Two individuals stood out among the throngs entering MetLife Stadium as ominous clouds gathered over the New Jersey marshes.

Witnesses of Jehovah were they. As usual, they sported sharp attire. They hung at the gates, hoping someone would come by. The only catch is that all those tens of thousands of Argentine fans who came here have already decided who their God is.

They cоntinued tо bоw tо him аnd sing his nаme fоr the fоllоwing severаl hоurs. Liоnel Messi cоntinues tо return thаt cоmmitment аt the аge оf 37, despite deаling with injuries, missing а penаlty in the quаrterfinаl, аnd gоing а few gаmes withоut scоring.

Although he was far from spectacular, he was named man of the match and scored the game-winning goal as Argentina advanced to the Copa America final, where they will face Canada. This is the first step on the path to immortality for the defending champions.

It was the perfect moment for him to score the tournament’s first goal. Messi has passed Cristiano Ronaldo as the second-highest scorer in the history of international soccer; with a win in their next match, Lionel Scaloni’s team is within striking distance of a third consecutive major championship. To date, no South American squad has completed a treble, winning the Copa America, World Cup, and Copa America.Midway through the first half, Julian Alvarez scored a well-crafted goal, sending them on their way to Miami, the city that Messi has chosen to call home. The Argentine captain then put the game away not long after halftime by finishing off a shot from Enzo Fernandez.

The score remained unchanged from the first meeting between these teams in the tournament, so that this semifinal followed suit. The incredible strides that Jesse Marsch and Canada have taken to get here are belied by that.

Just a few short months after hiring the American manager, Canada made history in its inaugural Copa America. This squad seemed to have finally broken through, only two years before hosting the World Cup at home.With surprising wins against Venezuela and Peru, this has been an incredible run for a squad ranked 48th in the world. Canada had the upper hand until the first goal. So, a penny for the ideas of the folks at US Soccer HQ. Instead of Marsch, Gregg Berhalter was given the nod. On the other hand, he guided Canada to unprecedented success after the United States went downhill.