It was the season finale for Inter Miami that few expected as Lionel Messi and the former Barca boys fell at the first hurdle in their bid for MLS Cup glory.
The script seemed written for Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets after Miami secured top spot in the Eastern Conference – finishing eight points clear of second-placed Columbus Crew – and the first Supporters' Shield in the club's history.
In a spectacular end to the regular season, Miami smashed New England Revolution 6-2 at Chase Stadium with Messi coming off the bench to score a rapid hat-trick in just 11 minutes while Suarez bagged a brace, ensuring that the club co-owned by former England captain David Beckham had broken the MLS record with 74 points for the campaign.
“This gives our team an injection of confidence,” said coach Tata Martino. “These 74 points is not something we aimed for at the start of the year, but as soon as it was within reach, we tried to get it and we did it.”
The New England demolition also saw both Messi and Suarez reach the 20-goal mark, making Miami the first club in MLS history to achieve that feat. Only DC United's Christian Bentenke (23) scored more than the veteran South American duo.
Messi also registered 16 assists in a season – including an MLS record five in one game during Miami's 6-2 win over New York Red Bulls in May – that had seen his game time restricted by injury. The Argentine's 36 goal contributions came from just 19 games. Suarez also provided nine assists in his 27 appearances.
“Leo makes it easier for all of us,” Suarez said after the New York match. “We know each other long enough. When we are on the pitch, we know how to spot each other without looking.”
Next up was a best-of-three clash with Atlanta United, who had scraped into the play-offs after a ninth-placed finish, 34 points shy of Miami, and a wild-card match – the No 9 seeds were taking on No 1.
Game 1 went to script, with Miami winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Suarez and Alba, only for Atlanta to hit back, winning by the same scoreline in Game 2 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium thanks to Xande Silva's injury-time goal.
And so it was back to Chase Stadium for the decider. Paraguay forward Matias Rojas put the home side ahead only for a quick-fire double from Jamal Thiare to stun Miami with less than 22 minutes on the clock.
Messi levelled in the second half with a powerful header but the expected Miami surge to victory never happened. Polish midfielder Bartosz Slisz scored in the 76th minute to send the league's biggest spenders crashing out of the competition.
“This season has had good and bad things. If you think about where we were in November last year, there has obviously been progress in terms of the club, not just the team. If you think about the expectations we had for this play-offs, obviously we came up a little short,” admitted Martino.
“You can look back and say you had a great year, but … this is a hard one to take, knowing the opportunity we had to get an MLS Cup,” added goalkeeper Drake Callender. “Hopefully that feeling sticks with guys and we learn from it.”
But the silver lining to Miami's season had actually already arrived courtesy of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who announced in October that the club had already guaranteed their spot in next year's 32-team Club World Cup. They will also host the opening game of the June 15-July 13 tournament being held across the United States.
“Congratulations on your wonderful 2024 Supporters' Shield success. You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field of play,” Infantino said in a news release, after deciding that Miami's regular-season exploits were more worthy of a place than the MLS Cup final winners on December 7.
The determination to have eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi play a part was not exactly subtle with a TV rights deal yet to be signed and sealed for Fifa's revamped tournament. Even at 37, Messi guarantees much-needed stardust. Infantino knows full well the benefits of “the Messi effect”.
The MLS announced last month an attendance record of more than 11 million fans across the regular season, while Apple TV – who signed an exclusive 10-year, $2.5 billion agreement to stream games in 2022 – claimed that Messi's play-off debut against Atlanta was its most-streamed sporting event ever.
New US national team manager Maurcio Pochettino described his impact on the MLS as “impossible to measure” in an interview with CNN Mexico last month. “It is incredible,” said the Argentine, who coached Messi when the pair were at Paris Saint-Germain.
“Not only on the fans, but on everything. The ability to motivate everyone, the entire structure around him … It will have an impact not only in the present, but over time, in the medium and long term.”
As for Inter Miami, the holy grail of winning the MLS Cup remains the No 1 target and the frustration of falling short against Atlanta will fester for a while yet.
“A season ended in which we continued to grow as a club and, although we achieved some goals, we wanted more,” Messi wrote on Instagram. “Now let's get ready to come back stronger next year.”
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
The five pillars of Islam
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
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AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
