World Cup Daily: Matches and storylines for June 20
Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan all have realistic shots of winning Group F, while Germany looks ready to extend its lead in Group E, depending on what a surprised Ecuador does.
The U.S. not only won its match on Friday — beating Australia 2-0 with a frenetic first half and two fluky goals followed by 45 minutes of outlasting the Soccerroos' 'housery — but ended up winning its group by the end of the night, thanks to Paraguay getting a banger of a goal 65 seconds in and then hanging on against Türkiye.
(That's despite Miguel Almiron getting sent off for saying God-knows-what to an opponent with his hand covering his mouth, violating a new rule known as the Prestianni rule; there's a good explainer here. In two matches, between his blatant dive in the opener against the U.S. and this incident, Almiron has gone from adorable MLS darling best known for his heart goal celebrations with former teammate Josef Martínez to full wrestling heel in a match and a half.)
In other tournament news, Haiti officially got knocked out as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 win, and still has to face Morocco, which beat Scotland 1-0 on a second-minute goal. (Yes, weird that this happened in two matches on the same day.
Here on Saturday, Groups E and F get into sorting.
Germany vs. Côte d'Ivoire: Saturday, June 20, 3 pm (Toronto)
Ecuador vs. Curaçao: Saturday, June 20, 7 pm (Kansas City)
Future matches
Curaçao vs. Côte d'Ivoire: Thursday, June 25, 3 pm (Philadelphia)
Ecuador vs. Germany: Thursday, June 25, 3 pm (East Rutherford, N.J.)
Most compelling narrative
Ecuador was unbeaten in 19 matches, going back to September 2024, before Côte d'Ivoire scored a mildly surprising 1-0 win with a very late goal. Will Ecuador bounce back against Curaçao? Or will it be a scoreless draw? (I don't see Curaçao winning, but I could see that team finding their inner Cabo Verde.)
Player to watch
Côte d'Ivoire's Elye Wahi is currently caught up in a gambling scandal for getting a heavily-bet-on yellow card in a recent match involving his club team Nice. He initially didn't get a visa to enter Canada for this match but then reportedly did. Will he start? Will he play? How impactful will he be? How much will commentators dwell on it?
Group F
Predictions
Projected winner: Netherlands (8)
Projected runner-up: Japan (17)
Projected 3rd-place team: Sweden (34)
Projected 4th-place team: Tunisia (54)
Past matches
Netherlands 2, Japan 2 (June 14, Jerryworld)
Sweden 5, Tunisia 1 (June 14, Monterrey)
Today's matches
Netherlands vs. Sweden: Saturday, June 20, noon (Houston)
Tunisia vs. Japan: Saturday, June 20, 11 pm (Monterrey)
Future matches
Japan vs. Sweden: Thursday, June 25, 6 pm (Jerryworld)
Tunisia vs. Netherlands: Thursday, June 25, 6 pm (Kansas City)
Most compelling narrative
With Sweden winning its first match and Netherlands and Japan drawing, this group is truly up in the air. It could come down to the final day with Netherlands and Japan on four points and Sweden on three ... or Sweden could seize control of the group with a win.
Player to watch
It's not a player but a coach here ... Hervé Renard takes over Tunisia after Sabri Lamouch was dismissed after one match. Certainly, he will be handsome. But will he be good?
What to read
Barney Ronay's assessment of Brazil is one of the most entertaining reads I've had all tournament.
Where to watch
Victory Lap has two locations, and the West Campus one has a Saturday feature it is calling "Kegs on the Lawn." There's also a Rainey Street location. I will likely not venture to either of these for the tournament, but perhaps this is your speed.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
In the real world, Austin FC is tantalizingly close to entering the West's playoff places. But on Earth 2, if five matches against contenders didn't include late goals against, the team would be in much better shape.
Austin FC got closer to the top of the hill (to 9th place) with Saturday's draw against FC Dallas. The result extends the unbeaten streak to seven matches ... but will that recent good form result in playoffs?
Austin FC can't win Copa Tejas on Saturday night, but can certainly lose it facing FC Dallas in Frisco. We talk about outperforming one's xG, a new goalkeeper, and playoff hopes with a Toros expert.
The U.S. not only won its match on Friday — beating Australia 2-0 with a frenetic first half and two fluky goals followed by 45 minutes of outlasting the Soccerroos' 'housery — but ended up winning its group by the end of the night, thanks to Paraguay getting a banger of a goal 65 seconds in and then hanging on against Türkiye.
(That's despite Miguel Almiron getting sent off for saying God-knows-what to an opponent with his hand covering his mouth, violating a new rule known as the Prestianni rule; there's a good explainer here. In two matches, between his blatant dive in the opener against the U.S. and this incident, Almiron has gone from adorable MLS darling best known for his heart goal celebrations with former teammate Josef Martínez to full wrestling heel in a match and a half.)
In other tournament news, Haiti officially got knocked out as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 win, and still has to face Morocco, which beat Scotland 1-0 on a second-minute goal. (Yes, weird that this happened in two matches on the same day.
Here on Saturday, Groups E and F get into sorting.
Group E
Predictions
Past matches
Today's matches
Future matches
Most compelling narrative
Ecuador was unbeaten in 19 matches, going back to September 2024, before Côte d'Ivoire scored a mildly surprising 1-0 win with a very late goal. Will Ecuador bounce back against Curaçao? Or will it be a scoreless draw? (I don't see Curaçao winning, but I could see that team finding their inner Cabo Verde.)
Player to watch
Côte d'Ivoire's Elye Wahi is currently caught up in a gambling scandal for getting a heavily-bet-on yellow card in a recent match involving his club team Nice. He initially didn't get a visa to enter Canada for this match but then reportedly did. Will he start? Will he play? How impactful will he be? How much will commentators dwell on it?
Group F
Predictions
Past matches
Today's matches
Future matches
Most compelling narrative
With Sweden winning its first match and Netherlands and Japan drawing, this group is truly up in the air. It could come down to the final day with Netherlands and Japan on four points and Sweden on three ... or Sweden could seize control of the group with a win.
Player to watch
It's not a player but a coach here ... Hervé Renard takes over Tunisia after Sabri Lamouch was dismissed after one match. Certainly, he will be handsome. But will he be good?
What to read
Barney Ronay's assessment of Brazil is one of the most entertaining reads I've had all tournament.
Where to watch
Victory Lap has two locations, and the West Campus one has a Saturday feature it is calling "Kegs on the Lawn." There's also a Rainey Street location. I will likely not venture to either of these for the tournament, but perhaps this is your speed.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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