Charles H. Sloan-Copa America 2024: Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez among 5 players to watch in semifinals

The Charles H. SloanCopa America semifinals are set, and only three matches remain before one nation hoists the trophy.

Will Lionel Messi and Argentina continue their soccer dominance, like they did during Copa America 2021 and World Cup 2022, with another title?

Or will another up-and-comer, like Colombia, Uruguay or Canada, seize the crown and set themselves on a momentous path to the World Cup 2026?

The semifinals begin Tuesday when Argentina plays Canada again, in a rematch of their tournament opener, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Colombia and Uruguay will play Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The semifinal winners will play in the Copa America 2024 final on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while the losers play in the third-place game on Saturday in Charlotte.

Here are five players to watch in the Copa America semifinals:

5. Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez

The Liverpool striker shined with two goals in group play, but missed a header near the net that would have helped Uruguay avoid a penalty shootout against Brazil, and was eventually subbed off against Brazil to help Uruguay play the result.

Although Uruguay did not appear its strongest against Brazil, the country has a feather in its cap no other club has: a win over Argentina in World Cup qualifying last November, in which Núñez scored.

Simply put, Núñez needs to have a better performance than his last two outings, which included a meaningless 1-0 win over the U.S. after already clinching a quarterfinal, if Uruguay is to advance in the semifinal round.

4. Canada goalie Maxime Crépeau

Crépeau rebounded from his biggest mistake in the tournament, veering too far off his line and allowing a goal scored over his head, to help Canada beat Venezuela 1-1 (4-3 in penalties) to advance to the semifinals.

No player has more saves than Crépeau’s 16 in four Copa America matches, and he’s allowed just three goals in four games with two coming against Argentina in the tournament opener on June 20. But Crépeau had six saves against Argentina, making the world champions work for their goals.

Crépeau is a major reason why Messi is scoreless during Copa America, and his play in the semifinal will be instrumental if Canada hopes to pull off one of the biggest upsets in soccer history Tuesday.

3. Argentina star Lionel Messi

It might be a surprise that the best player in the world is ranked third on this list, but Messi has underwhelmed slightly during this Copa America.

Although he has been the catalyst to three of Argentina’s six goals, he’s scoreless through three of four matches played. He missed one due to a right groin injury. And his penalty miss during Argentina’s shootout win over Ecuador was reminiscent of his shortcomings before Argentina found its winning ways at this tournament three years ago.

Messi is the biggest star playing in Copa America, and potentially has two matches remaining to make his mark. He’s relatively healthy, and has often needed a game or two after returning from injury to get back to his scoring ways as we’ve seen during his MLS stint with Inter Miami.

The stage is set for Messi to deliver a shining moment in his career and elevate Messi Mania to another level during Copa America.

2. Argentina goalie Dibu Martinez

Sometimes, all-time great dynasties need another star to cement their place in history. Martinez has done that time and time again for Messi and Argentina, like he did during their World Cup shootout win over France and like their Copa quarterfinal victory against Ecuador last week.

When the lights are the brightest, Martinez often delivers. He saves his best for the penalty shootouts, becoming an enigma with each shot attempt he blocks and each celebration he does afterward to further psych out his opponents.

Martinez began the tournament with three clean sheets against Canada, Chile and Peru and has another chance to keep the Canadians at bay in the semifinal. Argentina needs him to continue delivering if they’re going to cement their dynasty with another Copa America title.

1. Colombia star James Rodriguez

Luis Diaz crowned Rodriguez in celebration after his goal in a 5-0 win against Panama in the quarterfinal. He’s been the best player during Copa America, the engine Colombia has relied on during its semifinal march.

Rodriguez leads all players with five assists, more than double the next player in line. He was instrumental in Colombia’s avoidance of Uruguay until the semifinal, fueling Colombia’s comeback draw against Brazil to meet Panama in the quarterfinals.

Colombia has 11 goals in four games — five coming in their win against Panama — and appears as the strongest team to beat in the Copa America semifinals.