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• Argentina v Canada: Marsch says Copa underdogs need greatest performance yet

  Canada must produce the performance of their lives to have any chance of upsetting holders Argentina to reach the Copa America final, acknowledges Jesse Marsch.

  Marsch's team will face the World Cup winners for a final berth at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, having overcome Venezuela in a penalty shoot-out in the last eight.

  They are just the fourth CONCACAF team to reach the Copa semi-finals and the third to do so on their debut, after Mexico (1993 runners-up), Honduras (third in 2001) and the United States (third in 1995).

  They face the sternest of tests next up, however, having already lost to Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina's stars in their opening group-stage game.

  Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez were on target in that match as Lionel Scaloni's team triumphed 2-0 in Atlanta, rifling off 19 shots worth 3.02 expected goals (xG) to Canada's 10 (1.16 xG).

  While Canada have won plenty of admirers on their run to the last four, Marsch knows they need to step up further on Tuesday.

  "Argentina will have to be the best match we've ever played and it still might not be enough," he said. "But whatever. We're going to go for it."

  Captain Alphonso Davies echoed those sentiments but pointed out Canada had given Argentina a scare in their earlier game, saying: "It's going to take everything. We played them in the group stage and we played well but didn't get the win we wanted."

  Argentina boss Scaloni hit out at the quality of the pitch after that earlier meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Messi says the surfaces have had an impact throughout the tournament.

  "The pitch always has an influence. It's a reality that the pitches aren't good," he told reporters, as quoted by The Athletic.

  "I think the best one was the one in Miami, which was good from what you saw from the outside at least. It's natural and that's already different. Of course, it has an influence."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Argentina – Alexis Mac Allister 

  Mac Allister assisted Lisandro Martinez's opener versus Ecuador in the last eight, then held his nerve from the spot as the world champions triumphed in a shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.

  The Liverpool midfielder has two assists at this year's tournament. Since such data began in 2011, only Lionel Messi (in 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2021) has ever provided three or more assists for Argentina at a single edition of the Copa America. 

  Mac Allister has completed 122 of his 135 passes at this tournament, with 70 of those being played in the opposition half. With Canada likely to sit deep, it could fall on him to keep things ticking over and provide service for Messi and his fellow attackers.

  Canada – Maxime Crepeau

  Crepeau was forced into six saves in Canada's Copa America opener versus Argentina, and he could be busy again here.

  However, he has been in excellent form throughout this tournament, conceding three goals from 4.95 expected goals on target (xGoT) faced, with only Claudio Bravo (3.66 goals prevented) and Rafael Romo (2.36) overperforming their underlying goalkeeping statistics by a greater margin.

  Only Sergio Rochet and Emiliano Martinez (three each) have bettered his two clean sheets at this tournament. He will have his work cut out to keep another, though.

  MATCH PREDICTION: ARGENTINA WIN

  Argentina have now reached the semi-finals at seven of their last eight major tournaments, with the 2018 World Cup being the only exception.

  They have won their last 10 matches against CONCACAF opponents in official competitions, not conceding a goal in any of their last six such games.

  Additionally, the defending champions have reached the last four at five of the last seven editions of the Copa America, and only two of them – Colombia in 2004 and Chile in 2019 – failed to make the final. The omens, then, are not good for Canada.

  It will be the fifth time Argentina have faced the same opponents twice at a single edition of the Copa America since the current format was introduced in 1993. Two of the previous four instances included a semi-final meeting (Colombia in 1993 and Paraguay in 2015), with the other two including the final (Mexico in 1993 and Chile in 2016).

  La Albiceleste did, however, only win one of those four editions, lifting the trophy in 1993, then waiting 28 years to reclaim their place as South America's finest in 2021.

  They are assigned an 84% chance of reaching the final by the Opta supercomputer, with Canada out to cause one of the greatest upsets in the history of the competition.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Argentina – 76.7%

  Canada – 9.8%

  Draw – 13.6%

• LA Galaxy 2-1 Minnesota United: Pec late show gets hosts back to winning ways

  LA Galaxy maintained the pace at the top of MLS' Western Conference as Gabriel Pec's double earned a 2-1 win over Minnesota United.

  Having opened the scoring in the 25th minute, Pec was on hand to tuck home the winner from close range in the 90th minute.

  Teemu Pukki had come off the bench to restore parity for Minnesota, who looked set to snap a five-game losing streak.

  But it was not to be for the Loons, as Pec's late show ensured the Galaxy returned to winning ways on the back of their defeat to Los Angeles FC in El Trafico.

  The Galaxy are level on 43 points with LAFC and Real Salt Lake at the top of the West, while Minnesota are 10th.

  Data Debrief: Loons' losing run rolls on

  It is now six successive MLS defeats for Minnesota, which marks their worst-ever run in the competition since they joined the league in 2017.

  Pec, meanwhile, continues to steal the show for the Galaxy. His two goals came from four shots, three of which he got on target, while the winger also completed six of his seven dribble attempts.

• Neville says England have tournament know-how, but warns Netherlands a step up

  England have displayed their tournament know-how by battling into the Euro 2024 semi-finals but must improve when they meet the Netherlands, says Gary Neville.

  The Three Lions have reached their third semi-final in four major tournaments under Gareth Southgate, having beaten Switzerland 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 quarter-final draw on Saturday.

  They had reached the last four at just two of their previous 17 tournaments (World Cup or Euros, since 1968) before Southgate's 2016 appointment.

  Despite overseeing England's emergence as serious contenders, Southgate has been fiercely criticised for the team's tepid attacking performances in Germany, with their total of 4.36 expected goals (xG) bettered by 10 already-eliminated teams.

  Most pundits believed the Three Lions improved after changing to a 3-4-3 formation against Switzerland, and Neville feels the system suits Southgate's squad.

  "I've felt we've had a better balance, the team suits it. It's more fluid, a more relaxed nature in the football, particularly in the first half," Neville told Sky Sports News.

  "In the second half we went back to recycling the ball safely, but in the first half we played some half-decent stuff. Extra-time was then very safe, very cautious.

  "But this team has tournament know-how, they get to semi-finals. There's fortune along the way with the draw. We've played Serbia, Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland. 

  "If you said you'd get those five teams in a major tournament you'd be very happy. We haven't played at our best but it's a tournament that seems to be moving that way.

  "Spain have played some fantastic football but the other teams have been quite unspectacular but getting through."

  While Neville feels Southgate has transformed the team into seasoned tournament campaigners, he says Wednesday's semi-final will be their toughest test yet.

  "It's a good sign for a team, you have to get through difficult matches – but you can't rely on that all the time. My feeling is you'll get caught out eventually if you don't step up your performance level," Neville added.

  "Saturday was definitely a step up in terms of our balance, it was a step forward, now we have to step up again against the Netherlands on Wednesday. We'll have to step up quite a bit because they have some serious players."