Lionel Messi Is One Goal Away From History and Nobody in Soccer Is Ready For It
Alright, listen up, Emerald City! You gotta check this out. Monday is shaping up to be absolutely WILD for soccer fans as Lionel Messi and Argentina hit the field again in the 2026 World Cup. The man, the legend, already dropped a hat trick in their opener, and now he's just ONE goal shy of breaking the all-time World Cup scoring record. Can you even believe it? Argentina, ranked number one in FIFA, is ready to rumble with 21st-ranked Austria, and trust me, this is gonna be a show!Messi's Record Chase Has The Whole World Watching
Seriously, has there ever been a more electrifying start to a tournament? Messi, fresh off his three-goal masterclass against Algeria in a 3-0 victory, now sits at 16 career World Cup goals. That puts him in a tie with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the top spot. One more goal, just one, and he owns the record outright. Imagine that moment! Both Argentina and Austria are coming into this Group J matchup with three points each, having won their first games. You know the energy at Dallas Stadium is going to be insane for this 1 p.m. ET kickoff. These two nations have faced off three times before, with a 1-1-1 record, last drawing back in 1990. So, yeah, there's history, but Monday's about making *new* history.High-Flying Offenses and
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a Bold Prediction While all eyes are on Messi, let's not sleep on Austria, ranked 21st, who also kicked off their tournament strong. They took down Jordan with a solid 3-1 win. What does that mean? Both squads found the back of the net three times in their openers! Argentina's looking like a scoring machine, and Austria clearly isn't afraid to attack. The oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have Argentina as -185 favorites on the 90-minute money line, with Austria at +550, and a draw at +310. The over/under for total goals is set at 2.5. Our guy, SportsLine's Martin Green, who's been absolutely red-hot with an 18-8 record on his last 26 Champions League picks, returning nearly $1,000 in profit, is leaning hard on the over 2.5 total goals (-108). Think about it, both teams surpassed that line by themselves in their first games! Austria even gave up a goal to Jordan, who's the seventh-lowest ranked team in the tournament, so they're facing a massive step up in competition with FIFA's number one team. So, get ready, Seattle. Monday isn't just another game. It's a chance to witness greatness as Messi chases history, and two high-octane offenses go head-to-head. You know we'll be glued to every single play, watching to see if Argentina can keep their perfect start and if Messi can etch his name even deeper into the record books. You won't want to miss this one!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.