An Argentine named Ustari, not Messi, shines for Inter Miami and earns MVP in first CWC game

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — An Argentine not named Messi was the MVP for Inter Miami in the Club World Cup on Saturday night. The star in the tournament opener was goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

Ustari made eight saves, including on a penalty kick and a goal-line intervention, as Miami played Egypt's Al Ahly to a scoreless draw in the Group A tournament opener. Ustari's save of a header in the 33rd minute was second only to stopping Trezeguet's penalty just before halftime and making sure danger was averted when the ball bounced back to Al Ahly's forward.

The 38-year-old Ustari returned to a World Cup stage in this new Club World Cup format for the first time since winning the U-20 World Cup in 2005 — with none other than Messi, Inter Miami's captain.

Before joining Inter Miami, Ustari was captain of Pachuca, also in the tournament, but faced controversy because Grupo Pachuca also owns Club León, which was removed by FIFA and had its appeal rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ustari made 124 appearances with the Tuzos before playing briefly for Audax Italiano in the first division of Chile. He was signed as a free agent in September 2024 by Inter Miami. He has played 22 games, including eight in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

“I don't like to talk about myself. The team did a great job defensively and that is what I most care about.”

“I remember being retired and knew that my return would come on a field, so I'm very happy about it (being back).”

“I thought we were superior, that's what I think. The game left me with good feelings, but our next rival is very different.”

“We didn't think their keeper would make so many saves, he was the key player in the game along with Oscar in the first half, but that shows that goalkeepers can earn you points as well.” — Luis Suárez, Inter Miami forward.

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Inter Miami's Oscar Ustari saves a penalty from Al Ahly's Trezeguet during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami in Miami, Fla., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Inter Miami's Oscar Ustari, left, makes a save during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami in Miami, Fla., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Inter Miami's Oscar Ustari comes out to save at the feet of Al Ahly's Emam Ashour during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami in Miami, Fla., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Inter Miami's goalkeeper Oscar Ustari saves a penalty during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami in Miami, Fla., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues.

U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state.

“Nuclear cooperation can be a positive mechanism for upholding nonproliferation norms and increasing transparency, but the devil is in the details,” wrote Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

The documents raise “concerns that the Trump administration has not carefully considered the proliferation risks posed by its proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia or the precedent this agreement may set.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to questions Friday from The Associated Press

The congressional document, also seen by the AP, shows the Trump administration aims to reach 20 nuclear business deals with nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia. The deal with Saudi Arabia could be worth billions of dollars, it adds.

The document contends that reaching a deal with the kingdom “will advance the national security interests of the United States, breaking with the failed policies of inaction and indecision that our competitors have capitalized on to disadvantage American industry and diminish the United States standing globally in this critical sector.” China, France, Russia and South Korea are among the leading nations that sell nuclear power plant technology abroad.

The draft deal would see America and Saudi Arabia enter safeguard deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. That would include oversight of the “most proliferation-sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation,” it added. It listed enrichment, fuel fabrication and reprocessing as potential areas.

The IAEA, based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to questions. Saudi Arabia is a member state to the IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work but also inspects nations to ensure they don't have clandestine atomic weapons programs.

“This suggests that once the bilateral safeguards agreement is in place, it will open the door for Saudi Arabia to acquire uranium enrichment technology or capabilities — possibly even from the United States,” Davenport wrote. “Even with restrictions and limits, it seems likely that Saudi Arabia will have a path to some type of uranium enrichment or access to knowledge about enrichment.”

Enrichment isn't an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran's program.

The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.

The push for a Saudi-U.S. deal comes as Trump threatens military action against Iran if it doesn't reach a deal over its nuclear program. The Trump military push follows nationwide protests in Iran that saw its theocratic government launch a bloody crackdown on dissent that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more reportedly detained.

In Iran's case, it long has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. However, the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003. Tehran also had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — making it the only country in the world to do so without a weapons program.

Iranian diplomats long have pointed to 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran won’t build an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials increasingly have made the threat they could seek the bomb as tensions have risen with the U.S.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's day-to-day ruler, has said if Iran obtains the bomb, “we will have to get one.”

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - President Donald Trump stands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his visit to the White House, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)