Cape Verde vs. Senegal
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying| CAF Group D
Saturday, Oct. 7 | 12:30 p.m. CT
Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde | Praia, Cape Verde
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Kevin Oliveira has never played for Cape Verde at the senior international level. And Cape Verde has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
Needless to say, the 21-year-old is hoping to change that over the next month.
Oliveira was named to the Cape Verde national team last week for Saturday's pivotal World Cup qualifier against heavy favorite Senegal. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. CT in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia. The fixture represents an opportunity for Oliveira to earn his first senior cap, having previously represented his country at the U-16 level in 2012.
It's also a chance for Cape Verde to take a major step toward qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. With two qualifying matches still remaining, the Blue Sharks control their own destiny. A win over Senegal, followed by a victory at Burkina Faso on Nov. 6, would send the island nation of 540,000 people to the most celebrated sporting event on the planet.
The task, however, is daunting. Cape Verde are No. 67 in the latest FIFA rankings, while Senegal sit at No. 33 and Burkina Faso at No. 49. On Saturday, the Blue Sharks will go up against the likes of Liverpool winger Sadio Mane and prolific forward Moussa Sow.
Below is a look at the CAF Group D table, which features a tight race at the top. Only the first-place finisher will punch its ticket to Russia.
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
CAF Third Round – Group D
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burkina Faso |
6 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
+2 |
Cape Verde |
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
-2 |
Senegal |
5 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
+2 |
South Africa |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
-2 |
Cape Verde vaulted to second place in Group D thanks to a pair of 2-1 wins over South Africa last month. The Blue Sharks used a brace from Nuno Rocha to prevail at home on Sept. 1 before Galatasaray winger Garry Rodrigues struck twice to hand Bafana Bafana a shock defeat in Durban, South Africa on Sept. 5.
Oliveira's call to the Cape Verde squad coincides with an impressive run of form at the club level. His performances with the Swope Park Rangers prompted Sporting KC to sign the playmaker to an MLS contract on Sept. 15. He made his MLS debut the following day in a win over the New England Revolution, then appeared in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final four days later as Sporting KC were crowned champions.
In addition to playing twice for Sporting KC last month, Oliveira has logged 18 USL appearance for SPR since returning from a long-term ACL injury in April. He has tallied three goals and five assists for the playoff-bound Rangers, who are tied for second place in the Western Conference with two regular season matches still to play.
Oliveira joined SPR ahead of their inaugural season in 2016, the same year he was tabbed No. 2 on the United Soccer League’s 20-Under-20 list highlighting the league’s best young talent.
