Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup run ended against Argentina here in Miami nearly a month ago, but the match still managed to produce one of South Florida’s biggest underdog stories of the global tournament.
Miami-based Senda Athletics, an 18-person soccer company, found itself sharing the world’s biggest stage with industry giants like Nike, Adidas and Puma after betting on Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha before most fans even knew his name, and long before the world knew the team would land in the Round of 32.
While the World Cup serves as a competition between nations, it is also a showcase for the world’s largest athletic brands. Yet, Senda managed to break through the crowd, earning sponsorships with seven different players, including the world’s newest breakout star of a team not many experts pointed to before the games began this summer.
But for Senda founder Santiago Halty, being in the World Cup was never just about exposure.
“We’re small and mighty,” Santiago said. “We knew that we would be coming to a tournament that would be in the eyes of the world. For us, it was about serving athletes in a different way.”
Founded 16 years ago after graduating from the University of California, San Diego, Santiago launched Senda to create Fair Trade-certified soccer balls manufactured in Pakistan. They then expanded, tackling futsal equipment, grip socks and the world’s first Fair Trade soccer cleat.
Senda’s soccer grip socks have previously made an appearance in three past World Cups, worn by Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister during the 2022 championship final. It would be in 2026, marking the first time Senda’s cleats reached soccer’s biggest stage.
Unlike the multinational brands that focus all their time and money on soccer’s biggest stars, Senda looks for athletes whose stories reflect the company’s values of perseverance, humility, and hard work.
It’s that philosophy that led Santiago to Josimar Jose Evora Dias, better known as Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who helped guide Cape Verde to its first-ever World Cup.
“Most people didn’t know who Vozinha was. Most people didn’t know who Senda was. Now, millions of people know his name, and hopefully our name too,” he said.
While bigger brands usually work through agents and multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, Santiago simply reached out to Vozinha through social media. To everyone’s surprise, the humble goalkeeper responded. Senda shipped him its newest cleat model, the Rosario Elite, donning Cape Verde’s color motif and signature blue shark. He also supplied several Cape Verde players and members of the team’s coaching staff.
As Cape Verde amazed fans with fearless performances against Spain, Uruguay, and eventually Argentina, Vozinha became one of the tournament’s most talked-about players. But for Santiago, the goalkeeper’s rise felt personal, mainly due to their journeys mirroring one another.
The two spent years building towards this big moment. Vozinha didn’t become professional until he was 25 years old, only making his World Cup debut at 40. Meanwhile, Santiago spent 16 years growing Senda before seeing his company at the forefront of the world’s biggest stage.
“It took us 16 years to get to this moment,” he said. “He was ready, we were ready. Ultimately, it’s the story of two underdogs.”
Cape Verde’s run ended in the Round of 16, but Santiago believes the team’s greatest impact is only beginning.
“I think this is going to inspire a lot of their youth to play,” he said. “I think this World Cup could help not just the national team, not just the youth team, not just the women’s team. It can help the whole country.”
That relationship continues, as Senda plans to provide boots to members of Cape Verde’s women’s national team as it pursues qualifications for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For Santiago and Senda alike, support for Cape Verde was never a one-time deal.
“We’re never like, ‘Oh, we got Vozinha, let’s forget,'” he added. “We’re sending 27 pairs of boots for the women’s team so that hopefully they can qualify as well for the World Cup and shock the world one more time.”
The World Cup also marked a turning point for Senda as well. After recently relocating to South Florida, they hope to establish a permanent Miami office within the next year, and use the city as the company’s international headquarters,
For a company that spent 16 years building its reputation from the ground up one player at a time, Cape Verde’s World Cup run proved that the biggest victories aren’t always measured by trophies.
Sometimes, they’re measured by believing in the underdog before the rest of the world does.
