‘Really exciting:’ Saskatchewan fan eager for Copa America semifinal

Markus Reinkens is eager to watch Canada take on Argentina in the Copa America semifinal.

The director of coaching with F.C. Regina has been paying close attention to the tournament and has watched Canada’s performance so far with pride.

“It’s really exciting for us, obviously, as ones who have followed Canada Soccer for a long time,” he said.

Copa America is a men’s soccer tournament that’s been around since 1916. It mostly features teams from South America, but began to welcome teams from North America and Asia in the ‘90s.

Reinkens said the excitement comes from the fact that opportunities like this and the World Cup don’t come around too often.

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“These are big, big deals for us as sports fans, but also just for the game as a whole in Canada. It means a lot for us,” he said.

Canada is coming off of a 4-3 victory over Venezuela on Friday, which should give the team plenty of momentum heading into Tuesday’s game.

“It’s gritty,” Reinkens said. “Copa America is a different beast with the way of the playing styles of some of the teams, and I think Canada’s done really well to match that competitive edge or competitive spirit that they have but (Canada also played) some really nice football in between that as well to get where they are out of the group and to beat Venezuela.”

Reinkens acknowledged that Tuesday’s game will be an uphill battle for Canada against the favoured Argentina.

“Anytime you play Messi or the world number one, it’s always something (where) the odds aren’t normally in our favour,” he said.

“I would say the odds are stacked a little bit against from an experience standpoint, but I think the reality of the way the tournament’s formatted – the fact that it goes straight to (penalty kicks) – that might be a bit of a chance for us in terms of (winning) that way, holding onto a draw and maybe getting into there.”

Reinken said he believes the Canadian team will play like it has nothing to lose.

“The pressure’s on Argentina completely, so you know it’s a Cinderella story for us,” he said.

“If we can get that result, it’ll be historic for sure.”

Reinkens moved from Vancouver to Regina in 2014. He said he’s seen the game of soccer growing every year, both in Regina and in Canada.

“Obviously the sport as a whole is something that’s loved around the world, and I think we’re catching on to that in our area,” he said.

“I think there’s more and more places for the kids to watch Canada play, and I think that helps. I know growing up that wasn’t the case. You really had to get up early on Saturday mornings and get lucky to watch maybe some World Cup games, if they were on. But now it’s everywhere with social media.”

Reinkens also credited Canadian stars like Alphonso Davies for being figures that kids can look up, to which helps in growing the game.

He said events like Copa America and the 2022 World Cup also helped expand Canadian interest in soccer.

The game is scheduled for 6 p.m.