3 questions for Canada's Copa America opener vs. Argentina

Canada makes its Copa America debut tonight in Atlanta with a glamorous matchup against Argentina, the reigning world and South American champion, in the tournament opener. Litmus tests don't get better than this. Can Jesse Marsch's young team handle the occasion and hang with the top-ranked men's side in the world? What have the players learned from their experience in Qatar two years ago? And how on earth do you deal with that Lionel Messi guy? Below, we examine the biggest questions going into the contest.

To press, or not to press?

Staying true to the dogma he absorbed while working within the Red Bull consortium of clubs, Jesse Marsch hasn't wasted any time trying to imbue his beloved high-pressing, uptempo style on this Canadian group. The American, who's ratcheted up the intensity level in training since taking the head coaching job last month, demands boundless energy and aggression from his players in every area on the pitch.

When it works, it can unsettle the opposition, creating turnovers in dangerous areas high up the field, and, ideally, scoring chances and goals. When it doesn't? You get the second half of Canada's 4-0 trouncing in the pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands, where Marsch's men, after looking lively in the opening 45 minutes, were exhausted and uncoordinated after the break and promptly got picked apart.

Marsch, to his credit, showed immediate adaptability where many other less flexible tacticians would have persisted with rigidity.

Commitment and hard running are nonnegotiable, of course, but in the encouraging goalless draw with France that followed the shellacking in Rotterdam, Canada was more measured in its approach. There were bursts of his trademark high press, but Canada was also comfortable retreating into its defensive shape and slowing the game down, staying compact and forcing France to move the ball laterally.

The Canadians, expected to use the same 4-4-2 lineup that started the final pre-Copa game in Bordeaux, need to strike that same balance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Argentina has lost just twice in its last 58 games dating back to the 2019 Copa America semifinals. The Albiceleste's worst performance in that time? A 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in November when Marcelo Bielsa's brand of ultra-intense pressing - not totally dissimilar to Marsch's preferred style - flustered and disrupted Messi and Co. in Buenos Aires.

"We never felt comfortable," Messi explained to TyC Sports after that game, as translated by The Athletic's Ali Rampling. "We were not able to have long possessions, didn't create chances, and played the game that they wanted, in their rhythm. They are a physical team that brings a lot of danger in the counterattacks, and they showed that with the goals they scored."

That can provide something of a blueprint for Canada, perhaps. But a flawless high press is virtually impossible to sustain, both mentally and physically, for 90 minutes, so Canada will need to be content with soaking up some pressure at various points of the match.

Can you manage the moment?

Canada, still growing into its newfound status as a perennial participant at major international tournaments, has been guilty of losing its composure and failing to manage emotions in key moments in recent years.

After a blistering start against Croatia at the 2022 World Cup - coming off the infamous "F Croatia" rallying cry from former bench boss John Herdman - the team crumbled en route to a humbling 4-1 loss. Canada collapsed, at home, no less, in November's Nations League defeat to Jamaica, unable to match the desperation the away side showed when an automatic Copa berth was on the line. And, in the aforementioned friendly against the Netherlands, the Dutch scored three times in 13 frantic minutes, with Canada unable to stem the tide when it began to turn.

The demeanor against France was cause for optimism. But, against an Argentine squad that is equal parts dogged and skilled, Canada needs to match the ferocity that the likes of Rodrigo De Paul and Cristian Romero will bring without getting too worked up and sucked into the type of petty incidents that can destabilize the team, even for a moment. Experiencing the World Cup limelight should help in that regard, but, with respect, this is a different beast to any of Belgium, Croatia, or Morocco.

It's also one thing to get "CONCACAFed" by regional opposition. It's another thing entirely to deal with those same tactics while simultaneously trying to contain some of the best players on the planet.

Marsch knows it.

"People underestimate (Argentina's) edge. They can be downright nasty sometimes, because they're winners," the coach told reporters during an open training session earlier this week. "They don't want to ever back down, they're going to make sure they set the tone for every match they're in, and if you pay too much attention to the tactics and not enough understanding of what the game will require - the savviness, the experience, the intelligence, the real edge - then you can get really walked all over."

Straddling the line between intensity and discipline is a hallmark of elite teams that know when to switch between the various approaches.

Does Canada have that edge? "Not yet," Marsch admitted. "We have to not be so naive. We have to grow up a little bit ... This will be a challenge for us at that level, but in some ways, it's exactly what we need."

How to deal with Messi?

So, yeah, Messi.

The all-time icon, who turns 37 next week, is still more than capable of taking over games on his own, floating in and out of spaces, disappearing for several minutes at a time before popping up in a dangerous pocket and going on one of his trademark dazzling runs to unlock the defense.

As ever, the first step is cutting off the supply line. Easier said than done, no doubt. Against the Netherlands, Marsch had wide midfielders Liam Millar and Tajon Buchanan tucking inside, while Jonathan David also dropped deeper at times to receive the ball and link up play. In possession, this allowed Canada to play quick combinations in the middle of the pitch before getting the ball out wide to star man - and newly minted captain - Alphonso Davies. Getting Davies in space against whomever Argentina starts at right-back - likely one of Nahuel Molina or Gonzalo Montiel - is an obvious area where Canada can find joy. It's arguably the team's greatest advantage in the contest.

But that same rotation can serve a defensive purpose, too.

Some combination of David, Millar, and Buchanan will need to play a role in trying to stop Argentina from overwhelming the two-man Canadian midfield. The duo of vice-captain Stephen Eustaquio and rising star Ismael Kone is one of the biggest strengths of the side, but against the World Cup holder's three-man unit, simple math dictates that some help is required.

Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, and De Paul - or Leandro Paredes, or Giovani Lo Celso, or one of Argentina's other excellent midfielders - can slice through pressure with slick interchanges and clever one-touch passes, which then creates a clear lane to feed Messi. If it gets to that point, you're already in serious trouble, and prayer might be your only hope.

"(Messi's) very clever about coming underneath at times, about how he moves off the back line," Marsch explained in his final pre-match press conference Wednesday. "Obviously, anytime he gets on the ball, the way that he can start to create combinations and really provide confidence and poise and quality for the team is very unique, right? This is what makes him the best player to ever play the game."

If nothing else, an onrushing Messi with teammates to pick out will be the ultimate test of burgeoning center-back partnership Derek Cornelius and Moise Bombito, who, at long last, give Canada genuine mobility and recovery speed in central defense.

With that type of athleticism all over the pitch, and the added nous that Marsch is trying to instill, Canada shouldn't cower, even when faced with the most magical footballer the game's ever seen.