Cape Verde coach Bubista has challenged the team to "do the impossible" and build on their shock draw against Spain by sealing a place in the World Cup round of 32.
The African nation marked their debut by holding European champions Spain goalless in their opening match on Monday, delighting fans in their own country but also winning the hearts of neutrals worldwide with their tenacious display.
The tough matches keep coming for the Cape Verdeans, with two-time world champions Uruguay next up in Miami on Sunday night.
Their coach, Bubista, insisted ahead of their second game that qualification from a tough-looking Group H remains the goal.
"We're a small country and we showed up [against Spain]. We have a big heart, we have resilience," he told a news conference on Saturday.
"We've been trying to show the identity of our people, which is to be courageous, to have unity and to fight hard for things, and we want to try to do the impossible.
"We know just how good Uruguay are, but we trust our preparation, we trust our players as well. We're going to do everything possible so that we can achieve that objective, which is to get that qualification for the next round."
Cape Verde player Garry Rodrigues said the draw against Spain had been a "shock" for everyone but added: "I was very proud of my team, proud of the coach, proud of how we fought in this game.
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"We didn't give them many chances and I think we deserved the draw, because the way we were defending and the way we were respecting our strategy was amazing."
The mother of Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has arrived in Miami in time for Sunday's match.
The 40-year-old expressed his sadness at the fact his mother, Ana Candia Evora, had not been present for the Spain game due to the cost of a visa.
However, after an intervention from the Democratic Leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, the U.S. State Department waived the fees and she is now in the United States for Cape Verde's second match.