The headline was the man who did not play. Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 at Kyle Field on June 7, and the most reassuring thing about it was how comfortable the world champions looked without Lionel Messi on the pitch (ESPN).
A crowd of 91,102 packed into the Texas A&M stadium to see him, and he stayed on the bench throughout, managing muscle fatigue picked up in his final Inter Miami outing on May 25 (Houston Public Media).
Argentina 2-0 Honduras, Kyle Field, June 7 — 91,102 in attendance; Messi rested. Source: ESPN
A penalty and a poacher
Argentina did not need their captain to break the resistance. The opener arrived in the 37th minute, when Nicolás Tagliafico was fouled in the box and Lautaro Martínez stepped up to convert from the spot (ESPN).
The second, nine minutes into the second half, was a glimpse of Argentina's instinctive attacking rhythm. Martínez turned creator with a clever backheel that released Giuliano Simeone, who finished from close range to make it 2-0 (Outlook India).
It was a controlled, professional night against limited opposition — exactly what Lionel Scaloni would have wanted from a final tune-up.
The Messi question, managed not answered
Messi, 38, is being handled with obvious care. Argentina framed his availability around "clinical and functional progress," the language of a federation protecting an asset rather than nursing a serious injury (ESPN).
That caution is the right call. Argentina's title defence will live and die on Messi's sharpness in the knockout rounds, not on his minutes in a June friendly. Resting him in front of 91,000 fans who came to see him took nerve — and the performance vindicated it.
Argentina came to Texas to sell a Messi night and instead proved they can win without him. That is the better story.
Depth is the defending champions' edge
The broader takeaway is about the squad behind the icon. Simeone's movement, Martínez's leadership of the line and the midfield's composure all suggested Argentina can absorb rotation without the level falling away — the opposite of what France discovered the same week in Nantes.
Scaloni's group retains the core that won in 2022, layered with younger legs who looked at home on a big stage. For a champion that must navigate the expanded 48-team format's longer road to the final, that depth is not a luxury; it is the plan.
Travelling into the tournament in good order
There is little to pick apart here. The clean sheet, the two-goal margin and the absence of any fresh injury concern make this the kind of warm-up that quietly does its job.
The only outstanding question is the one Argentina cannot fully control: whether Messi arrives at the opener at his peak. On the evidence of Kyle Field, even if he needs a little longer, his teammates have built a platform sturdy enough to carry him there.
Argentina leave Texas top of their own to-do list, ticked off in silence. The champions look ready.
