One of the most monumental moments in Canadian men’s soccer history takes place tonight, as the red and white play in their first Copa America, and take on the number-one country in the world rankings to kick things off. Going from decades of heartbreak, disappointment, and pessimism to pushing for a result against Argentina still feels like a fever dream, though when the opening whistle is blown, any “happy to be here” vibes must be shaken off in pursuit of a point or three. Let’s break down what to expect in the tournament opener.
8:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Argentina vs. Canada
| Canada Win | +1100 | Argentina Win | -323 | Draw | +450 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -143 | Under 2.5 Goals | +118 | Broadcast | TSN |
Needless to say, Canada’s backs are up against the wall here. It is, without question, the greatest test that the Men’s national team has ever had.
Argentina are coming into this tournament as the top seed in the FIFA World Rankings, where Canada sits at 48th. They’re coming into this tournament as the defending World Cup champions, returning to the top of the summit in 2022. They’re coming in as the defending Copa America champions, winning over Brazil in 2021. They’re coming in as finalists in five of the last seven Copa Americas, including four of six across the Messi Era. Oh, yeah, they still have Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer to ever live, and still dominating his foes as his 37th birthday approaches this weekend.
Their roster features the entire starting eleven from the 2022 World Cup Final, 21 players who were on that 2022 roster, and 21 players – Messi not included – who play their club soccer in Top-5 leagues. They’re Goliath, and unquestionably so.
Canada comes in hoping to build on their graduation from the proverbial kid’s table, looking for a better result than their three-loss exit in Qatar. Their brightest stars – Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Stephen Eustaqio, Tajon Buchanon, and the like – are returning from that tournament with lessons learned. There’s a bit of positivity after tying with EURO 2024 favourites France in their last international friendly, though playing for a 0-0 result consistently is risky business.
We’ll see what Canadian manager Jesse Marsch’s side brings to the table tonight. A loss is far from the end of the world given the expectations, and figuring out how to keep up with the pace and skill of Argentina will go a long way for preparing Canada for closer battles against Chile and Peru. But with the world watching – tonight’s game is also the opener for the tournament at large – it would be monumental to put up an impressive performance here.
“We are addressing Argentina right now, and we know how good they are, but where we are in our process is more about us.” Marsch said, heading into today’s matchday. “We know it’s the biggest challenge we could be presented with at the start of a big tournament. But I’m confident in our team, I’m confident in the process we created, and I believe that we’ll have a very good match and that the players will go after the game in every way. That confidence and self-belief has to always be there with our team.”
Game Bets To Consider
- Betano is offering a super-enhancement on Lionel Messi getting the party started early, jumping his first-half goal odds from +235 to +320. I could definitely see the Argentines wanting to get the lead out of the way early in this one, and their generational leader is as good of a bet as any to back. If you’re in no rush and want to give Leo some time to get set, his anytime goal line is set at -139.
- On the other end, look for Jonathan David to take his chances and set the tone for Canada, which he wasn’t able to do in the World Cup. His shot line is set at 1.5 (over -110), and his shots on target line is set at 0.5 (over +125). I particularly like him for that shot on target. If you’re really confident, his anytime goal prop is super enhanced at +460, up from +345. Hey, if Argentina is Goliath, having a David to counter with has to mean something, right?
Bet on Argentina vs. Canada
ARG -313
CAN +1100
Other Copa America Matches In Group A
Peru vs. Chile, Friday at 8:00 a.m. ET
In terms of standings implications, this game might actually be more important to Canada than the one they’re playing today. After all, a loss is ultimately expected in Atlanta tonight, and winning the group would be an astronomical feat. Canada’s more realistic ambition if they want to play in the knockout stage is to steal the second spot in the group, and that means getting past these two nations.
So the result we really want going into the weekend? A draw in this game. Chile are favoured to come out ahead in this one, having won the last head-to-head matchup in October by a 2-0 result. Both countries had great success the last time the USA hosted this tournament in 2016 – Peru won it’s group by going undefeated in the early stages, while Chile won the whole tournament, beating Argentina in penalties in the final.
Game Bet To Consider: Look to the total goals under in this one, with -182 odds to land under 2.5. Both teams know the importance of these points and will play each other tight throughout, with maybe a bit of spark at the end if a team gets desperate or eager.
| Away Team |  | Draw | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | -323 | +450 | +1100 | Canada | 9:00 PM |
| Peru | +345 | +220 | +105 | Chile | 12:00 PM |
Latest Copa America Futures Odds
Here are the latest Copa America Futures odds heading into the matches on June 20:
| Team | | Last Match | Team | | Last Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | +180 | +180 | United States | +1200 | +1200 |
| Brazil | +230 | +230 | Mexico | +1400 | +1400 |
| Uruguay | +600 | +600 | Ecuador | +2300 | +2300 |
| Colombia | +1200 | +1200 | Canada | +9900 | +9900 |
Canada has a lot of work to do to catch up to the frontrunners in this group, currently ranking as the 11th-most likely team to win the tournament. We’ll see what they can do to shift perception in the next few days!
