kick and almost won it late on with an incredible, long-range strike but saw his effort acrobatically tipped onto the crossbar by Mohamed el Shenawy.

This event, which has been much maligned in some parts, may have started without a goal but finally the talk can be about the football - or can it?

Police presence felt in Miami

Matchday was the first time since arriving in Miami earlier this week that it felt like a significant tournament was about to get under way.

Around the South Beach area, travelling Al Ahly supporters were enjoying lunch and drinks before the big game.

The Egyptian side had qualified as winners of the African Champions League and have serious pedigree, winning more league championships (45) and more titles on the continent (12) than any other club, but they could not translate that on to the global stage.

Along the Route 95 highway towards the stadium, advertising boards were showcasing the fixture, declaring it's "showtime" in true American fashion.

The last major game to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium took place 11 months ago when "a party almost became a tragedy" as ticketless fans forced their way in to the ground for the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, delaying kick-off by 80 minutes.

Authorities learned a tough lesson and were taking no chances, making sure there was no repeat this time as police cars with flashing sirens lined the boulevards outside the stadium.

With that match and recent unrest in Los Angeles in mind, police officers with 'counter terrorism' logos patrolled the exterior of the venue and numerous security checks and bag searches were made before entry was granted.

Supporters needed extra time to make their way inside as they were forced to have further checks at a second perimeter point.

It remains to be seen whether the same approach will be taken in Sunday's fixtures, which take place in LA, Cincinnati, New York/New Jersey and Seattle.

Fireworks, razzmatazz and almost some Messi magic

Once through the extensive screening process, it was the first time supporters bearing 'Messi 10' shirts were spotted in the city - and the glaring pink and black shirts were out in their numbers.

"Messi, Messi, Messi" was the chant of choice from his adoring fans, just like it had been at Argentina's glorious run to winning the World Cup in Qatar three years ago.

The former Barcelona forward sent an effort narrowly over and had another bending strike saved by El Shenawy, before curling a delightful free-kick into the side netting which many of the crowd thought had gone in.

The week leading up to the opening game featured apparent ticketing issues but Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he expected "a full stadium" with an "incredible atmosphere".

He positioned himself in the stands at the centre of a front three, flanked by footballing icons Ronaldo of Brazil and Italian legend Roberto Baggio.

What Infantino wanted and what he got were two different things.

Casting a glance around, thousands of empty green seats were clearly evident in the 65,326-capacity stadium and a crowd of 60,927 was announced in the second half.

But the presence of Messi, the sizeable travelling Egyptian contingent - who chanted and waved flags throughout - and an action-packed game made for a watchable contest.

As with all American sporting events, it began with a rendition of the national anthem, with the singer accompanied by a large stars-and-stripes flag.

Students from the local Miami Dade College then carried out large badges of the 32 competing clubs before place them on to each letter of a vast 'Fifa' sign atop a podium in the centre of the pitch, leaving no doubt about whom this competition belonged to.

Moroccan-American rapper French Montana produced a hit in the pre-match build-up, there were fireworks aplenty and, to add further razzmatazz, each player was announced on to the pitch individually before kick-off.

Unlike their illustrious opponents, Miami had supposedly qualified through the back door, achieving the place after claiming the Supporters' Shield - coming top of the MLS in the regular season - before being beaten in the play-offs.

Critics feel MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy would have been a better choice on merit, but that would have meant a Club World Cup without Miami and their main man Messi.

The club's co-owner and newly knighted Sir David Beckham was given a rousing ovation from supporters as he entered the stadium and there were even louder cheers as Messi's smiling face flashed up on the big screen.

Although he came close, the little magician could not provide a moment of inspiration for the expectant crowd in attendance.

Miami failed to win potentially their easiest group game and come up against Portuguese side Porto on Thursday.

"Clearly, when we find Leo in positions and get the ball to him in the best way, that's where we have the most options," said Miama manager Javier Mascherano.

"We take it game by game. We know that the level will clearly rise in the next game because they're a European opponent, but we have to stay with the feeling that it's 11 against 11.

"Anything can happen in football."

Veteran Ustari takes plaudits

The lengthy pre-match activity meant the match began six minutes later than the scheduled 8pm local kick-off time.

Al Ahly should have been 2-0 up in the opening eight minutes, but goalkeeper Oscar Ustari stood big to keep out efforts from Wessam Abou Ali and Emam Ashour.

Former Argentina international Ustari was being kept busy, tipping Abou Ali's free-kick over the bar and making a sharp instinctive save to deny Achraf Dari's towering header.

The best of the lot came two minutes before half-time as the inspired Ustari dived the right way to keep out Mahmoud Trezeguet's penalty after the ex-Aston Villa player was bundled over in the box by Maximiliano Falcon.

At half-time some entertainment was added to proceedings for the crowd as YouTuber iShowSpeed, who seems to be everywhere, Sergio Aguero, Pepe, Kaka, Alessandro del Piero and Youri Djorkaeff took part in a crossbar challenge.

Neither team could find a breakthrough in the second period, with Messi coming inches away, but it was 38-year-old former Sunderland man Ustari who took the plaudits.

"It was a great performance," he told DAZN. "We knew it would be difficult, so many of us are enjoying this experience for the very first time, including me at my age.

"I think we did really well."

- Shamoon Hafez, BBC Sport football news reporter at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

DODGERS' SHOHEI OHTANI, YANKEES' AARON JUDGE UNANIMOUS MVPS

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge make up the pinnacle of their profession, baseball's two biggest stars representing its two most prestigious franchises. Their meeting in last month's World Series solidified it -- and their latest honor commemorated it.

Ohtani and Judge captured the Most Valuable Player awards in their respective leagues Thursday, both doing so unanimously. Ohtani won his third in four years, all of them coming by unanimous vote. Judge's second -- which comes two years after he edged Ohtani for the American League honor with a home-run-record-breaking season -- came on the heels of one of the best offensive performances in baseball history.

And yet the exploits of Judge's season somehow paled in comparison to what his National League counterpart accomplished over the past 12 months.

In that time, Ohtani signed an unprecedented $700 million contract, became the first 50/50 player in baseball history, helped his Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Judge's New York Yankees for the championship and ultimately became the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP -- all while rehabbing a second major elbow surgery that prevented him from pitching.

"I'm very happy, obviously, to win the award," Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said on a conference call. "My goal was to be able to pitch and contribute offensively, and the fact that I knew I wasn't going to be able to pitch this season just made me focus more on my offensive game. Fortunately, I was able to produce and get this award, which is very humbling."

Ohtani became the 12th player to win three MVPs and the second to do so within his first seven seasons, joining Stan Musial, according to ESPN Research. Before Ohtani, Frank Robinson was the only player to win the award in both leagues (1961 NL, 1966 AL).

Ohtani led the NL in homers (54), RBIs (130) and OPS (1.036) while adding 59 stolen bases -- 33 more than his previous career high. His first season as a Dodger began with his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, being indicted for stealing millions from Ohtani in a betting scandal and ended in World Series victory, a fitting capstone to Ohtani's first trip to the playoffs. In between, Ohtani set the Dodgers' single-season record for home runs, stole more bases than any Japanese-born player in baseball history, became the first DH to lead his league in wins above replacement and joined Ty Cobb as the only player to finish within the top two in the majors in both homers and steals.

Before Ohtani, nobody had ever won multiple MVPs unanimously, let alone three.

"Obviously I moved to a new league and everything's been kind of a new experience," Ohtani said. "There's so many great players in the National League, obviously, and to be able to win the award unanimously is a great feeling. I'm very proud of that. Hopefully in the upcoming seasons I'll continue to be able to perform to this high level."

Judge and Ohtani each captured all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor finished second to Ohtani with 23 second-place votes, and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte finished third, earning five second-place votes. In the AL, Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals' young superstar shortstop, received all 30 second-place votes. Juan Soto, the high-profile free agent who spent all season batting in front of Judge in the Bronx, finished third.

Judge led the majors in homers (58), RBIs (144), OPS (1.159) and FanGraphs wins above replacement (11.2) in a 2024 season that saw the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger spend most of his time in center field and lead the Yankees to a pennant. Judge's 223 adjusted OPS was the highest among right-handed hitters since 1900, according to ESPN Research. He became the third player with at least 50 homers and an adjusted OPS of 200 or more, joining Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.

Judge is the seventh Yankee to win multiple MVPs, joining Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Maris. Before Judge, Mantle's 1956 season was the only one in Yankees history to yield a unanimous MVP vote.

Since his first full season in 2017, when he was voted AL Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting, Judge leads the majors in FanGraphs wins above replacement (51.4), weighted runs created plus (176), slugging percentage (.611) and home runs (311) despite sitting out significant time in three of those eight seasons. He broke the AL home run record in 2022, going deep 62 times, but he was better in practically every other offensive category in 2024, slashing .322/.458/.701 despite a brutal first month.

"March and April were not my friend this year," Judge, who did not take part in the standard BBWAA conference call, told MLB Network. "It's a long season. You're going to go through some ups, you're going to go through some downs. It's just about leaning on your teammates, your family and just putting in the work. I think that's what it comes down to -- just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can't mope. You can't feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York -- nobody's going to feel sorry for you."

Of Judge's 58 home runs in 2024, a whopping 23 gave his team the lead. But his season ended in bitter fashion, with Judge going 4-for-18 in the World Series and making a key error -- dropping a fly ball to help set up what became a five-run fifth inning -- in the decisive Game 5 on Oct. 30.

Six days later, Ohtani underwent surgery to repair a labrum tear in his left, non-throwing shoulder, the result of an injury he sustained on an attempted steal in Game 2 of the World Series. Ohtani has since removed the stitches from his surgically repaired shoulder and is focusing on range-of-motion exercises in the early stages of his ramp-up.

"The goal is to be ready for Opening Day. That includes hitting and pitching," Ohtani said. "But we are kind of taking our time, obviously. We want to make sure that I'm healthy first; we're not going to rush anything."

It wasn't until his fourth season in the big leagues that Ohtani emerged as a two-way force. He came over from Japan and made nine starts for the Los Angeles Angels before sustaining a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery in 2018, restricting him to DH for most of his first two years. The 2021 season -- coming off a brutal showing in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season -- was the start of a historic three-year stretch in which Ohtani produced a .964 OPS with 124 homers and 57 stolen bases, and also a 2.84 ERA and 542 strikeouts in 428⅓ innings.

A second UCL repair followed, preventing Ohtani from pitching beyond August 2023. It did not prevent another dream-like season. Ohtani dismissed outsized pressure, focused on becoming a better base stealer and produced some of the season's most memorable moments even before hoisting the World Series trophy. He hit a walk-off grand slam to join the 40/40 club and put together one of history's best single-game performances -- with three home runs, two steals and 10 RBIs in Miami on Sept. 19 -- to reach the 50/50 mark and solidify his first postseason berth.

Ohtani is unquestionably at the top of the sport.

Judge is up there, too.

"When I hear that, I think people are coming for the spot," Judge told MLB Network. "You got to keep putting in the work."

- Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer

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