Fansided

Copa America: USA vs Argentina starting lineups

By Steven Kubitza

Jun 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (C) stands on the sideline against Colombia in the second half during the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Levi
Jun 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (C) stands on the sideline against Colombia in the second half during the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Levi /
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Team USA has a new look lineup for the semifinal matchup against Argentina in the 2016 Copa America.

The first semifinal of the 2016 Copa America is set to take place at the top of the hour, and Jurgen Klinsmann will have to prove his managerial fortitude thanks to several suspensions.

Jermaine Jones, Bobby Wood and Alejandro Bedoya will all miss tonight’s game because of suspensions. One’s personal views on the suspension system aside, Klinsmann faces a challenge tonight.

The starting lineups have been announced, giving fans a look at the squad that will try to take down the mighty Lionel Messi:

"United States starting XI (4-4-2): Brad Guzan; Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, DeAndre Yedlin; Gyasi Zardes, Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi; Clint Dempsey, Chris WondolowskiArgentina starting XI (4-3-3): Sergio Romero; Marcos Rojo, Romero Funes Mori, Nicolas Otamendi, Gabriel Mercado; Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega, Augusto Fernandez; Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi"

Kyle Beckerman draws the duty of trying to defend Messi, who has had some unbelievable moments in limited playing time so far in the tournament.

Graham Suzi and Chris Wondolowski also find themselves in the starting lineup, along with DeAndre Yedlin, who is returning from his one-game suspension.

The debates over the system of suspensions for accumulating yellow cards at late stages in a tournament will roar if Team USA is unable to pull out a victory tonight, but the rules are set out before the tournament and players must be aware of how valuable they are to the team.

Jones got a raw deal by receiving a straight red card against Ecuador, but he may have pushed the boundaries for that specific referee and now his team will have to deal with his absence because of his actions.

Even with the suspensions, this is still a strong lineup. The only question is what are they going to do to stop Messi that other teams haven’t done?

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