The World Cup has been full of exciting storylines, and one of the most surprising teams has been Cape Verde. The African island nation has been playing in its first World Cup and has already made a name for itself with a draw against Spain and a tie with Uruguay.

Cape Verde’s Journey

Former Cape Verde manager Rui Águas knows a thing or two about the team’s success. Águas, who managed the team from 2014-2016 and again from 2018-2019, said that the team’s rise to the World Cup is no fluke. He credited the team’s talented players and the nation’s love of football.

Águas also shared a story about how he recruited one of the team’s current players, Roberto Lopes, who was born and raised in Ireland but has a father from Cape Verde. Águas reached out to Lopes on LinkedIn and eventually convinced him to join the team.

Argentina Matchup

Now, Cape Verde is set to face off against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, in the Round of 32. Águas believes that his former team has a chance to win, saying that they have already shown they can compete with the best teams in the world.

The match between Argentina and Cape Verde is scheduled to take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.