Tumbling over the barrier, Lavezzi was carried off and as of writing, there is no update of whether he will play in Argentina’s championship match. The U.S. scored goals from former San Jose Earthquakes general manager Alexis Lalas, and former San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda and Frank Klopas.
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The difference in the teams was apparent from the start.
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann made two changes at the break but Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain scored a third goal four minutes into the second period when he beat Guzan at the second time of asking after the keeper had saved his initial shot. Messi has been playing great in the Copa, scoring already four goals and two assists in 164 minutes of play.
Despite the physical play from the USA defense, the Argentinian attack, led by Lionel Messi, peppered 10 shots at netminder Brad Guzan. For good measure, Messi connected with Higuain in the 86th minute to make it 4-0, where the American defense was nowhere to be found in the waning minutes of the game. If he gets the calculus right, the USA could have a shot at shocking Argentina.
Looking back at their quarterfinal match against Venezuela, Martino said there were 15 minutes in that game that anxious him, even if the worry came after Argentina was already in the lead.
Higuain scored when he burst past John Brooks for Lavezzi’s pass and one-timed a shot that Guzan stopped with a diving save, then poked the rebound into an open net. He eventually climbed to his feet, appearing more shaken than hurt, before leaving the field on a stretcher. Jermaine Jones, Bobby Wood, and Alejandro Bedoya are all unavailable today; Jones because of a red card, Wood and Bedoya due to yellow card accumulation.
If the United States had to face early adversity in its Copa America campaign, Argentina had an easier path to the semifinals.
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Here is the TV schedule for Tuesday’s semifinal matchup between US and Argentina. The U.S. will play in the third-place game on Saturday against the loser of the other semifinal. After the US set up its wall, Messi bent a lovely curving drive that went just over Guzan’s outstretched left palm and into the upper corner. “I feel we are growing, and that really fills me with pride”. Excluding the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USA have only made one prior appearance in the final of a major global tournament. And even without him, Argentina outscored opponents 9-2, the second-largest goal differential in the tournament.
