The MLS outfit fell flat in their opening game against Al Ahly, and now face an uphill task to reach the knockout stages
"It’s clear that we’re not at the level to compete in the Club World Cup," Sergio Busquets admitted to ahead of Inter Miami's opening fixture at the inaugural edition of FIFA's expanded competition in the United States. "But we’ll try to compete in the group, take it game by game, fight, and hopefully move on to the next round, although it’s going to be tough."
Naturally, Busquets' refreshing honesty raised some eyebrows. After all, he is one of four Barcelona legends playing for Miami alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba, while they can count another in head coach Javier Mascherano.
Those five men won a combined total of 10 Club World Cups at Barca, but that was in the previous seven-team format, and they were the favourites to win the trophy on each occasion. In stark contrast, this is Miami's first time competing on the global stage, and they are currently 146th in 's rankings of registered professional clubs, which is the ninth-lowest of all 32 teams at this summer's tournament.
It was no surprise, then, that Miami could only muster a 0-0 draw with Egyptian outfit Al Ahly in their opening match. Mascherano's side might even have been beaten in what was meant to be their easiest group game had it not been for the heroics of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
Porto and Palmeiras are certainly more likely to exploit the glaring weaknesses in Miami's setup, as it seems Busquets was absolutely right: Miami are out of their depth, and even with a 38-year-old Messi still admirably fighting off Father Time, their maiden Club World Cup campaign is likely to end in disappointment.
AFPPlenty of style but no substance
FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants the new version of the Club World Cup, which will be held every four years, to be "the pinnacle of elite professional men’s club football", and the opening ceremony certainly fit that brief. The 60,927 fans packed into the Hard Rock Stadium – home of NFL team the Miami Dolphins, not Inter Miami – were treated to fireworks, dancers, pyrotechnics and musical performances from rappers French Montana and Swae Lee, before the stadium announcers introduced the players from each team onto the pitch one by one.
No prizes for guessing who came out last: The biggest reaction from the crowd, of course, came when Messi walked out to conclude the ceremony. The Hard Rock wasn't quite at full capacity, but no expense was spared, and by all accounts, there was electricity in the air.
For the most part, the action on the pitch measured up, too, even if it took a while for Miami to wake up. Al Ahly dominated the first half, forcing four crucial saves out of Ustari, including one to push away a powerfully struck penalty from Trezeguet, which left Mascherano with a galvanising job in the dressing room at the half-time break.
Whatever the Argentine coach said, it worked. Miami were far more aggressive in the second half, and Messi began to take control of proceedings. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner saw a long-range free kick brush the post on its way into the side-netting, and came agonisingly close to grabbing the winner right at the death, only to see his lovely curling effort from the far corner of the box tipped onto the bar by Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy.
It was a pulsating contest despite the lack of goals, but without Messi, Miami would have carried almost no threat in the final third.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Get the ball to Messi'
Miami are far too reliant on Messi, and anyone who has watched them play in MLS during the first part of the 2025 season would attest to that. But rather worryingly, Mascherano doesn't see that as an issue.
"It's admirable how much love Messi has for the game," the Argentine said after the final whistle at the Hard Rock. "After all the matches he's played, he's still here, giving his all. Of course, we wanted to win, but I'm happy with the team's performance today. 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."
So the game plan is to feed Messi and hope for the best? That might deliver enough points for Miami to reach the MLS playoffs again, but it won't get them through to the next stage of the Club World Cup.
That's not to say that Messi can no longer deliver the goods at the very highest level. His playmaking abilities were as mesmerising as ever against Al Ahly, and he was similarly brilliant in Argentina's World Cup qualifying draw against Colombia last week. The problem is that Miami don't have a strong enough support structure for Messi. There are no clear patterns of play when they go forward, and defensively, they're all over the place.
Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowGetty ImagesSuarez & Busquets in decline
Much has been made of the amount of time Messi spends walking around the pitch these days, but he still has the capacity to change a game with one swish of his wand-like left foot. Suarez and Busquets, however, are having a much harder time since moving into their late thirties.
Neither player has lost their competitive edge, but their legs are failing them. Suarez doesn't have the explosive turn of pace to beat his marker or get on the end of crosses anymore, and now drops deeper to try and affect proceedings, usually with mixed results. Sometimes he resembles a headless chicken in this disjointed Miami side.
Busquets, meanwhile, no longer has the mobility that made him the best holding midfielder in the sport. Miami can't rely on him to burst through the lines like Barca did, and he's too slow to get back into position when the ball is turned over.
Alba is also dealing with physical decline, having been ruled out of the Al Ahly draw due to a hamstring issue. He is not expected to play for Miami at the Club World Cup unless they reach the latter stages, which won't happen unless Mascherano comes up with a solid plan against Porto and Palmeiras.
At the moment, as Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro remarked before the Group A opener, Miami are just "a team with big names".
AFPToo vulnerable
Mascherano has at least recognised Miami's most pressing issue: how vulnerable they are to counter-attacks. “We have to improve in transitions,” he said in a half-time interview with on Saturday. “We are losing the ball and sometimes we are not well organised to stop the transition. They are very dangerous. We knew that, so we have to be much better in that phase.”
Miami were committing too many men forward when in possession. Telasco Secovia and Tadeo Allande pushed infield to link with Suarez and Messi, while full-backs Noah Allen and Ian Fray moved further up to provide width, leaving Busquets and his midfield partner Federico Redondo exposed.
This also goes back to everything needing to go through Messi. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner often drops around the halfway line to receive the ball, before turning and looking for a killer pass to the five players ahead of him. Messi does not, however, do any defensive work, so when a move breaks down, Miami often find themselves outnumbered. Porto have far more pace and quality in their ranks than Al Ahly, and thus Miami could be on the end of an embarrassing scoreline on Thursday if Mascherano doesn't find a solution.
