Lionel Messi and Argentina are two matches away from adding another title to their soccer dynasty.
Messi will be in action for the first match Tuesday during Argentina’s Copa America semifinal against Canada.
“Leo is well. He finished the last game well, and he’ll be part of the game tomorrow,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said Monday during a press conference at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the semifinal will be played.
Although Messi has been the catalyst to three of Argentina’s six goals, he has underwhelmed slightly during the tournament being hosted in his new home country for the last year since joining Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Argentina and Canada will play at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. in Argentina) on Tuesday. The game will be broadcast by FS1 in English, and Univision/TUDN in Spanish.
Yes, Messi will play in his second consecutive game after returning from a right groin/adductor injury.
Messi has yet to score a goal during Copa America and missed a match (June 29 in Miami) due to injury. He has played in two group matches and in the quarterfinal win over Ecuador last Thursday.
Messi also was left angered and disappointed after he missed a penalty shot during a crucial penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, but Argentina prevailed 1-1 (4-2 in penalties).
“A lot of anger, a lot of anger,” Messi said of his penalty miss. “I just wanted to touch it and it went high.”
Colombia and Uruguay will play in the other semifinal Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The semifinal winners will play in the Copa America 2024 final Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while the losers play in the third-place game on Saturday in Charlotte.
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