Messi returns to the field and Golden Boot race at the World Cup continues

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi resumes his chase of the Golden Boot on Friday.

Argentina's captain — widely considered the greatest player ever — returns to the World Cup pitch when the defending champions take on Cape Verde in the round of 32. Messi has six goals in this World Cup, tied with France's Kylian Mbappé for the tournament lead.

The Golden Boot is presented to the top goal-scorer.

Messi and Mbappé are far from being the only contenders: Norway's Erling Haaland and England's Harry Kane each have five goals entering Friday, while four more players — France's Ousmane Dembele, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil's Vinicius Junior and Senegal's Ismaila Sarr have four. Sarr is out of the running since Senegal has been eliminated.

Norway, England and France have all clinched spots in the round of 16; Argentina and Messi need a win over Cape Verde to join them in that round.

Messi has been on an absolute goal-scoring tear, with at least one goal in his last seven World Cup matches going back to 2022 — something no men's player has ever accomplished in the tournament's history. He has 11 goals in those seven games, pushing his career total to 19. That's also the most in World Cup history, one ahead of Mbappé.

The Golden Boot is something Messi has never won. He finished second in that race with seven goals at the 2022 World Cup, one behind Mbappé, and tied for third with four goals at the 2014 World Cup.

If there's a tie atop the goal list when the tournament ends, FIFA will use assists as the first tiebreaker and fewest minutes played as the second tiebreaker. Entering Friday, that meant Mbappé would have the edge over Messi based on his 2-0 lead in assists.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Argentina's Lionel Messi looks toward teammates during a training session on the eve of the team's World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Argentina's Lionel Messi eyes a ball during a training session on the eve of the team's World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, talks with Rodrigo De Paul during a training session on the eve of the team's World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A fan carries a giant banner depicting Lionel Messi as Argentina fans gather to celebrate and show support for their team at a beachfront park in Miami Beach, Fla., Thursday, July 2, 2026, one day ahead of Argentina's World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Argentina's Lionel Messi spalshes water on his head to cool down during a training session on the eve of the team's World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Cape Verde, Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Festivities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain kicked into higher gear across the United States on Friday as celebrations are balanced with efforts to stay safe as much of the country bakes under extreme heat.

President Donald Trump will travel to South Dakota to deliver a speech and watch fireworks at Mount Rushmore. And in a novel twist, there will be a ball drop in New York City's Times Square at midnight to usher in the July Fourth holiday with much the same revelry that is typically reserved for New Year’s Eve.

The sound of fighter jets on military flyovers reverberated across the nation's capital. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered his own address on the country’s 250th anniversary and cast America as a nation of contradictions “working each day towards the perfection in which it was conceived.”

“The frontier may be closed, we may have walked on the moon, but the work of fulfilling the values first enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, that work endures, and it belongs to us all," Mamdani said, sitting behind George Washington’s desk at City Hall and surrounded by a diverse group of recently naturalized citizens.

The activity culminates in the main event Saturday, when fireworks will erupt in communities across the U.S., along with backyard cookouts and block parties. Trump will deliver another speech at the National Mall in Washington before what is being billed as a historically massive fireworks show.

But for all the celebrations, there are also serious safety considerations as potentially record heat grips much of the Midwest and East Coast. Officials have warned those celebrating the holiday to stay hydrated and take air-conditioned breaks as needed.

The heat has already affected some of the programming surrounding the holiday.

In Philadelphia, the city's Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade was canceled because of the weather.

In Washington, organizers of the Capitol Fourth concert banned the public from attending a Thursday rehearsal because of the heat. The concert Friday, a staple of Washington's Independence Day traditions, is on, but the gates will open to the public later than usual, at 7 p.m. EDT, an hour before the show. Organizers of celebrations in Washington on Saturday said they were adding water stations along with cooling resources and medical support.

From Boston to Norristown, Pennsylvania and Gettysburg National Military Park, plans were shifting to accommodate the soaring temperatures. Amtrak canceled some trains in the Northeast due to excessive heat that could affect the tracks.

The holiday is unfolding at a unique time in the U.S. The anniversary has served as an opportunity for the country to reflect on its history while also reminding it of the political polarization of the moment.

Even the celebrations themselves have not quite escaped the divide.

In New York, Mamdani, a Democrat, did not mention Trump by name, but parts of his speech appeared aimed at the president’s divisive rhetoric.

“For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best,” Mamdani said in an apparent reference to an a common criticism from Trump. “Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them."

Freedom 250, an organization aligned with the White House, has come to rival America250, a bipartisan group founded by Congress a decade ago. Freedom 250 has organized much of the activity in Washington, including the Great American State Fair, which has gained attention for the relatively small crowds it has attracted. America250 is behind the ball drops unfolding in many cities, including New York, and will host a concert in Los Angeles on Saturday.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults feel “proud” about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to an April survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 3 in 10 said “excited” describes their emotions.

Ahead of the holiday, auto technician Joe Fuqua-Bejarano, in Topeka, Kansas, sized up “what makes us awesome” as a people. It is clearly not the politics, in his view, but rather resilience.

“We’ve just all got to find unity somewhere, whether that’s in laughter or perseverance, and keep everybody cool,” he said from the fireworks stand where he is doing a booming business as a side hustle.

Christina Zhou, a 25-year-old research assistant from Cambridge, Massachusetts, said she would aim to “think about just things that are happening locally.”

“It feels a little bit more like within our own personal control," she said.

Associated Press writers Steve Peoples and Anthony Izaguirre in New York, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Michael Casey in Cambridge, Mass., and Calvin Woodward in Washington contributed to this report.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States at City Hall on Friday, July 3, 2026 in New York. (Anna Connors/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and U.S. Capitol are seen at dawn as joggers run past an overlook in Arlington, Va., Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Visitors react to the heat while attending the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

A member of the Texas State Troopers pours cold water over his head during an extreme head advisory near the Lincoln Memorial, while providing extra security ahead of the America 250 July 4th celebration, Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

Statue of Liberty stands next to Empire State Building, left, in New York, as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Sunday, May 31, 2026 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Drones put on a show in the sky near independence hall in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Auresto)