Here are 16 Players to Watch (one from each country) as Copa America kicks off Thursday

More than 400 of the best soccer players in the Americas take center stage beginning on Thursday as Copa America 2024 gets underway in Atlanta with defending champion Argentina taking on Canada at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

The tournament runs from June 20 to July 14 in 13 cities across the United States, with the championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Many of the players are household names, such as Lionel Messi, Vinicius Junior, Luis Suarez and Christian Pulisic. Others are lesser known outside their countries, and Copa America will give them a chance to showcase their skills to fans and scouts all over the world.

Here are 16 players to keep an eye on:

Lionel Messi (ARGENTINA)

The Inter Miami star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner felt a giant load lifted off his shoulders when Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, as that trophy was the only one missing from his illustrious resume. But he wants more and would love to see Argentina defend its Copa America title. He turns 37 on June 24 and has Miami in first place in the MLS standings with 12 goals and 13 assists in 12 games.

Miguel Terceros (BOLIVIA)

If you’re looking for an up-and-coming player to watch, keep an eye on this 20-year-old Santos midfielder they call “Miguelito.” La Verde will miss retired Marcelo Martins Moreno, But Terceros is entertaining and has plenty of upside.

Vinicius Junior (BRAZIL)

Superstar Neymar is injured, so Vinicius Junior will take center stage for Brazil. The 23-year-old Real Madrid forward, known for his speed and dribbling, became the youngest player to score in two Champions League finals, beating Lionel Messi’s record by 13 days. He also was named the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season with six goals and five assists. He also is known for his anti-racism activism. P.S. Watch out for 17-year-old left-footed striker Endrick, who will join Real Madrid next season and scored for Brazil in a friendly against England at Wembley in March.

Alphonso Davies (CANADA)

The only Canadian ever to score in a World Cup, Davies is a team captain and the face of Canadian soccer. The 23-year-old Bayern Munich defender is a top-10 scorer for Canada, has five Bundesliga titles, a Champions League title and Club World Cup trophy.

Dario Osorio (CHILE)

Left-footed winger was a key player for Danish champions Midtjylland and scored a late goal in a friendly against France. Chile won Copa America in 2015 and 2016, and Osorio is among the new players who could bring them back to glory.

Luis Diaz (COLOMBIA)

Participating in his third Copa America for Los Cafeteros. In 2021, the Liverpool winger scored four times (including goals against host Brazil and eventual champ Argentina) and finished tied with Messi as joint top scorer in the Copa America. He scored against Germany in a 2-0 friendly win last June and recorded a brace as Colombia beat Brazil 2-1 in World Cup qualification in November.

Manfred Ugalde (COSTA RICA)

He is usually the smallest man on the field at 5-8 and 150 pounds, but he packs a big punch. At 22, the former teen phenom and Spartak Moscow forward is ready to make international headlines for Los Ticos.

Moises Caicedo (ECUADOR)

Chelsea paid Brighton $146 million dollars to sign Caicedo, a 22-year-old defensive midfielder who is considered one of the best players in the world at his position. Liverpool was also courting him. He made 48 appearances for Chelsea and is one reason Ecuador could pull surprises during this tournament.

Michaeil Antonio (JAMAICA)

The 34-year-old West Ham forward was born in England but represents Jamaica. In 2021, he became West Ham’s all-time leading scorer. He is known for his versatility, as he has played right back, right midfielder, winger and forward for West Ham.

Santiago “Santi” Gimenez (MEXICO)

In 2023, a year after being dropped from the Mexican World Cup team, the 23-year-old Argentina-born forward led Feyenoord to its second Dutch title this century with 15 goals in 32 games. This season, he scored 23 goals and the team finished in second place. Last July, he scored in the 88th minute to lift Mexico to a 1-0 victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final.

Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla (PANAMA)

Major League Soccer fans know Carrasquilla as a talented, creative Houston Dynamo midfielder, and the 25-year-old is already a mainstay on the Panama team. He will be one of the bright spots for a team that will have trouble advancing.

Miguel Almiron (PARAGUAY)

After helping lead Atlanta United to the 2018 Cup title, Almiron commanded an MLS record transfer fee from Newcastle of the English Premier League. He has played games for the Magpies, scoring a career-best 11 goals last season to help the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two decades.

Edison Flores (PERU)

With 16 goals in 73 appearances, Peru will count on Flores. He participated at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was the joint top scorer for Peru in the qualifiers. He plays forward for Peruvian Liga 1 club Universitario de Deportes, on loan from Liga MX club Atlas. He previously played for D.C. United.

Christian Pulisic (USA)

The face of the U.S. national team, Pulisic, nicknamed “Captain America,” is in peak form after his first year in Italy with AC Milan. The 25-year-old winger has scored a career-high 12 goals across all competitions with two months of the Serie A season remaining. He previously spent four years with Chelsea of the English Premier League and three with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.

Darwin Nunez (URUGUAY)

Edison Cavani retired and 37-year-old Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer, will be a locker room leader. But 24-year-old Darwin Nunez, making his Copa America debut, is the player to watch. Liverpool paid a record transfer fee to get him from Benfica two years ago and he has scored 33 goals over all competitions for the club. He scored a hat trick last week in a 4-0 Copa tune-up win over Mexico and five goals in World Cup qualifying against Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia (2).

Salomon Rondon (VENEZUELA)

The 34-year-old is on fire, leading Mexican club Pachuca to the CONCACAF Champions Cup title with nine goals in seven games. He has 10 goals in 21 Liga MX games and will be a handful for defenders.