HOUSTON — Lionel Messi was too much for the United States.
The five-time world player of the year set up Ezequiel Lavezzi’s opening goal in the third minute, then scored on a free kick to break Argentina’s scoring record and assisted on the final goal in a 4-0 rout of the U.S. on Tuesday night at NRG Stadium.
After Messi doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with his 55th international goal, his tournament-leading fifth, Gonzalo Higuain ended any U.S. comeback hopes when he put the rebound of his initial shot past goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 50th minute. Higuain scored off a Messi pass in the 86th.
“We had far too much respect,” U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “Our players could just feel in every position on the field they were better than we are.”
Argentina will seek its first major title since the 1993 Copa — and its first since Messi’s debut in 2005 — when it plays Chile or Colombia on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
ARGENTINA 4, UNITED STATES 0
“That’s what we hope and what we want, to finally achieve that,” Messi said. “We deserve it, for all the good work we’ve been doing all these years.”
Argentina might be missing Lavezzi, who fell backward over an advertising sign board and landed hard on his left arm at the 60th minute. Lavezzi was able to get up several minutes later and left on a cart.
Hosting an expanded 16-nation edition of South America’s championship to celebrate Copa America’s 100th anniversary, the U.S. won a difficult group that included No. 3 Colombia and then beat No. 13 Ecuador in the quarterfinals. But top-ranked Argentina and Messi, who turns 29 Friday, outclassed the U.S. from the opening whistle to silence a crowd of 70,858 at NRG Stadium.
The U.S. and Klinsmann were trying to rebound after getting eliminated by Jamaica in the semifinals of last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing to Mexico in a playoff for a 2017 Confederations Cup berth and struggling in the semifinal round of 2018 World Cup qualifying. The Americans close the tournament Saturday in the thirdplace match at Glendale, Ariz.
Klinsmann inserted midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Graham Zusi into his lineup along with forward Chris Wondolowski because of suspensions assessed to midfielders Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya, and forward Bobby Wood. In an effort to spark offense, Christian Pulisic, 17, entered at the start of the second half, and Steve Birnbaum came on in the 60th for Beckerman, allowing Geoff Cameron to move up to midfield, and Darlington Nagbe replaced Clint Dempsey in the 78th.
Argentina went ahead when Lavezzi played a short corner kick to Ever Banega, who passed back to Lavezzi sprinting from the corner diagonally. Lavezzi beat Fabian Johnson to the ball and poked it to Messi about 25 yards out, in the center of the field. As the U.S. defense started to come out, Messi one-timed a flick with his left foot over the back line to Lavezzi, who got to the ball ahead of Beckerman about 7 yards from the goal. He headed the ball over Guzan, who had started to come off his line.
Messi doubled the lead after Beckerman slipped and Wondolowski took down Messi, earning a yellow card. Klinsmann screamed at Paraguayan referee Eduardo Cardozo as Messi placed the ball about 26 yards out, a few yards closer to the goal than the foul. After the U.S. set up its wall, Messi bent a beautiful curving drive that went just over Guzan’s outstretched left palm and into the upper corner.
Semifinals
TUESDAY’S GAME
Argentina 4, United States 0
TODAY’S GAME All times Central
Colombia vs. Chile, 7 p.m.