There were several interesting games and players at the Club World Cup, so I though I'd put together an XI for the tournament, excluding of course the Milan and Boca players, because they're high profile and everyone knows about them. This team thus features players from Urawa Reds, Sepahan, Etoile du Sahel, and Pachuca. Players from Waitakere have been omitted because... well... no explanation needed. This is a mixture of players who look like they have a lot of potential, and those who just played well... in a well-organised 4-3-3 of course.

GK: Ryota Tsuzuki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Excellent shot stopper who thwarted Seedorf several times to keep the score down to 0-1, and then saved two penalties in Urawa's 3rd/4th place win over Etoile. Made a mistake against the Tunisians, but that was more the fault of the defenders, and he was generally very sharp and positive in all Urawa's games.

DR: Sabeur Frej (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
Frej is a curious case. He's Etoile's right-back, but domestically also their top scorer, and he only really ever looks comfortable when rampaging upfield, so I'd pin his best position down as a wing-back, if not wide midfielder. He was my favourite players in this tournament, and against Boca had the Argentine fans Oooohing and Aaaahing at his skills. Like so many of the Tunisians, Frej is a silky player, with languid control, movement and passing. His movement was first class, as were his combinations and one-twos with teammaters. Not really a dribbler, but he had his repertoire of trickery was excellent. Never looked uncomfortable in a tight space, and he more often than not managed to get past his man, whether with a neat turn, a shimmy, drop of the shoulder, or a feint that would leave the defender clueless. His final ball was excellent, and he was solid defensively too. Unfortunately like many of his teammates, he lacked that bit of fire and passion that prevents good players from being great. He's 28, and his chances to play in Europe are probably gone, which is a pity.

DC: Keisuke Tsuboi (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Rugged 26 year old who has good pace and a fantastic leap. He was immense in the tournament, especially against Milan (although Kaka eventually got the better of him), and although he had a bit of a shocker to start with against Etoile, he was excellent.

DC: Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Brazilian born Japanese international who is an odd character at the back, but a joy to watch. Good on the ball, a great passer, good in the air, and tough as well. He lacks a bit of pace, but his overall game is excellent, and his instinct to rampage forward often adds impetus to the Urawa attack. He talks and organises non stop for the 90, and has fantastic personality on the field. Would like to see him player in a higher league, and at 26 he needs to move soon.

DL: Gerardo Rodriguez (CF Pachuca)
Unfortunately we only got to see him for one game, but he was a joy to watch. More a wingback than a conventional full-back or midfielder, he got up and down the flank with ease, and had terrific movement. Combined well with Alvarez and Gimenez, passed and crossed neatly, and was able to beat his man when he needed to. He's just 22, and surely has a big future ahead of him.

CM: Moussa Nary (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
Nary started the tournament off poorly against Boca, but then greatly upped the level of his performances. The Niger-born Ghanian is rugged and skillful, but quite raw, and probably lost the ball as much as he won it. He was comfortable running with the ball or passing it, and at 21, it's possible he could still gain the tactical discipline and understanding needed to be a complete central midfielder.

CM: Keita Suzuki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Very consistent throughout this tournament, and completely rubbish Western perceptions of Japanese footballers not enjoying a fight. A good ball winner and passer, he has a great all-round game, although his shooting was garbage. He's spent his whole career with Urawa, and played all 20 games of previous Japan manager Ivica Osim's reign, by whom he was referred to as the "Japanese Claude Makelele".

AM: Damian Alvarez (Pachuca)
The former River plate man was a class act who dribbled, passed and roamed all over the pitch. Really, Pachuca should have scored 2 or 3 goals against Etoile, and Alvarez was at the heart of most of the chances created. Most of his invention came from a position hovering near the left wing, but he also ran through the middle of the park, worked the space behind the strikers, and dragged the covering midfielders over to the right-wing. Displayed not only great individual ability, but also great team-work and tactical intelligence.

LW: Takahito Soma (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Slight Japan midfielder who had an oustanding tournament. Not always a regular for Urawa, but he might have cemented his place now. His passing, crossing and dribbling were outstanding, and just like the rest of the team. he displayed outstanding awareness of those around him. Wasn't much use defensively, although he tried hard, but he really gave fullbacks and opposition wingers a tough time up the other end. He's already 26, so a move to Europe would be surprising at this late stage.

CF: Amine Chermiti (Etoile Sportive du Sahel)
I've already had a lot to say about Chermiti, but he was excellent again in Etoile's final game, and got himself a goal. He's got great heart, great ability, and real hunger, and he's got to move on to bigger things before his ambitions start drying up. Really exciting youngsters, who harrowed defenders with his pace, running, and vision.

RF: Emad Mohammed (Sepahan)
The only Sepahan player to make it here, but he was a good attacking presence. Had a hat-trick against poor opposition in Waitakere, but shone against Urawa as well, where he hit the bar. All the Sepahan players seemed to have fantastic skill and touch, but had poor, poor attitudes, and zero appetite for the game. Mohammed, an Iraqi international, was their captain, but had little influence in that regard.


