Argentina will be Chile’s next rival in the Copa América in the United States. The Albiceleste cast arrives with all the parchments to fight for the title. The squad led on the field by Lionel Messi arrives at this competition as the World Champion team in Qatar 2022 and as defending champion of the 2021 edition that was held in Brazil.
In addition, he began his time on North American soil with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Canada that left him at the top of the Group A standings.
Despite this, in Argentina there is one point that they have not missed. The Metlife stadium in New Jersey will be the venue for the duel between La Roja and Albiceleste, the same one that in 2016 saw a new celebration of Chile against the trans-Andeans in the so-called Copa América Centenario.
“Look at the past to understand the present and dream of a more future. June 27, 2016 was a turning point in the history of Lionel Messi and the National Team. And Leo will return almost eight years later to MetLife Stadium from one of his saddest days, from one of the moments when he thought everything was over with the shirt he loves the most.”Olé highlighted.
“Destiny places the same stadium, the same tournament and the same rival in Messi’s path. The situation is totally different, but it is clear that each match with Chile has something special after the finals lost on penalties in 2015 and more so in 2016.″they added later.
In any case, the latest results obtained put everything behind us. “The bad memories have been buried for a long time, they were buried forever in the Maracaná, London and Lusail, but Leo knows that this match is important to continue expanding a cycle that does not stop growing. A victory in his first game at the age of 37 would put the National Team in the quarterfinals and would be a step towards dreaming of the two-time championship, in his last Copa América.“, they complemented.
To close, they give an account of what the team could achieve, already thinking about the next World Cup: “Because if there is a replay for the Olympic return, there will be a semifinal at MetLife Stadium, exactly the stage where the 2026 World Cup final will be played… And yes, dreaming costs nothing.”
That 2016 Copa América also meant a new chapter of suffering for Lionel Messi. After the title of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2015 Copa América escaped them, this edition emerged as a great chance to take revenge. However, La Roja knew how to control the duel and once again celebrated before his eyes, a situation that motivated him to make a sudden decision, although in the end he recanted.
“The Selection is over for me”, he threw 10 back then. “It’s incredible, but I don’t get it,” she lamented later. Of course, the absence only lasted 45 days. “It was a hot decision and with a lot of pain because of what we went through,” he acknowledged. “PI was serious about leaving, but I love my country and this t-shirt too much“, he announced upon his return before playing in the World Cup in Russia.
Their great revenge then came in the 2021 Copa América in Brazil against the hosts at the Maracaná stadium. “I needed to get rid of the thorn and achieve something with the National Team. He knew that at some point he was going to give“, he commented after finally being able to win the Albiceleste.
“Many times I had to leave sad, but I knew it was going to happen. There was no better time than this, at the Maracaná. This group really deserved it. I had a lot of confidence in this group that was becoming stronger, a group of very good people who always pushed forward, who never complained about anything. There were many days locked up without seeing the family. Luckily it was given to us and we were able to be champions,” he added in the midst of joy.
