Both teams have serious work to do if they want to advance

Jun 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) and Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (2) shake hands after scoring runs against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn ImagesTwins 9, Rockies 8Leverage index & box scoreGraphics via FanGraphs.Getting the job done:Byron Buxton, +0.42 WPASenza, no . . . . : Antonio Senzatela, -0.30 WPAGame discussion comment of the dayJoin the conversation!Sign up for a user accountand get:Fewer adsCreatecommunity postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!Please keep in mind ourPurple Row Community Guidelineswhen youre commenting. Thanks!

Cape Verde completed an improbable run through the group stage with a third straight World Cup draw to become the smallest country to earn a spot in the knockout round following a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Friday night. The small island nation off the western coast of Africa, which is making its debut on soccers grandest stage, already held 2010 champion Spain to a 0-0 draw and then came from behind to get a 2-2 result against Uruguay. Cape Verdes three points put the team in second place behind Spain, which beat Uruguay on Friday night and won the group. Cape Verde will play reigning World Cup champion Argentina in Miami on July 3. Drawing all three group matches does not guarantee advancement at major soccer tournaments. But several teams have done it in the past, including Wales in 1958, Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990, and Chile in 1998. New Zealand, however, also got three draws at the 2010 World Cup and was eliminated. On the eve of the match, Cape Verde coach Bubista mused, "everyone is entitled to dream and nothing is impossible." The Blue Sharks proved him right, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds as this country of just more than 500,000 reached the round of 32. A woman, her face painted with a flag of the archipelago, held a sign that read: "Small Islands, Big Dreams." A dream that these underdogs have made reality as they continue their charmed run on the world stage. They did it with another strong game from Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper whose tournament success has helped him amass more than 16 million Instagram followers. He had a save in first half stoppage time, grabbing a header from Mohamed Kanno to keep Saudi Arabia scoreless. Another save came in the 66th minute when he leaped to deflect a shot from Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat. A third came in the 92nd minute when he stopped a shot by Abdullah Al-Hamdan. A group of shirtless men in the crowd each painted one letter of his name on their chests as they cheered Cape Verde. But Vozinha had a much bigger fan among the crowd of 68,278 as his mother Ana Candida Evora watched from a luxury suite, waving a tiny Cape Verde flag. It was her second match of the tournament after missing Vozinhas epic seven-save performance against Spain because of visa issues. Cape Verde had a chance to score in the 50th minute, but Kevin Pina's shot from distance was just above the crossbar. Another chance came in the 74th minute when Laros Duartes shot from the middle of the box was stopped by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. A last chance to score came in the final seconds when Nuno da Costa sent a shot from the middle of the box wide left. But it didnt matter because a couple of minutes after the final whistle, Spain completed its victory over Uruguay and set off a joyous celebration among Cape Verde's players and fans, many of whom cried as they rejoiced. Reporting by The Associated Press.

How did a sport codified in England end up with a nickname that divides the Anglophone world? The surprising history of "soccer" starts in the British school system

Lionel Scaloni is expected to deploy a rotated squad in Argentinas next World Cup match against Jordan on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with Lionel Messi likely relegated to the bench.Leo will be a substitute tomorrow, to play later. Well announce the team tomorrow, Scaloni told the media. The decision of who starts tomorrow is not in relation to the opponent well face in the next round.Argentina have already qualified for the Round of 32 as Group J winners after back-to-back victories against Algeria and Austria, so playing Messi heavy minutes is unnecessary. The Inter Miami star currently leads the race for this tournaments Golden Boot with five goals, while breaking several records in the process.Messi has been dealing with a left hamstring injury in the build-up to the World Cup, so Scaloni doesnt want to risk further injury for his star. However, the 48-year-old tactician will have his pick of the litter on who to replace Messi.MORE:Lionel Messi explains why hes angry with his record-breaking performance against AustriaJune 16, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentinas Lionel Messi scores their first goal. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn ImagesLionel Scaloni hints at Argentinas strategy against Jordan in group stage finaleBesides Lionel Messi, head coach Lionel Scaloni could also bench some of Argentinas other starters against Jordan, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez could be the only regular starter in the lineup. Despite this, La Albicelestes approach shouldnt veer away from what made them successful so far.The hope is that the team will play the same way. Thats what were going to try to do, Scaloni said. Jordan is a good opponent, and were not taking anything for granted. Well try to tweak some aspects of the last match, but with the same intention of controlling the ball and dominating the opponent.Nico Paz, Julian Alvarez, Valentin Barco, Flaco Lopez, and Exequiel Palacios are among the viable candidates who could replace Messi against Jordan. Marcos Senesi, Nicolas Otamendi, and Nicolas Tagliafico could also soak up more playing time at the back for La Albiceleste.After facing Jordan, Argentina will head to Miami for their Round of 32 clash against Cape Verde, the runners-up in Group H.

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