                       Tsuzuki

               Tsuboi        Tulio
                                          Rodriguez
     Frej           
                  Nary      Suzuki

                            Alvarez
                                               Soma
       Mohammed
                          Chermiti

Where were the fans? This apparently vast, massive army of Urawa fans? They weren't at Toyota Stadium.

A number of factors contributed to the swathe of empty seats visible throughout the 33,263 crowd at Toyota Stadium tonight.

The first is that the city of Nagoya lies around 400km (249 miles) from Urawa's home town of Saitama.

If this fixture had been played at the National Stadium in Tokyo - a favourite stamping ground of Urawa's, the match would have been sold out weeks in advance.

The second, and perhaps more important factor, was that this match was played on a weeknight. Had the game taken place on a Sunday afternoon - instead of a Monday night, then thousands more Urawa fans would invariably have made the long journey to Nagoya.

Yet I can't help but feel that the unsavoury jeering aimed at opposition players by Urawa fans is also a contributing factor for any neutral fans weighing up the decision to make their way to Toyota Stadium on a cold December night. Indeed, Urawa's self-proclaimed role as the "Manchester United of Japanese football" probably contains an unintended swipe - Urawa are as hated in Japan as they are popular.

The Urawa fans who did make their way to Toyota Stadium were in their usual fine voice - on their day, there's no louder bunch of fans in Japanese football. Yet their penchant for booing away teams and the number of self-styled "hooligans" who call Urawa their team, no doubt saw some football fans put their feet up and watch this match on TV from the comfort of their homes.

Keita Suzuki and co were too strong for Sepahan for the second time in two months, beating the Iranian side 3-1 at Toyota Stadium.

A Yuichiro Nagai strike just after the half hour mark put Urawa in control and made up for an atrocious miss from midfielder Makoto Hasebe only minutes earlier, after he inexplicably volleyed wide from just outside the six yard box.

In the second half Urawa lead a procession towards Mohammed Savari's goal, with former Brazilian international Washington finishing superbly after he rounded Savari to sweep home from the tightest of angles. 

Hadi Aghily scored his second own goal in as many FIFA Club World Cup games, but substitute Shinji Ono repaid the favour to Sepahan, when his woeful pass in midfield was intercepted and eventually tapped home by fellow substitute Mahmoud Karimi - to the  obvious annoyance of Urawa goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki, who turned in another assured performance at the back.

An added bonus for Urawa coach Holger Osieck was the form of youngsters Takahito Soma and Hajime Hosogai. Ex-Tokyo Verdy starlet Soma was a constant menace when he marauded forward from the back, and it was his excellent run and cross to Yuichiro Nagai that sent Urawa on their way. Japan under-22 international Hosogai also turned in an assured performance at the back, to suggest that he has a bright future at the Saitama giants. 

Well we're here tonight in the National Stadium in Tokyo ahead of the play-off game that will determine the final entrant to the FIFA Club World Cup. It's Sepahan F.C. of Iran taking on OFC Champions Waitakere United of New Zealand.

Sepahan finished as runners-up in the Asian Champions League, losing to Japanese giants Urawa Reds. Urawa subsequently took the AFC spot in the tournament, but Sepahan will still have a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of AC Milan and Boca Juniors if they can win their playoff against OFC team Waitakere.

Their lineup tonight includes a few interesting players whose names I've bolded:

GK: Mohammad Savari
LB: Jaba Mujiri
RB: Hadi Jafari
CB: Hadi Aghily
CB: Mohsen Bengar

MF: Ehsan Hajy Safi
MF: Farshad Bahadorani
MF: Abdul Wahab Abu Al Hail

FW: Mohamed Seyed Salehi
FW: Mahmoud Karimi
FW: Emad Mohammed

Mujiri is a bit of an oddity in this side - he's Georgian. The lanky left-footer is a tough defender and shows a lot of European awareness in his play.

Jafari might be set out at right-back, but really he plays as a winger most of the time.

Safi is just 17 years old, but plays with great maturity, and has a fantastic work-rate, one to look for in the future.

Mohammed is an Iraqi international striker, and Sepahan's leading forwards. 

First off, congratulations to our two winners - manogil and MikeTuckerman. It was a hard-fought contest, and a very difficult one to decide, but these two came out on top at the end.

I'd also like to offer congratulations to the others on the shortlist - carlaprat, Fedro, genesio, Haroldotuna, lempira, Lizzy, LucasDL and Lucastro. You all did a fantastic job, and we hope you will continue to participate in our future contests.

It's amazing to have this community of such talented people from so many different countries - football, it seems, really does bring the world together!

We at OleOle are extremely proud of what you guys came up with, and I'd once again like to thank all the contestants for their contribution . Please stay tuned to this blog for all the coverage we bring back from the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup.

The match schedule is as follows:

07.12.07 - Sepahan (Iran) v Waitakere United (New Zealand) - Playoff

09.12.07 - Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia) v Pachuca (Mexico) - Quarterfinal 1
10.12.07 - Sepahan/Waitakere v Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) - Quarterfinal 2

12.12.07 - Winner of QF1 v Boca Juniors (Argentina) - Semifinal 1
13.12.07 - Winner of QF2 v AC Milan (Italy) - Semifinal 2

16.12.07 - Loser of SF1 v Loser of SF2 - Third Place Match
16.12.07 - Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2 - Final