World Cup Daily: Storylines and MLS matches(!) for July 16
Lionel Messi once again willed Argentina over the line, and his reward is facing a stultifying Spain team in the final. Also, MLS (remember that league?) resumes with four Thursday matches, including Dani Pereira's CFM debut.
It's not coming home.
Just minutes from closing out a 1-0 victory and a crucial step closer to its first World Cup title in 60 years, England met the fate of Cabo Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland before them.
Namely: Argentina finds a way to win in the end.
This time, it was Lionel Messi assisting on goals by Enzo Fernández (at 85') and Lautaro Martínez (at 90'+2') to complete the shocking 2-1 win on Wednesday in the 2026 World Cup's second semifinal.
Now, it's Spain vs. Argentina in Sunday's final — which, based on the evidence, I think Spain will win, but based on what Argentina does late in matches, I just don't know – and England consoling itself with another trip to Miami to face France on Saturday. (There's a Golden Boot trophy still in play, and the third-place game counts toward it, so don't be surprised if Kylian Mbappé gets that as a consolation prize for France, who based on England's fresher and crueler heartbreak, seem more positioned to win.)
In the meantime, as the ad implores you to do, and as covered on the most recent Emergency Podcast, you can kick it.
MLS resumes tonight with four matches, all on Apple TV, and compelling narratives (with some pale shades of Verde in there) persist:
CF Montréal vs. Toronto FC, 6:30 pm CT, which will very likely be Dani Pereira's debut for his new team. It will most definitely be disorienting to see him in black and blue stripes and wearing No. 7, but it's a thing to get used to.
Chicago Fire FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7:30 pm CT, which not only puts two of the five best team in the league (by current standings) in the same match, it also gives us Gregg Berhalter coaching against a team featuring his son, former Austin FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, fresh off his World Cup appearance and heading for his second straight All-Star appearance.
St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 pm CT, which seems the lesser of the two 7:30 pm matches, but as an Austin fan, you'll have a rooting interest in this one — an SKC win would bring SKC up to 14 points, and tied on points with Verde in the basement, but would also keep St. Louis just two points ahead of Austin, within easier reach for Verde's long attempted slog back to the playoff places.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers FC, 9:30 pm CT, which allows you to freshly associate Lumen Field with something other than the USMNT's ignoble exit from the World Cup, but also, a Seattle win keeps Portland tied with Austin on points and that much more able to be toppled should Verde find life.
We get two more matches on Friday (Atlanta-Nashville and an El Tráfico in Carson), and then we're back to the World Cup for one last glorious weekend.
Round of 32
Sunday, June 28
Canada 1, South Africa 0
Monday, June 29
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1(4), Germany 1(3)
Morocco 1(3), Netherlands 1(2)
Tuesday, June 30
Norway 2, Côte d'Ivoire1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0
Wednesday, July 1
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
United States2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
Thursday, July 2
Spain 3, Austria 0
Portugal 2, Croatia 1
Switzerland 2, Algeria 0
Friday, July 3
Argentina 3, Cabo Verde 2
Colombia 1, Ghana 0
Egypt 1(4), Australia 1(2)
Round of 16
Saturday, July 4
Morocco 3, Canada 0
France 1, Paraguay 0
Sunday, July 5
Norway 2, Brazil 1
England 3, Mexico 2
Monday, July 6
Spain 1, Portugal 0
Belgium 4, United States 1
Tuesday, July 7
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0(4), Colombia 0(3)
Quarterfinals
Thursday, July 9
France 2, Morocco 0
Friday, July 10
Spain 2, Belgium 1
Saturday, July 11
England 2, Norway 1
Argentina 3, Switzerland 1
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 14
Spain 2, France0
Wednesday, July 15
Argentina 2, England 1
Third-place match
Saturday, July 18
France vs. England, 4 pm, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Final
Sunday, July 19
Spain vs. Argentina, 2 pm, East Rutherford, N.J.
What to read
Per Defector, "You have to kill Argentina dead." And here's a finger pointed at England manager Thomas Tuchel, the least popular person in England today.
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.
We know half the equation for both the final and the third-place match. Today, the narrative-rich match between Argentina and England will fill in who plays Spain and who plays France.
France vs. Spain: It promises to be epic, and heartbreaking for whoever loses. But at least one eminently likable star will find his way to Sunday's final as a result.
Soccer is still happening for a team wearing Verde and Black. Though Austin FC II's 10-match win streak and 15-match unbeaten streak ended on Sunday, VerDos is still atop the league.
It took both England and Argentina 120 minutes to do it, but they're back into the semifinals of the World Cup. One of those teams will proceed to the final against the France-Spain winner.
It's not coming home.
Just minutes from closing out a 1-0 victory and a crucial step closer to its first World Cup title in 60 years, England met the fate of Cabo Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland before them.
Namely: Argentina finds a way to win in the end.
This time, it was Lionel Messi assisting on goals by Enzo Fernández (at 85') and Lautaro Martínez (at 90'+2') to complete the shocking 2-1 win on Wednesday in the 2026 World Cup's second semifinal.
Now, it's Spain vs. Argentina in Sunday's final — which, based on the evidence, I think Spain will win, but based on what Argentina does late in matches, I just don't know – and England consoling itself with another trip to Miami to face France on Saturday. (There's a Golden Boot trophy still in play, and the third-place game counts toward it, so don't be surprised if Kylian Mbappé gets that as a consolation prize for France, who based on England's fresher and crueler heartbreak, seem more positioned to win.)
In the meantime, as the ad implores you to do, and as covered on the most recent Emergency Podcast, you can kick it.
MLS resumes tonight with four matches, all on Apple TV, and compelling narratives (with some pale shades of Verde in there) persist:
We get two more matches on Friday (Atlanta-Nashville and an El Tráfico in Carson), and then we're back to the World Cup for one last glorious weekend.
Round of 32
Sunday, June 28
Monday, June 29
Tuesday, June 30
Wednesday, July 1
Thursday, July 2
Friday, July 3
Round of 16
Saturday, July 4
Sunday, July 5
Monday, July 6
Tuesday, July 7
Quarterfinals
Thursday, July 9
Friday, July 10
Saturday, July 11
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 14
Wednesday, July 15
Third-place match
Saturday, July 18
Final
Sunday, July 19
What to read
Per Defector, "You have to kill Argentina dead." And here's a finger pointed at England manager Thomas Tuchel, the least popular person in England today.
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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