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Adversity? It was a gritty SundayAs I write this, the cliched Sunday scaries are enveloping my brain. It’s not actually that scary; more of a relatable (I hope) anxiety about the week ahead. Work, parenting, etc. There’s a reason the cliche exists. It’s the lens through which I watched some incredibly gutty wins yesterday. Is this just pattern recognition? Encouragement from the sports universe, the athletic beyond? Desperation? I don’t know. But we did see a ton of triumph yesterday, so I’m just going to roll with this: 1. Cape Verde!
What else can we say about these guys? I’ll never forget casually watching the World Cup newcomer’s shocking 0-0 draw against Spain in a Houston bar last week, exchanging dumbfounded glances with people I didn’t know. Their performance yesterday against Uruguay was even better. We should start with the first World Cup goal in the country’s history, which was superb:
CAPE VERDE'S FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP GOAL IS A BELTER FROM DISTANCE 🤯
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 21, 2026They scored another in a 2-2 draw that probably should’ve been a Cape Verde win, but let’s not focus on that. This team, which no one expected to do anything of note here, has a 66 percent chance to advance to the knockout rounds now. They’ve taken a point off two teams that have three World Cup trophies between them. Can’t write anything better than that reality. 2. Wyndham Clark’s (mostly) self-inflicted adversity
