Copa: rematch of Copa final
February 22, 2016
Lionel Messi and Argentina will have the chance to avenge last year's Copa America defeat to Chile as the two sides prepare to face each other in the group stages of this year's tournament.
Messi, a five-time World Footballer of the Year, has confirmed he will attend the tournament at the end of a long club season with Barcelona. Others such as Neymar, Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez are still to decide whether they will compete in what is expected to be the biggest football tournament ever to be staged in the USA.
"You cannot compare it with the Copa America final, which was something unique," said Argentina coach Gerardo Martino. Messi's Argentina went down on penalties last summer as Chile won their first-ever title in the country's capital, Santiago.
The Copa America, or the South American championship, has been held every three years since 2001, but the tournament is hosting a special centenary edition in the United States between June 3 and June 26.
Meanwhile, Jürgen Klinsmann's US side will need to battle out of a group that includes Paraguay, Colombia and Costa Rica to succeed on home soil. "I think it is a fantastic opportunity for us to show again that the game is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. This will give the game a huge boost in the United States," the German said.
rd/pfd (AP, RTRE)