The Copa America Centenario semifinals begin tonight and the United States are the lone CONCACAF team still remaining. After losing the opening match to Colombia 2-0, the USMNT have rattled off wins of 4-0 against Costa Rica, 1-0 against Paraguay and 2-1 against Ecuador to seal their place in their first Copa America semifinals since 1995. With their recent play exceeding many people's expectations, the Americans look for more as they hope to clinch a berth in the Final in East Rutherford, New Jersey Sunday evening.
In their way stands the number one team in the FIFA rankings, Argentina. You probably know them...they have this Lionel Messi guy you've heard of. They also have a few other guys who are pretty good in Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Erik Lamela, Ezequiel Lavezzi and many more. They're loaded, in other words. They've dominated thus far, dispatching Chile 2-1, pummeling Panama 5-0, throttling Bolivia 3-0 and dismantling Venezuela 4-1 to reach the semis.
On paper, many probably assume the United States have zero chance against the likes of Argentina. The words "world class," "greatest of all time," and "unstoppable" are being thrown around about La Albiceleste and its famous players. Still, the Americans are looking to shock the world in front of a sellout crowd in Houston. They will have to do it without Jermaine Jones (red card suspension) as well as Alejandro Bedoya and Bobby Wood (yellow card accumulation). On the Argentine side, Nicolas Gaitan will sit as well (yellow card accumulation). The winner moves on to the final, while the loser will play Saturday in the 3rd place match in Glendale, Arizona. Make no mistake: the United States and Argentina will fight to get a chance to play on Sunday for the Copa America Centenario trophy.
Location: NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Kick-off time: 9:00pm Eastern
Available TV: Fox Sports 1 (English), Univision (Spanish), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
Available streaming: Fox Sports Go (English), Fox Soccer 2Go (English), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.
The gamethread for tonight's game will be posted one hour before kickoff.