Chile beat Argentina in the final
for the second straight year, 4-2 in the shootout following a 0-0 tie that
ended an expanded 16-nation Copa in the United States to mark the
championship's 100th anniversary.
Messi, five-time FIFA Player of the
Year, winner of four Champions League titles and eight Spanish La Liga crowns
with Barcelona, was crushed. Much of his nation had counted on him and the top-ranked
Albiceleste to bring home the nation's first major championship since 1993.
Playing two days after his 29th
birthday, Messi lost a last for the third year in a row and the fourth time
overall with Argentina. There was also the 2007 Copa final against Brazil, when
he was still a wunderkind, and then an extra-time loss to Germany in the 2014
World Cup.
Considered alongside Brazil's Pele
and Argentina's Diego Maradona as the sport's greatest, Messi won the titles at
the under-20 and Olympic (under-23) levels for Argentina. But in the minds of a
lot of he needs a championship with the senior national team to solidify his
place in history.
"Messi's numbers are
unparalleled and I think they'll remain that way forever, because it's
impossible for a football player to do what Messi has done," said Chile
coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who is from Argentina. "My generation can't
compare him to Maradona — that's for my generation, because of what Maradona
did for Argentine soccer. But I think the best player ever played today here in
the United States."
A crowd of 82,026 filled MetLife
Stadium — the largest to observe a soccer game in New Jersey — and many wore
Messi's No. 10 jersey in Argentina's blue and white and Barcelona's navy and
maroon.
Francisco Silva converted the shootout
finale for the fifth-ranked La Roja after goalkeeper Claudio Bravo — Messi's
Barcelona teammate — made a diving stop on Lucas Biglia's attempt.
On an ill-tempered evening that
included a first-half ejection on each side and eight yellow cards, the game
was scoreless through directive and 30 minutes of extra time, with Argentina's
Gonzalo Higuain missing a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the third straight
final. Argentina outshot Chile 16-4 and La Roja collapsed three, four and even
five defenders around Messi, then chopped down the diminutive attacker when he
tried to accelerate on the road to the goal.
Messi, who scored five goals in the
tournament, sent a free kick that Sergio Aguero nearly headed in 10 minutes
into extra time, only to have Bravo jump and extend his right hand to tip the
ball over the crossbar. Messi's free kick in extra time went off the wall.
Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero
saved the opening kick by Arturo Vidal, and up stepped Messi, Argentina's
captain and career scoring leader with 55 goals. He sent his shot into the
stands, stunning himself, both teams and the crowd.
Nicolas Castillo and Charles
Aranguiz converted their kicks for Chile, and Javier Mascherano and Aguero made
theirs, leaving the teams tied 2-2 after three rounds.
Jean Beausejour put Chile ahead, and
Bravo dived to his right, saving Biglia's shot and bringing up Silva, a
30-year-old midfielder. Messi briefly pulled his jersey over his face, as if
not wanting to watch. Romero dived to his left and the shot went in to his
right, giving Chile another title.
Messi crouched over, as if in pain,
then got up, took off his captain's armband and walked to the bench, where he
was consoled by teammate Angel Di Maria. After Messi came back on the field,
Aguero put a hand on one of Messi's shoulders. And new FIFA President Gianni
Infantino gave Messi a pat on the back when Messi came onto the podium with his
teammates for his second-place medal. Messi almost immediately took it off.
"The burden of the consecutive
games (lost) has been accumulating these last two years," Argentina coach
Gerardo Martino said. "He feels like you would expect a player to feel
after playing and losing a final."
The tournament's average crowd of
46,119 was nearly double the 25,223 in Chile last year, and attendance will be
used by the U.S. Soccer Federation as justification it deserves to host a World
Cup again, likely as part of a bid for the 2026 tournament.
Brazilian referee Heber Lopes became
the focus in the first half, ejecting a pair of defenders: Chile's Marcelo Diaz
in the 28th minute and Argentina's Marcos Rojo in the 43rd. After issuing six
yellow cards during a World Cup qualifier between the nations in March, Lopes
handed out eight yellows, including one to Messi for diving in the 40th minute,
and the two reds.
Diaz got his first yellow for
hacking down Messi about 28 yards out in the 16th minute, then got his second
for obstructing a charging Messi about 30 yards out. Rojo received a straight
red when he slid into Vidal from behind and poked away the ball, but Vidal's
leg bent awkwardly under his body as he fell.
Higuain had the best first-half
chance in the 21st minute when he picked up Gary Medel's giveaway, dribbled in
and chipped the ball over Bravo only to have it roll wide of the far post. It
was almost the exact time he broke in alone during the World Cup final against
Germany and also shot wide. Higuain also missed a tap-in of Ezequiel Lavezzi's
cross during the final minute of regulation in last year's final, then sent his
penalty kick during the shootout over the crossbar.
For Argentina and Messi, titles keep
slipping away.