Photo by Daniela Lopez / SOC Images.
If you’ve ever been to a Latin America soccer match, you know that the fans take every bit of the event serious; from the pregame tailgate, the match and the post win celebration.
Before the games, parking lots are filled with all types of food like corn, steak, chicken, tacos, tortillas and more. Supporters are chanting in every corner with flags and jerseys raised for the entire crowd to see while others are dancing or playing soccer in between cars.
During the game, the stadium is filled with pride as fans passionately cheer, wave and yell for roughly 90 minutes.
The atmosphere is like no other. But when it comes to a Copa America game, it is that and 10 times more.
This year, the US was host of the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™. Fourteen cities held matches including East Rutherford, home of MetLife Stadium. Metlife hosted three matches — Argentina vs Chile, Uruguay vs Bolivia and Argentina vs Canada.
When it was announced that Argentina would be playing just 20 minutes away from where he grew up, Hudson County local Anthony Castro, took the opportunity to snag tickets to see the legendary soccer player, Lionel Messi.
Castro has been a soccer fan since 2012, and although he has gone to soccer matches in the past, he has never attended an international match. He described the Argentina vs Chile game, an absolutely “unreal” experience.
“To be able to see big time players all in one place, [it was] pure joy,” Castro told Slice of Culture. “To be able to watch Lionel Messi, the greatest player to ever grace the game do what he does best alongside his teammates, it was a beautiful experience.”
Castro was one of the thousands of fans rocking the white and blue jersey on the June 25 match hoping to see reigning champions Argentina advance in the competition.
Nearing the end of the second half, Messi hit a corner kick which bounced around before landing perfectly near Lautaro Martinez who with quick movement, secured Argentina a ticket to the Copa America Quarterfinals scoring the only goal of the match.
Fans filled MetLife Stadium with roars as they witnessed victory for their team. That same excitement filled up the stadium two days later when Uruguay won 5-0 against Bolivia.
Robert Paladines, a West New York resident, was among the attendees who saw Maximiliano Araújo, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur score three goals within 12 minutes in the second half. Facundo Pellistri and Darwin Nuñez scored two goals in the first half in the 8th and 21st minute.
Paladines, who was rooting for Uruguay, was one of the tailgaters who showed up early to bbq and enjoy the atmosphere before the game. Although Ecuadorian and rooting for his national team, Paladines did not want to miss the opportunity to see a Copa America match in his home state.
Growing up in Hudson County, a predominately Hispanic community, he noticed how important soccer is among the locals. From hosting parties around every soccer games, covering windows, cars and shops with flags, to running up and down Bergenline Avenue — one of the main avenues in North Hudson — after a win, soccer fanatics in Hudson County are extremely passionate about the sport.
“I think the soccer culture in Hudson County is very united. Everyone in their own little way has some soccer in them… they have their favorite team that they cheer for or their country,” he said.
“It’s a different experience.”
The semifinals match between Argentina and Canada took place on Tuesday at MetLife where Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 sending them to the finals.
Uruguay beat Canada 4-3 in penalty kicks on Saturday night taking third place at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. On Sunday, Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in over time, giving them their 16th Copa America title.
But before this momentum moment, chaos broke out at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami delaying the match for more than an hour because of fans breaking through security gates.
The stadium went on a brief lockdown, after “thousands of fans without tickets attempted to forcibly enter the stadium, putting other fans, security and law enforcement officers at extreme risk.”
Videos on social media showed fans sneaking in through vents, rushing through gates knocking down other supporters and security trying to remove any ticketless fans blocking stairs and sections from the stadium.
After exceeding capacity, the security blocked many fans, with paid tickets, from coming into the game, some who traveled from far and paid thousands of dollars for tickets, were turned away.
Many are now concerned about the US and these stadiums’ capability to host major international competitions as the World Cup is set to come in 2026.
This concern also comes after the match between Colombia vs Uruguay where Uruguayan player Darwin Núñez and others rushed to the crowd to protect their families after arguments broke out in the stands.
