Copa America: 15 surprises so far

14. Argentina’s sheer dominance, with and without Messi

As the top-ranked team in the world, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that Argentina reached the semifinals and remains the favorite to win the tournament. Still, it’s a little surprising to see just how easy the Argentinians have rolled through the Centenario so far.

Argentina had no time to ease into the tournament, as it opened against fellow semifinalist and defending champion Chile. With Messi on the bench, Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega scored early in the second half to give Argentina an important 2-1 win and all but lock up a spot in the quarters.

The next two games came against Panama and Bolivia, a pair of squads Argentina figured to have no trouble with. Beating the two by a combined score of 8-0 was impressive nonetheless, and Messi showed no ill effects in his return from a back injury against Panama by providing a hat trick off the bench.

Messi’s brilliance continued in a 4-1 win over upstart Venezuela in the quarterfinals, as he scored again and assisted on two more goals. Argentina was under a lot of pressure entering the tournament, and has been more impressive than anyone could have predicted so far.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is how balanced Argentina has been, particularly in the games where Messi was resting. Ramiro Funes Mori and Nicolas Otamendi have been especially impressive on the back line after the unit was questioned prior to the Centenario.

Next: 13. Clint Dempsey's top form