ATLANTA — They came to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on foot, by bike, by scooter, by car and by train. They came from all points of the compass, and almost all of them wore the white and sky blue of The Albiceleste. They were disciples of Messi’s church and on Thursday night their high priest rewarded them.
Lionel Messi and Argentina began the defense of their 2021 Copa América title on Thursday with a difficult but ultimately inevitable 2-0 victory over Canada. The atmosphere throughout the stadium was much more South American, much less Southeastern Conference, giving American fans an up-close look at the kind of passion that drives soccer fans on continents beyond this one.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted a Super Bowl, several concerts by Beyoncé and the Rolling Stones, a national college soccer championship and an MLS title game. It is the usual home during the first week of December for the SEC championship, and has seen some of the most powerful American teams of the last half decade (Alabama Crimson Tide, New England Patriots, Georgia Bulldogs) earn a crucial legacy. -defining games here. But nothing like the South American explosion that radiated throughout the massive stadium on Thursday night has ever been seen.
An elite soccer game is an all-out assault on the senses, constantly rotating ads from brands unknown to the American public, mixes of stadium standards like “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Welcome to the Jungle” with Latin rhythms and of clubs. , MCs who fire up the crowd by screaming loud enough into the microphones to overwhelm the overloaded speakers in the house. It’s a thrilling, relentless barrage, and even if you don’t understand every word, you can revel in the fact that everyone around you is having an ecstatic experience.
After a spectacular opening ceremony to kick off the 48th edition of the Copa América, the match officially begins at 8:06 pm local time. There are 22 players on the field, but all eyes are focused on Argentina’s No. 10, who set a new Copa America record on Thursday night with his 35th appearance in the tournament.
Messi can spend much of a match pacing around as if he were waiting for a barista to finish his order. And then, out of nowhere, as if he could predict the future, he is exactly where he needs to be, like during a breakaway in the 10th minute when he fired a cross shot that went just wide. The play may have been offside, but the message to Canada and the world was clear: messi is coming.
Canada spent most of the first half simply holding off the initial Argentine attack, with enough response (like an Alphonso Davies penalty kick and a Liam Millar follow-up close enough to leave the crowd gasping) to keep anyone dressed in blue and white. getting too comfortable. And when Canadian Stephen Eustaquio nearly headed the ball in in the 43rd minute, Argentine nerves tightened a little more.
At the halfway point, stadium staff watered most of the newly laid natural grass, trying to give more consistency and stability to a surface very different from the usual turf in NFL stadiums. The viability and sustainability of natural grass laid over artificial turf will be a key issue not only in next month’s Copa America, but also in the largest, most global tournament coming to American shores in two years. Eleven of the 16 stadiums scheduled to host World Cup games are NFL stadiums, and many of them, including Atlanta, have grass fields. Football purists are as focused on the agronomy of the course as golf fans, and any hint of imperfection will draw withering criticism.
“We’ve known for seven months that we were going to play here and two days ago they changed the grass,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said after the game. “We didn’t play on a decent field. It was similar to Arabia (Saudi) but with the difference that we played there on a proper field. It can’t be like that.”
Whether the turf is natural or artificial, there is a certain symmetry to the fact that the Copa América began in a stadium that has hosted some of the most significant moments in recent college football history: Alabama’s championship victory national in overtime on second and 26 against Georgia. in 2018, and then Georgia’s midnight playoff semifinal victory over Ohio State in 2022. Of all American sports, college soccer comes closest to the incomparable, unabashed reverence that South American fans have for football.
Chubby-cheeked babies with their faces painted with the Argentine flag, children and old people alike taking off their shirts and twirling them over their heads, the complex cheers and chants that come out of nowhere and surround the stadium, the constant nervous energy that echoes through the stadium. the crowd… it all creates a fervent, passionate vibe that, to Americans, may seem strange in the details but very familiar in its intensity.
Canada put up a good fight in the first half, but reality caught up with the Canucks early in the second. Argentinian Julián Álvarez, taking a break from his daily work with Manchester City, converted after Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau collided with Álvarez’s teammate, Alexis Mac Allister, leaving the goal open for an easy tap-in.
Messi ignited the crowd in the 65th minute, almost turning it into a one-on-one breakaway that was both graceful and balletic on Leo’s part, and desperate and greedy on Canada’s part. This time he won out.
Another characteristic moment almost blossomed about 10 minutes later, when Messi broke free once again with only Crépeau between him and the goal, but a collision with Crépeau ended the threat, leaving Messi lying face-first on the grass and most of the crowd quite angry. to open the stadium’s retractable roof:
The dagger came in the 88th minute, when Messi assisted Lautaro Martínez for a brilliant finish:
The game was one of those rare ones that serves as a kind of victory for both sides: Argentina obviously gets the three points for the win, but Canada gained the confidence of knowing that they can compete with the best in the world… and they can win something. Take solace in the fact that Crépeau and the Canadian defense denied Messi two easy opportunities. It’s not as good as a win or even a draw, but it’s something.
As for Messi and Argentina, after a slow start, they started the Copa América showing that they are not ready to hand over their title yet. And now American fans also have an idea of how to improve their game.