Copa America Bracket 2016: Updated Semi-Final Fixtures, Odds and Predictions
The Copa America Centenario is edging closer to its climax with two thrilling semi-finals on the slate before Sunday's showpiece finale.
Argentina, fresh off their 4-1 quarter-final win over Venezuela on Saturday, will take on the USA on Tuesday at Houston's NRG Stadium after the hosts eased past Ecuador 2-1 last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Colombia sneaked through on penalties against Peru on Friday, and defending champions Chile romped to the semi-finals with a stunning 7-0 win over Mexico on Saturday.
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We've previewed both semi-finals below, but first, here are the schedule and predictions for each matchup, as well as the latest odds, courtesy of Oddschecker and Odds Shark:
| Tuesday, June 21 | 9 p.m./2 a.m. (Wed) | USA (6-1) | 13-4 | Argentina (21-25) | 1-3 |
| Wednesday, June 22 | 8 p.m./1 a.m. (Thu) | Colombia (39-19) | 9-4 | Chile (8-5) | 0-2 |
| Argentina | 57-100 |
| Chile | 13-4 |
| Colombia | 5-1 |
| United States | 8-1 |
USA vs. Argentina
Argentina enter this game not only as overwhelming favourites to win the semi-final, but to win the tournament itself, and it's difficult to see past them here.
Getting past Venezuela was always likely to require a routine performance, but La Albiceleste were impressive throughout—and it was of little surprise Lionel Messi was at the heart of everything.
The Barcelona forward pulled level with Gabriel Batistuta as the country's leading goalscorer when he netted on the hour mark:
Per BBC Sport, he said: "For us to be back in another semi-final of a big tournament like this one is a great achievement for these players. I'm happy for what it means, and it's nice to be next to 'Batigol' [Batistuta], but for me the most important thing is the result."
Messi has also produced plenty of other magic moments at the Copa America this year, and his exquisite pass for Gonzalo Higuain's first goal was a joy to behold, via the tournament's official Twitter feed:
With the 28-year-old in such incredible form and many of his team-mates also enjoying strong tournaments, the USA face a tough task on Tuesday.
After a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Colombia in their opening game, manager Jurgen Klinsmann's side have been impressive and showed resilience in hanging on for the win against Ecuador.
They will have had two more days of rest than their opponents but will be missing regular starters Jermaine Jones, Bobby Wood and Alejandro Bedoya—which could be a particular blow, given they had enjoyed a largely consistent starting lineup earlier in the competition. Jones received a red card against Ecuador, while Wood and Bedoya both received their second yellow cards.
Former United States star Alexi Lalas gave his take on what the U.S. needs to do to have a chance against Argentina:
Klinsmann gave his own thoughts on how the USA can triumph, per Andrew Wiebe of MLS' official website: "Be even hungrier. Be even more aggressive, more determined than you ever were before. Add another 10 per cent to what you did already. If everybody does that, we have a game with Argentina."
Though they're not likely to win, the USA are undoubtedly capable of giving Argentina a tougher game than Venezuela did. Expect them to acquit themselves well even if they're not able to book passage to the final.
Colombia vs. Chile
As strong as Argentina were in their quarter-final, the team who threw down the gauntlet were Chile, who tore apart a Mexico side that had previously looked like a possible contender for a place in the final.
As poor as El Tri were on the day, La Roja were exceptional, as Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl and ESPN's Taylor Twellman noted:
Indeed, football writer Philippe Auclair was stunned by their performance, as they pressed and harried Mexico before punishing them with frightening ruthlessness:
Per the Guardian's Duncan Tucker, Chile boss Juan Antonio Pizzi reflected on the incredible scenes: "We didn’t give Mexico a chance. We were the winners by far in the individual duels. These players are writing the most brilliant pages in the history of Chilean football. I hope we can keep adding to it."
Meanwhile, Colombia scraped through via a 4-2 shootout with Peru after struggling to create chances or particularly trouble their opponents' goal.
Chile will need to be wary of the threat the likes of James Rodriguez and Carlos Bacca pose, but they have little to fear if they put in as excellent a performance as they did against Mexico.
Former footballer Stuart Holden wasn't enamoured with Colombia after their showing:
La Roja's main source of concern will be Arturo Vidal's suspension after he picked up a yellow card in the quarter-final.
However, while his blend of tenacity, physicality and technical ability is difficult to replace, Chile's organisation and relentless work rate should compensate for his absence, and they should still be able to enjoy a relatively straightforward win.
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