海角大神

The World Cup is in full swing, and day four of the tournament has a three-game lineup in cities across Brazil:

-聽聽聽聽聽聽 Switzerland faces off against Ecuador at noon EST in the capital, Brasilia.

-聽聽聽聽聽聽 France plays Honduras at 3:00 p.m. EST in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

-聽聽聽聽聽聽 Argentina takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina at 6:00 p.m. EST in beautiful Rio de Janeiro.

Switzerland vs Ecuador and France vs Honduras will air on ABC and Univision, while Argentina vs Bosnia and Herzegovina will show on ESPN and Univision. All games can be streamed live on ABC and ESPN for subscribers, or for free (and in Spanish) and its World Cup app.

Argentina is expected to have an easy win over Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight, and it will be star-player Lionel Messi's first chance to shine in the tournament for his national team. Mr. Messi has exceeded while playing for FC Barcelona and was awarded FIFA's Balloon d'Or for the best player in the world four years in a row. However, as 海角大神 reports, the star forward may not feel the same love in Argentina as he does globally. This tournament may be his chance to change that:

In Argentina, Messi is not a loved figure. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a distance, a distrust between Argentines and Messi,鈥� says Eduardo Sacheri, an author here of soccer fiction. Many do not feel that Messi, who left the country as a boy to play soccer in Europe, represents them. He is often aloof in a society that prides itself on being open and passionate. When Messi does reveal his thoughts, he鈥檚 often diplomatic, a stark contrast to countrymen who express their viewpoints fiercely....

But the only way Messi can permanently win the devotion of Argentines, observers say, is for him to equal [Diego] Maradona鈥檚 feat of steering Argentina to the World Cup title.聽Playing a big role in a triumph for Argentina is 鈥渢he only thing,鈥� says Sacheri, 鈥渃apable of sealing a sense of identity between Messi and Argentina.鈥