Copa America Centenario – Four-Semifinalist Waiting for Adventure

The United States and Argentina, featuring Lionel Messi, play in Copa America 2016 action on Tuesday night.

Such an approach typically only works once – there are only so many times you can convince a group that no one likes it, especially when the opposite is palpably true.

Meanwhile, Chile have also progressed through to the semi-finals after crushing Mexico 7-0 in their last eight clash.

How do you stop a player who can beat you with speed and skill with equal ease?

The semifinal matchups for Copa America are set.

Messi, then 18, made his Argentina debut in a friendly match against Hungary in 2005, getting sent off just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, but didn’t score his first global goal until his sixth appearance, a 3-2 defeat against Croatia, again in a friendly match.

Messi never seemed bothered by the back injury that had previously restricted him to a substitute role and will hope to wreak similar havoc against the US, which is likely to be missing key midfielders Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya, as well as forward Bobby Wood, through suspension.

Messi, who turns 29 on Friday, is nicknamed “La Pulga” for his speed and unmatched dribbling ability.

“There’s a stretch of the beginning of the game where Argentina came out very sharp and into it”, USA captain Michael Bradley said. “They’re a top rival, and just like Venezuela they can complicate things for us”.

“What this team did has a lot of merit, although we all want to win”.

However, Messi played the entire game on Saturday, providing a scare when he was taken down from behind in the penalty area in the first half and was slow to get up.

“But now we need to focus on United State and trying not to give them any options”.

“The United States try to get close to you, to attack, they’re a very hard team”.

Before facing the challenge of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi and his cohorts, Klinsmann has manufactured a scenario in which he has gotten his troops believing they are the victims of unfair criticism and judgment from the news media and the American sporting public.

I said in my knockout stage primer that this was could be the best matchup in the quarterfinals and the most entertaining game because I thought it was the least likely to produce a blowout.

“To play at the biggest games when everything is one the line is what we all want”, MNT captain Michael Bradley said.

The U.S. protested both decisions, but their appeals were denied late Sunday night.

Rondon pulled a goal back with a header from Alejandro Guerra’s left-wing cross but Argentina substitute Lamela immediately made it 4-1 with a deflected finish from Messi’s pass. He could go with seasoned Graham Zusi or up-and-comers Darlington Nagbe or Christian Pulisic in place of Bedoya.

“We seem to rise to the occasion”, he said.