Copa America 2016: Semi-Finals Fixtures, TV Schedule, Times, Live Stream & Picks
The semi-finals of the Copa America Centenario have been decided, as hosts United States face the world-class talents of Lionel Messi and Argentina, while holders Chile battle Colombia.
All four sides gave excellent accounts of themselves in their respective quarter-final ties. The Stars and Stripes eliminated powerful Ecuador, and La Albiceleste defeated Venezuela. The most impressive display came from the reigning champions, who pulverised Mexico 7-0. Colombia beat Peru on penalties to set their date with La Roja.
Here is the full schedule for the last-four ties:
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| Tuesday, June 21 | 9 p.m./2.a.m (Wednesday) | Argentina vs. United States | NRG Stadium, Houston | 2-1 |
| Wednesday, June 22 | 8 p.m./ 1 a.m. (Thursday) | Chile vs. Colombia | Soldier Field, Chicago | 2-1 |
Fox Sports will broadcast the matches in the United States, while Premier Sports will do so in the United Kingdom.
The action can also be streamed live at Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.) and FuboTV (U.S.).
Semi-Finals Perfectly Balanced At Copa
The final four of the centenary edition of the Copa are the perfect choices for the watching American public, with the USMNT set to take on the top-ranked side on the planet.
The United States have laboured for months, and the tournament on home soil has been the perfect antidote for Jurgen Klinsmann's unit.
A partisan crowd is expected in Texas on Tuesday as the Americans attempt to produce one of the greatest Copa shocks in history by dumping Messi and his team-mates out of contention.
On paper, there is no comparison between the two starting XIs. The United States battled their way through the group stage before beating a quality Ecuador team in the quarter-finals, but they've not faced a team as good as Argentina in a long while.
Messi, as expected, is the key to this semi-final. The wizard set another milestone in his illustrious career against Venezuela, as highlighted by Bleacher Report UK:
Argentina are clear favourites to dispose of the United States in Houston and are short at 1-2 to win the game, according to Oddschecker, with the Americans quoted at 7-1 to be victorious.
However, it is the semi-final in Chicago when skill sets are more even as Chile fight to retain their title.
If the holders defeat a talented Colombia at Soldier Field on Wednesday, they could be setting up a repeat of the last Copa final, depending on the outcome of Argentina's game against the U.S.
Chile went into their quarter-final with many believing Mexico had the tools to dismantle Juan Antonio Pizzi's team.
However, the Chileans destroyed the Mexicans, scoring seven goals without reply, and suddenly they have demonstratively arrived at this year's competition.
Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl commented on the devastating victory for Pizzi's attacking unit:
Colombia should be a much harder opponent for the holders, but Los Cafeteros have similar issues to Mexico in that they suffer when the chips are down later in competitions.
The presence of James Rodriguez gives Colombia a fighting chance of prevailing over most opponents, though, and they are a healthy 2-1 to beat Chile, per Oddschecker. Pizzi's men are the slim 13-8 favourites to make the final, but James has the magic in his feet to dance his team to the final.
The Real Madrid superstar has watched his stock fall in recent months, as he's been rooted to Zinedine Zidane's substitutes' bench in La Liga, but the Galactico was directly involved in 15 goals in the Primera Division despite only making 17 starts last season, per WhoScored.com.
Messi often steals the spotlight before and during every major tournament he plays in, but as we reach the last hurdles in the U.S., he has competition for his usual crown.
The Argentinian skipper has twice been on the losing side in a Copa final, and despite his achievements with Barcelona, he hasn't won a major trophy with his national team.
As James finds his best form while Chile unleash the brilliance of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, there is no guarantee Messi will finally capture a title he must be desperate to win.
However, before Argentina meet one of their dangerous continental rivals in the marquee match, they will need to end the American dream in front of the hosts' supporters in Houston.
Picks: Argentina and Chile to progress to the 2016 Copa America final.
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