Key events
Lionel Scaloni: “We are talking about things that have already passed. [Winning the World Cup and the Copa América] was very nice but it’s over,” Argentina’s manager said at Wednesday’s pre-match news conference. “Football matches are all different, there are no easier games than others. A lot of things can happen. The difficulty of France, Brazil or Canada can be the same. It will be a difficult Copa América as always, we are prepared for what is to come. We are doing well, with clear ideas and knowing the difficulty of this tournament.”
He added: “Beyond the titles, we have enjoyed a lot. It’s a pleasure to watch how [the players] give their all. That leads to being able to achieve things. We have shown that even if we didn’t win like in 2019, we were able to continue and show you can do things.”
Argentina v Canada line-ups
Argentina
XI: Damian Martinez, Acuna, Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister, Messi, Di Maria, Alvarez
Subs: Armani, Rulli, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Pezzella, Lucas Martinez, Montiel, Rodriguez, Lo Celso, Palacios, Fernandez, Carboni, Lautaro Martinez, Gonzalez, Garnacho
Canada
XI: Crepeau, Davies, Cornelius, Johnston, Bombito, Stephen Eustaquio, Millar, Buchanan, Kone, Larin, David
Subs: McGill, St. Clair, Laryea, Miller, Waterman, Hiebert, De Fougerolles, Piette, Osorio, Choiniere, Ahmed, Bair, Shaffelburg, Oluwaseyi, Russell-Rowe
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for tonight’s Copa América opening match between Argentina and Canada. A sold-out crowd of more than 70,000 is expected as La Albiceleste launch their title defense in what could be 36-year-old Lionel Messi’s final act with the national team.
The Copa América is the most prestigious trophy a South American nation can win outside of the World Cup and while the competition has traditionally been reserved for the 10 nations of Conmebol, organizers have occasionally expanded the field for special guest teams. This year’s tournament brings together 10 South American sides and six from North and Central America and the Caribbean in the second Copa hosted by the United States and first since the Centenario edition of 2016.
Argentina, the reigning World Cup and Copa América champions led by Messi, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez, have won the title a total of 15 times, tied with Uruguay for most ever and more than third-placed Brazil (nine). Paraguay, Chile and Peru (two apiece) are the only other countries to have won it more than once.
Lionel Scaloni’s side will be hot favorites tonight against a Canada team making their debut in the competition led by Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan David.
Atlanta is an underrated football hotbed and the scene tonight promises to be a cracker. At one point Atlanta United FC’s attendance ranked among the top 15 for any club in the world; last year’s average of 47,526 fell off from that mark but was still the highest of any team outside of Europe besides China’s Beijing Guoan.
Kickoff is at the top of the hour and we’ll be back with the team sheets as soon as they’re distributed.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are our writers’ predictions for the tournament champions:
Argentina. Lionel Messi may no longer be the best player in the world, but he’s still among the best players in this tournament. Pair his rote brilliance with a team who have proven their ability to win tournaments and you have a successful title defense on your hands. Jon Arnold
Argentina. There’s no doubt the winner will come from Conmebol, but picking between the best South American nations feels impossible. Still, Argentina’s squad is littered with elite players and I’m 95% sure Lionel Messi is still the best player at the tournament. You could do a lot worse as far as deciding factors go. Joseph Lowery
Argentina. Let’s face it – the team is stacked, experienced and thrive under pressure. This could also be Messi’s last tournament as the captain of his national team, which is a nice bit of extra motivation. Julia Ranney
Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa has built a compact and competitive team who have a clear idea of what they want to do on the pitch. No individual player rises above the others, so they each have an equal presence on the field that knits together seamlessly. No other country, except Argentina, have been South American champions as many times as Uruguay; with the two countries holding 15 titles each. Raúl Vilchis
You can read the full report below:
