Fans flocked to the gates to fight their way inside ahead of last Saturday’s Copa America final. It was a lowlight in an otherwise exciting tournament. | Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Messi? The GOAT of the tournament. Colombian fans? Not so much.
It’s been a week since Copa América concluded with Argentina winning the title with Lionel Messi’s tears in the background, realizing he is on the descent of a once in a generation soccer career.
But he is now a winner — a back-to-back winner, in fact — of two Copa titles that sandwich a FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar. It’s safe to say that Messi may feel like he’s losing, but he is still winning — and, in the limelight.
But many instances of this tournament aren’t as rosy, they are what became a degradation of a month that was supposed to be an early look at world football on American soil — the tune-up of all things ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in the States alongside joint custody with Mexico and Canada.
There are several to mention, but these winners and losers of Copa America rose to the top.
WINNERS
Canada: The Canadians are coming for that No. 1 spot in Concacaf following an impressive showing vaulting into the semifinals. Led by its unapologetic coach in Jesse Marsch, who has been outspoken about proving a lot of naysayers wrong and affirming those who eyed him as next up to lead the U.S. men’s team following Gregg Berhalter’s departure.
James Rodriguez: The Colombian striker showcased the spirit and flair, guiding the team into the Copa America final. He was asked what it meant to be in that position — and the rivers flowed.
“I’ve been wanting this for 13 years..”
An emotional James Rodríguez can’t hold his emotions after reaching his first ever Copa América final. He’s been through so much and it has taken a lot for him to get back to this.
Six assists in this tournamentpic.twitter.com/ZTz7bv53x2
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) July 11, 2024
Venezuela: It was a treat to see the tiny nation battle its way to the quarterfinal, besting the likes of Ecuador, Mexico and Jamaica to do do. In fact, if it wasn’t for a one goal deficit in a shootout loss to Canada, it’s possible the Venezuelans would have made it into the semifinal rounds and qualified for the third place match for the first time since 2011. It was a great run, spearheaded by tight defense and scoring timely goals to best a slew of other favories and make it into the knockout rounds.
LOSERS
Marcelo Bielsa: The Uruguayan coach complained and yelled and chastised and criticized his way into a third-place finish for his nation, all while being bitter about CONMEBOL’s lack of attention to detail, about what he viewed as poor field conditions inside NFL stadiums, and was generally a thorn in the side of the fourth official.
Gregg Berhalter and U.S. Soccer: Let’s be clear, we are not calling Berhalter a loser for losing his job. Unemployment is no laughing matter. But, how it became a locker room lost off the field and players out of position on it forced the hand of a federation to look for a fresh start, leaving a nation that just dropped to No. 16 in the FIFA world rankings needing better days ahead.
Colombian fans and CONMEBOL officials: What transpired at the Hard Rock Stadium was an embarrassment. Fans rushed gates to get in, then stole seats once they made it past law enforcement.
That, of course, was in the aftermath of Colombia’s semifinal appearance against Uruguay in which several fans fought with Uruguayan fans and player like Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez post-match — even after winning the game.
Finally, we’re not sure what CONMEBOL president Ramon Jesurun and his son were thinking when they decided to get into an altercation with security at the Hard Rock, but now both have felony charges to deal with as a result.
Just, wow.
