Copa America presents 'massive' test for Canadian men's soccer team

For the Canadian men's soccer team, desperate to prove itself on the international stage, the road to credibility begins with a major hurdle: Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players of all time.

Canada kicks off its inaugural appearance in the Copa America tournament next Thursday in Atlanta against Messi's Argentina, the World Cup champions. The South American championship, which runs June 20-July 14 and features 16 teams, is being played at various stadiums across the United States.

Like the Euros, which kicked off on Friday, it's one of the most important events on the global soccer calendar.

"It's a massive tournament. It is the South American equivalent of the Euros. You're talking about nations of the calibre of Brazil and Argentina who've won, you know, the World Cup multiple times between them," said John Molinaro, founder of the website TFC Republic and who has covered Canada's national team for decades. "This is a chance for Canada to sort of rub shoulders with some of the best teams in the world."

Canada, which is 49th in the FIFA world rankings, is one of six qualifiers from CONCACAF (the region comprised of North and Central America and the Caribbean) that were invited to the event. Mexico and the U.S. also qualified.

With the exception of a few tweaks, the Canadian roster will look much like the one that played at the World Cup. Familiar faces include international stars like Alphonso Davies (who plays club soccer for Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Lille) and Tajon Buchanan (Inter Milan).

After playing world No. 1-ranked Argentina, Canada will play Peru (No. 32) on June 25 in Kansas City and Chile (No. 42) on June 29 in Orlando to close out the group stage.

Molinaro says the tournament offers Canada a