The first Copa America semi-final is already set, and it will be a rematch of the tournament’s opening match, when heavy favorite Argentina takes on upstart Canada.

It’s no surprise to see the Lionel Messi-led Argentina team return to this stage as the defending Copa America and World Cup champions aim for their third consecutive major international trophy. But Canada have emerged as the Cinderella team of their first Copa America, especially after defeating Group B winners Venezuela on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Friday’s quarterfinals.

It took Canada head coach Jesse Marsch, who was hired in May, just six games to get his team playing the kind of high-flying, aggressive style the American became known for as a club coach in Europe.

Still, Tuesday’s semifinal will mark just 19 days since these two teams met in the Copa America 2024 opener, which Argentina won 2-0 with a second-half goal each from star forwards Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, both on chances created by superstar Messi.

Can Canada use familiarity to its advantage like Marsch & co.? Looking to pull off another stunning upset? The “FOX Soccer NOW” team of Jimmy Conrad, Melissa Ortiz and Wes Morgan weighed in.

“Your first game in a Copa America is against the best team in the world, that’s tough,” Ortiz said. “And [Canada] didn’t get their asses kicked, they held on. Yeah, they lost, but they clearly grew from that game. And once they were able to perform and gain confidence and grow more in the tournament, you just see it. They were really able to get this win [against Venezuela] and they deserve this win as well.”

Conrad said the fluid, action-packed style of Canada’s game against Venezuela on Friday reminded him of that first game against Argentina, where the teams combined for 28 total shots, 11 of which were on target. But he wondered if Argentina would also be more prepared for that style of play than it was the first time around, when Messi’s team didn’t pull away until the second half.

“When I think about Jesse Marsch, his methodology … It’s all gas, no brakes,” Conrad said. “If you play a team for the second time so quickly, especially a team as high-caliber as Argentina, you have to make some adjustments. You can’t just say, ‘Let’s go 100 miles an hour again, guys, and let’s see what happens. ’ It seems foolish and naive that you don’t take some learnings from the first game and apply them to the second.”

Still, Ortiz believes Canada gains a key advantage as a team with nothing to lose and has already faced the intimidation of facing a team of Argentina’s stature on the field.

“I think now that Canada has faced Argentina in a Copa America match, those nerves are now put to one side,” Ortiz said. “They are finding their identity more and more, game after game. They know now what they have experienced in these last few games, especially against Venezuela, where they can press and push high, but they can’t be caught too high. And that is especially true against Argentina, so there will be a lot of tactical work in the next few days before the semi-final.”

Morgan agreed with his co-hosts, saying he thinks Marsch is too smart not to try the same strategy against Argentina on Tuesday and expect a different outcome.

“I can’t imagine Jesse doing that,” Morgan said. “I think he understands the calibre of the opponent. The approach he took in the game against Venezuela, he certainly won’t take with Argentina. You have to respect Argentina’s best players. He won’t take them for granted. But at the same time, I’m sure he wants to impose himself on the game, not sit back and absorb the pressure in the hope of winning something. Today was a good example of what they are capable of going forward, the first half in particular.