The Copa America final is here, and after three weeks of bonkers soccer, the two best teams in the tournament are left standing. Argentina and Colombia will take the field before a sold out Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday night with one goal in mind: lift the Copa America trophy as champions.
How to watch
Argentina vs. Colombia
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Kick-off time: 8:00pm Eastern, 5:00pm Pacific
Available TV: Fox (English), Univision (Spanish), TUDN (Spanish)
Available streaming: Fox Sports (English), Vix (Spanish), FuboTV (Free Trial)
Argentina supporters to be in full force for the team’s Copa America championship match on Sunday.
Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images
How did Argentina get here?
Argentina entered the tournament as the reigning champions and reigning World Cup champions, and with Lionel Messi as the captain, the team had the biggest target aimed at them. As reigning champions, they opened the tournament against Canada on July 20.
Winning that match while looking somewhat shaky in the process, we saw a new form of Argentina begin to emerge. They were able to get wins against Chile and Peru as well in the group stage, emerging with a perfect 3-0-0 record. While they didn’t concede a goal in the group stage, the soccer was a bit rockier than their fans are used to seeing.
The message was quite clear: results matter more than flashiness.
Can Lionel Messi lead Argentina to their 3rd major title in a row?
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
They’ve been able to win matches easily, and they’ve also had to tough out some wins. They beat Ecuador in the quarterfinals on penalties. Argentina also had to overcome Lionel Messi missing the first penalty of the shootout, but Emi Martinez — one of the best goalkeepers in the world — was able to help Argentina through to the semifinals. There, it was an easier win against Canada than we saw in the opener. They’re hoping to continue the Copa América trend we’ve seen since 1979:
How did Colombia get here?
Colombia entered the tournament as the hottest team in the world, with their last loss coming in February 2022. That streak hasn’t changed, as they had two wins and a draw in Group D play to win the group over Brazil. They defeated Costa Rica and Paraguay and looked excellent doing it before they pulled a 1-1 draw against Brazil in the group stage finale.
That set up Colombia for a quarterfinal against Panama, where they absolutely had their best display of the tournament. They won 5-0, looking like the best team in the world in the process. Then, it was Uruguay in the semifinals, who had knocked off Brazil in the quarters. The match was back and forth, with Colombia getting the 39th minute goal from Jefferson Lerma off a James Rodriguez corner and then having to fend off La Celeste with 10 men after a second yellow to Daniel Munoz in the first minute of first half stoppage time.
James Rodriguez has found his mojo in this tournament and hopes to lift the Copa América trophy.
Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Somehow, they were able to grind it out, despite Uruguay having a ton of scoring opportunities in the second half with the man advantage. The unbeaten streak remains intact, and now they get to put it on the line in the hopes of dethroning the champions and hoisting the trophy for the first time in 23 years.
Both fanbases have dominated this tournament.
While there have been many concerns over the lack of fans who wanted to pay several hundred dollars in tickets to attend many of the Copa America matches, there are two fanbases that did not care about any of that: Colombia and Argentina. Both teams’ fans have dominated stadiums across the United States throughout the tournament, selling out several matches and being huge boosts to their teams with their boisterous atmosphere. If Hard Rock Stadium could hold 150,000 people, it still would not be enough to hold all the fans of Colombia and Argentina who have packed staidums on their own the past three weeks. Expect this crowd to be split, with the yellow of Colombia poking through the albiceleste of Argentina and creating an epic atmosphere suitable for a final.
Colombia fans have been out in full force throughout the entire tournament.
Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Ultimately, the main winner of this final will not be either team. It will be soccer fans around the world who are sure to see a dazzling display of soccer between the two best teams at this tournament. We’ll have pageantry, we’ll have a Shakira performance, and we’ll have some excellent soccer between two teams at the top of their game right now. Will Argentina hold onto the title, or will The Streak continue for Colombia, allowing them to celebrate as Copa America champions. Tune in Sunday night to find out.
Prediction: This is the first match of the tournament where extra time is an option, and it will come to that. This will be an epic final, with Colombia winning 3-2 after extra time with a late goal to make them champions.
Source link : https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2024/7/14/24197195/argentina-colombia-copa-america-final-preview-lionel-messi-james-rodriguez
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Publish date : 2024-07-14 08:01:16
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