BUENOS AIRES — For fans of Argentina’s national soccer team, the enduring images of recent tournaments are painful. Lionel Messi staring impotently at the World Cup trophy on his way to collecting a loser’s medal in 2014. Gonzalo Higuaín sending a penalty kick skyward as Chile won last year’s Copa América final. Roberto Ayala turning a cross into his own net in yet another lost Copa final in 2007.
Despite the undisputed quality of its roster and its recurring role as a favorite, Argentina heads into its opening match of the Copa América Centenario on Monday cloaked by doubt.