Tonight in Houston, the United States will be going head-to-head with the world’s greatest player.
The semifinals match for the 2016 COPA will feature the men’s USA team taking on Argentina, a team with an already impressive roster without Lionel Messi. Add the Barcelona star to the mix — coupled with the fact that the Americans have three players on suspension tonight — and you’ve got one helluva uphill battle for the hometown boys. However, head coach Jürgen Klinsmann is optimistic about the chance to go up against the number one team in the world.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our players to prove themselves,” he said. Even still, many pundits are even predicting a multi-goal game for the 28-year-old Argentinian phenom, whose team took care of Venezuela 4-1 to reach this point.
USA knocked off Ecuador 2-1 in the previous match, although they will be without Alejandro Bedoya, Bobby Wood and Jermaine Jones all due to suspension. An accumulation of red and yellow cards in the quarterfinals led to the suspensions, and despite the USMNT’s best effort, none of the suspensions were overturned ahead of today. All three players have started all tournament long, leaving Klinsmann in a tough spot to field a competitive team against Messi and Co.
The match will be at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. The COPA America Centenario Pregame begins on Fox Sports 1 at 7 p.m., with postgame analysis beginning around 11 p.m. ET. The match will also air on Univision Deportes, and viewers can stream USA v. Argentina using Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer2Go, or the Univision Deportes Apps.
The two teams square off with a trip to Sunday’s 2016 Copa America Centenario final on the line. Tomorrow, the other semifinal round will feature Chile taking on Colombia in Chicago.
Watch the above preview from CBS Sports.
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