Never was there any doubt that Miami, the nation’s most Pan-American city, was the most fitting place to host the final game of the Copa América, a South American soccer tournament that is being held in the United States for only the second time in a century.
But even the tournament’s organizers could not script a matchup like the one that will take place on Sunday night between Argentina and Colombia — two countries that, on any given day, would be received like the home team in South Florida.
“That stadium is not going to feel like you’re in Miami — or in the U.S., for that matter,” said Juan C. Zapata, who was the first Colombian American elected to the Florida Legislature.
“It is a very Miami final.”The tournament, which started on June 20, has lost some of its trademark South American feel being played entirely in the United States, with empty seats at some matches and players complaining about the surfaces of several fields.
But the setting of the final may restore some of Copa América’s typical festive energy.
Persons:
”, Juan C, Zapata
Organizations:
Copa, Miami —, Colombian, Florida Legislature
Locations:
Miami, American, United States, Argentina, Colombia, South Florida, U.S, Colombian American, Florida