Copa America 2024 Wrap Up

Written by Luke Cirianni

Published on July 29, 2024

This summer, we got a taste of what a major international tournament is like in the United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  The Copa America was an entertaining tournament played at night, after the Euros were on during the day, creating a dream summer for soccer fans.

The main attraction of this tournament was watching the “golden generation” of the United States Men’s National Team.  However the United States were eliminated from the group stage, shocking many fans.  They started off strong beating Bolivia 2-0 in the opening match, with an incredible goal from star Christian Pulisic early on.  Spirits were high after the match, and the entire country thought this group could make a run.  TV hosts like Pat McAfee, brought up soccer on their shows, a rare occurrence.  Their second match was against Panama, that would’ve sent them to a quarterfinal with a win.  However the pressure was on the Americans early on, after Timothy Weah struck a Panama player in the back of the head, getting sent off just 18 minutes in.  The United States fell to Panama 2-1, needing a positive result against Uruguay.  USA fell short against Uruguay, a 1-0 final score, ending their Copa America tournament in the group stage.  The squad has under two years to get things under control, as the 2026 World Cup is right around the corner.

Of all the countries, Argentina went into the tournament as favorites to win again.  They arguably had the “easier” side of the bracket, but still battled to get to the final.  After going undefeated in the group stage rounds, they beat Ecuador 4-2 on penalties in the quarter-finals.  The South American giants went on to face Canada in the Semi Finals who looked decent, but beat them 2-0, just like they did in the group stage.

On the other side of the bracket, Colombia was a force to reckon with.  Topping their group over Brazil, they ran over Panama in the quarter-finals 5-0.  They were put to the test in the next round, and matched up against Uruguay who were also impressive.  Jefferson Lema scored right before halftime, which sent Colombia to the final with a 1-0 victory.

The final was set for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.  Colombia was in their first Copa America Final since 2001, when they beat Mexico as a tournament host.  Argentina were the current defending champions going into the game.  Two teams with a lot of talent meet once again.  Argentina was put to the challenge in the first half, taking off Messi, who sprained his ankle.  The game ended up going scoreless forcing extra time, until Lautaro Martinez scored in the 113’, helping Argentina win back to back Copa America titles.  Angel Di Maria announced before the start of the tournament, it would be his last dance with Argentina.  It’s safe to say he went out in the best way possible.

Colombia still deserves their credit this summer.  They rose to the occasion against some of the best teams in the world.  James Rodriguez earned player of the tournament with seven goal contributions.  Luis Diaz took the next step, standing out in the big games.  Colombia has a bright future, and could be a team to keep an eye on for 2026.

This summer’s Copa America complementary to the Euros made the last month special for soccer fans.  Lionel Messi and Argentina continue their dominance, winning yet another Copa America, making it four major international trophies in a row.  Young players like Luis Diaz showed major signs of development, while the United States decided to move on from Gregg Berhalter.  With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the excitement and anticipation has never been higher in years- bring it on.

 

Featured image by Luke Cirianni