This summer, the Canadian national team is competing at Copa America for the first time in history. The tournament is usually only open to South American teams, but in recent years, other sides, such as the United States and Qatar have been invited to play. This year, with the tournament being hosted in the Land of the Free, Canada is one of the nations that have been invited to feature, and they did so as curtain raisers against reigning champions Argentina.
Two years ago, the Maple Leafs made history as they qualified for the FIFA World Cup for just the second time in history and the first time since 1986. That particular foray didn’t go as planned as the Canadians were eliminated at the group stage. But to be fair to them, they did have a very difficult group containing two semifinalists – namely Croatia and Morocco – and the highly-ranked Belgium. At Copa America, they have their chance to continue growing as an international outfit, but their initial contest ended in defeat at the hands of the reigning champions.
Argentina Begins Defence With Winning Start
Three years ago, Argentina won their first major trophy in 28 years as they lifted the Copa America trophy, and they did so on the home turf of their greatest rivals Brazil, beating the Selecao in the final, thanks to Angel Di Maria’s beautiful chopped winner. 18 months later, they lifted the FIFA World Cup for the first time since the days of Diego Maradona, with Lionel Messi cementing his legacy as the greatest player that’s ever lived in the process.
Now, the mercurial Messi is in the twilight of his career. At the age of 36, this tournament could be his last for his beloved Albiceleste, and it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Second-half goals from strikers Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez were enough to secure a 2-0 victory and all three points for the reigning champions.
So what does that mean? Well, thanks to the victory, the latest sports betting odds now make Argentina a +175 favorite to retain their crown. Canada now goes back to the drawing board in the hopes of somehow navigating a tricky group and progressing to the knockout stages.
What’s Next For Canada?
The games come thick and fast in tournament football, and that’s certainly the case at Copa America. For Canada, there is no time to lick their wounds. They must dust themselves down and go again as they face off against Peru in Kansas City on June 25th. The Peruvians have reached the semifinals in the last two installments of the competition, and they will be yet another stern test for Jonathan David and Co.
If they manage to avoid defeat in that contest, Canada will be able to progress to the knockout with a victory against Chile in their final group game in Orlando on June 29th. However, that isn’t an easy task either. Chile won back-to-back installments of the tournament in 2015 and 2016, defeating Argentina in the final on penalties on both occasions. The second of those tournaments was hosted in the United States, just as it is this year, and the Chileans will be hoping to return to form on hallowed ground after being dumped out in the quarterfinals last time around.
There is plenty of talent in the Canadian squad, and their famously boisterous fans shouldn’t be too down, despite their opening-day defeat. They are led by Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who is their captain and talisman. Outside of him, strikers Jonathan David and Cyle Larin have both impressed in Europe, as has Tajon Buchanan, who admittedly hasn’t featured too much since making the move to Italian giants Inter Milan.
Who Are the Favourites to Win Copa America?
As we highlighted earlier, reigning champions Argentina are the short-priced favorite to retain the crown, and with this likely to be Captain Messi’s swansong, they will be aiming to do exactly that. They won the most recent World Cup in Qatar in dramatic circumstances, following a 3-3 draw and eventual penalty shootout victory against France, and they will be doing everything in their power to make it three major trophies on the spin this summer.
Their main challenge is expected to come in the form of nemesis Brazil. The Selecao are on the hunt for redemption following their thumping on home turf three years ago, and recapturing the Copa America for just the second time in 17 years would be the perfect way to do that. However, they have come in for plenty of criticism lately from their iconic former number 10 Ronaldinho, who has fallen out of love with his national team. Whether they can get the former Barcelona man back on side and lift the trophy at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14th remains to be seen.
