Messi to start against Canada

NEW YORK (AP):

LIONEL MESSI won’t be stopped by a leg injury and will play in Argentina’s Copa America semifinal against Canada tonight.

Messi has been dealing with a right leg problem since the group stage win over Chile on June 25. He missed the first-round finale four days later but played the entire match in the quarterfinal victory over Ecuador last Thursday.

“Leo is good. He will be playing tomorrow,” Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni said yesterday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

At 37, Messi has 13 Copa America goals and is four behind the record shared by Argentina’s Norberto Méndez and Brazil’s Zizinho but hasn’t scored in this year’s tournament.

“It’s an easy decision for me,” Scaloni said. “It’s a fairly honest decision: I ask him how he feels. If he says ‘I’m not good,’ then he will play the last 30 minutes. When he’s available, he will play.”

Seeking a record 16th Copa America title, Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in the June 20 tournament opener when Messi set up second-half goals by Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.

“We didn’t do well enough with Messi last match. He was able to run free at our goalkeeper too much,” said Jesse Marsch, the American hired as Canada’s coach in May. “We all know he’s the greatest player to ever play the game.”

Argentina outshot Canada 19-10, including 9-2 on target, and had 64 per cent possession.

“It’s more of (an) advantage that we were able to play against them than it was for them to play against us,” Marsch said.

Both teams are coming off quarterfinal wins on penalty kicks. Canada, an invited guest from North America, defeated Venezuela.

In the other semifinal, Uruguay plays Colombia tomorrow night in Charlotte, North Carolina. The championship game is Sunday at Miami Gardens, Florida.

Argentina will have four days’ rest, one more than Canada, but both teams are coming off 90-minute matches. Tournament regulations call for extra time to be used only if needed in the final.

Argentina are seeking to win their third major title after the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup and to equal the feat of Spain, who won the European Championship in 2008 and ’12 along with the 2010 World Cup. The Albiceleste are tied with Uruguay for most Copa America titles with 15.

“We’re playing against the best team in the world,” said Cyle Larin, Canada’s career leader with 29 goals. “We have a lot of speed and power, but I think over those days we’ve been together we’ve been growing.”