July 14, 2024, will be forever remembered in Copa America history, not just for the final match between Argentina and Colombia but for the chaotic atmosphere that erupted before the match even began.
This year was the first time that the U.S. hosted the Copa America. The games would be played in 14 stadiums throughout the country, with the finals in Miami Gardens.
Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay were the favorites to win the whole tournament. Still, Colombia also made itself known among the usual soccer superpowers by going 28 games without a loss, making it one of longest streaks that Colombia has ever had, tying with their run in 1994. All four teams made it to the knockout stage.
Eventually, Argentina finished on top of their group by beating Ecuador on penalties and then beating Canada in the semifinals. Columbia also performed well in the tournament by beating Panama in the quarterfinals and then Uruguay semi-finals. These victories led them to face each other in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida final match.
The final match was expected to be an entertaining and important game for both teams as both had a reputation for keeping by winning. Columbia was defending their two-year game-winning streak while Argentina was defending their title as they won the last Copa America in 2021.
On the day of, at 5:40 pm, dozens of fans breached past police officers to enter the southwest gate of the stadium, with some crawling through the vents to get inside. At 8:10 pm, officers locked out all entrances and attempted to slowly let fans with tickets into the stadium. However, thousands of fans with tickets were prevented from entering.
“It was a disgrace that Hard Rock would hide all their security in the time we needed them most,” said sophomore Nicolas Sanchez, whose family bought tickets but were unable to get their seat due to the situation.
The game would later start at 9:22 pm. Much of it was a stalemate with neither side scoring in the first half. Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, twisted his ankle in the first half but tried to continue playing but he could not, leaving the pitch in tears.
The match continued scoreless up until the final whistle was called, where the game would proceed into extra time. Then, the Columbian team attempted a counterattack when the ball was stolen by Argentina’s Leonardo Paredes, then passed to Giovani to Lo Celso and then to Martinez, who scored the goal in the 112th minute of the game.
The score was now 1-0, and Argentina had won the Copa America.
“It was a good tournament. Bad execution in the final with the safety [and] the people buying tickets and not being able to get in. [Argentina and Colombia] was a good matchup. [I’ve been] an Argentina fan since I was little…it was really good to boast about [the win] in my friends’ face.” said Edmanuel Loaisiga, a 12th Grader at MLEC.
After the match ended, Argentina’s Ángel Di María Argentine was named Man of the Match and later lifted the trophy with Nicolás Otamendi and Messi.
Despite the controversies this year, Copa America has always been an event where people can connect through their love of soccer. No matter what, soccer will always have a place in the hearts of our community.
