Argentina 2, Canada 0 takeaways: Halftime mind games and Maxime Crepeau’s impressive stops

By Paul Tenorio, Felipe Cardenas and Joshua Kloke

The path through an international tournament is rarely an easy one.

Argentina doesn’t need to look far back in its history to remember that. Two years ago en route to the World Cup triumph, Argentina fell in its tournament opener to Saudi Arabia. What happened on Thursday night in Atlanta was not as alarming as that loss in Qatar. But Argentina had to take its punches and fight through its misses to secure a 2-0 win over Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Both teams had their chances throughout the match. Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi missed breakaways on net. In Messi’s case, two. Canada had several good looks at goal that they couldn’t put away. In the end, Julian Alvarez’s second-half goal — spurred by a through ball from Messi to Alexis Mac Allister — gave an early lift. Lautaro Martinez sealed the outcome in the 89th minute with an assist from Messi.

Both teams will pull something positive out of this game, whether it be Canada’s fight or Argentina’s ability to get a result despite lacking lethality in big moments. Overall, it was an entertaining game in front of a raucous crowd to kick off the Copa América in the U.S. If the hope of this tournament is to put on a show not just for the world, but for the American audience, the first night was a success.

Did Argentina need some halftime mind games to overcome Canada?

Argentina wasn’t sluggish in the first half, but they were cautious at times, which is uncharacteristic of them. Canada’s midblock forced Argentina to swing the ball laterally. Spaces opened up, but when they switched to Di Maria on the right, or to Marcos Acuña on the left, Argentina rarely took that chance.

It appeared as if midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Cristian Romero knew that Di Maria wouldn’t outrun Alphonso Davies. Acuña was the better option and Messi often found him. Argentina’s respect for Canada’s speed in transition resulted in fairly conservative play from the world champions. Missed chances from Messi, Di Maria and Mac Allister kept the first 45 minutes even in Atlanta.

Argentina delayed their return to the pitch after halftime, as Canada waited patiently on the pitch. That has become the norm for Messi and Co. Let’s be clear. It’s gamesmanship and perhaps it worked. Three minutes into the second half, Paredes sent a long diagonal ball to Di Maria, forcing Davies to backpedal. Shortly thereafter, Argentina scored the opener through Alvarez, after pushing Canada deep into their own half.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch addressed the halftime delay after the game.

“When they were waiting, I knew that they were looking at video and they were analyzing how they wanted to play against us. Now, I wish again, the referees would manage that. If we were five minutes late, we’d get a fine. There’d be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina,” Marsch said. “But in the end, I just made sure that the players knew that they were going to come out with a new plan and they basically rotated a little bit more to three, but we still dealt with it.”

Marsch continued with a wide grin on his face: “Argentina should be fined. OK? Fined. Write that. Olé. La Nacion.”

Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul argues with Stephen Eustaquio of Canada. (Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Was Canada the better team in the first half?

It would not be fair to say Canada was the better team in the first half, but considering the disparity in expectations and talent, their performance stood out more. Yes, Canada took a few punches and needed a couple of big saves from Maxime Crepeau, but when they pushed forward they did so with effectiveness.

In the 30th and 32nd minutes, they broke through down the left side through Davies. On one, the ball found Tajon Buchanan at the far post and his desperate spinning toe-poke did little to danger Argentina, but Jonathan David was arriving on a late run and, had the ball been dropped back, would’ve had a good chance to test the goal. Two minutes later, Argentine defenders were throwing their bodies around to block shots in the box.

The best moment came in the 43rd minute when Buchanan shook his defender and crossed into the box. Stephen Eustaquio rose for an open header, but his attempt from close range was stopped by Dibu Martinez. The crowd chanted the goalkeeper’s name in appreciation of the save.

It was admirable for the Canadians to punch back and forth with Argentina, but considering the ability of David (101 goals over the last six seasons in Belgium and France) and Cyle Larin (43 goals over the last four seasons in Turkey, Belgium and Spain) they have to find ways to finish their chances. And when you don’t finish your chances against teams with quality like Argentina, it usually comes back to bite you.

Was Maxime Crepeau the right choice at goalkeeper for Canada?

For years under Milan Borjan, Canada’s longtime goalkeeper and oft-captain, Maxime Crepeau has waited patiently for his opportunity. He waited – excruciatingly, mind you – through the 2022 World Cup when a broken leg in the MLS Cup final forced him out of the chance of a lifetime.

He even waited through Marsch’s first game with Canada as the new head coach elected to start Dayne St. Clair against the Netherlands.

Yet with highlight-reel saves against Argentina, Crepeau stepped into the limelight and showed why Canada’s goal is now his and his alone.

The 30-year-old has hung in the background throughout Canada’s camp in Atlanta. And yet when it mattered, he showed the kind of aggressiveness necessary to succeed in Marsch’s system. Crepeau was the Canadian who most prominently rose to the moment, running far out of his goal to stun Argentina’s attackers with important saves.

How many Canadians – nah, how many international goalkeepers – can claim to have stopped Messi point blank as he did in the 65th minute? How many can say they had the bravery to storm out and cut Messi off in his tracks, forcing a shot wide in the 79th minute? How many more can say they stopped Di María on a clear two-on-none to keep their team in the game?

Between overcoming any hesitation that can come with returning from a broken leg or the frustration that could come with not getting his chance, Crepeau deserves praise for giving his Canadian teammates a chance in the game. A massive effort from a player who will wake up Friday morning with thousands of new fans back home.

Crepeau stops Messi from scoring. (Photo by Omar Vega, Getty Images)

What did Marsch say?

The Canada head coach on the overall performance: “I thought we had a good performance, especially when we were able to execute our tactical plan. We made it very difficult on Argentina and really could have had some goals — could have had the lead.”

On the lack of finishing from his side: “I’m not too concerned about not finishing. I know that over time when you get those kinds of quality chances you’re going to score enough goals and we have enough quality on the pitch. More is the focus on the details of how to tactically be sharper and cleaner and not give away such easy chances. It felt like it was a match where we had to really work and earn our opportunities and we sometimes gave them things that were too simple and too easy. So if we can clean that up a little bit, then I think we’ll have a better control of the match even against the best team in the world.”

What did Lionel Scaloni say?

On the temporary playing surface at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: “They’ve known for seven months that we were going to play here and they changed the surface two days ago. For the show, it’s not good. I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but it’s not a proper field. The stadium is beautiful and with the synthetic grass it must be spectacular. But with today’s grass. honestly no. No, it is not suitable for these type of players.”

What’s next for each team?

Chile vs. Argentina, Tuesday, June 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET (MetLife Stadium, Easter Rutherford, NJ)

Peru vs. Canada, Tuesday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET (Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS)