Albion trio tackle Copa America - and McGill sees Canada test world champions

By Ben Reynolds

Tom McGill's Copa America journey began with a challenging encounter as Canada faced holders and World Cup winners Argentina in their opening match.

Despite a determined effort, Canada fell 2-0 to the South American giants at a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

McGill, an Albion academy product, was included in Jesse Marsch’s first Canada squad since the former Leeds United manager took over in May.

Although McGill is expected to serve as a backup to Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St Clair, he stands ready to make his international debut if the opportunity arises.

The 24-year-old impressed in Premier League 2 this season, having joined Albion’s academy at the age of 14.

He has had loan stints with Worthing, Crawley and Basingstoke.

The match saw Argentina, aiming for their third consecutive major title after triumphs in the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, open the scoring in the 49th minute.

Lionel Messi's precise through ball set up Julian Alvarez for the first goal.

Messi continued to showcase his brilliance by assisting Lautaro Martínez for the second goal in the 88th minute, sealing a 2-0 victory for Argentina.

Canada, making its Copa America debut, played its first competitive match under Marsch's leadership.

The American coach acknowledged the challenge of containing Messi, stating that his side did its best but ultimately couldn’t hold off the Argentine star.

As Argentina commenced their title defence with a win, McGill's Canada will look to regroup and build on their experiences as they prepare to face Peru on Tuesday.

Other Albion players that are participating in the tournament are midfielder Julio Enciso for Paraguay and striker Jeremy Sarmiento for Ecuador.