Photo courtesy Marjan Adib

Junior Daniel Yaya represents Colombia’s national soccer team as a child.

For the second time this century, the USA will be hosting the CONMEBOL Copa America soccer championship. The tournament will start on June 20 and end on July 14 this upcoming summer.

The Copa America is an international soccer tournament generally between the teams in South America. The last championship match played was between Argentina and Brazil, where Argentina was able to etch their team into history. However, in this year’s version of the tournament, more teams outside of South America will be invited, including the USA, Mexico, Panama, Jamaica and two more teams who are yet to qualify. This tournament is extraordinary because the competitive atmosphere of soccer in South American countries is not usually seen in the U.S..

Although the USA will be participating in the tournament, fans still support other countries throughout North and South America. It is a common trend that fans here choose the country where they have heritage from over the USA. “I will be rooting for Peru in the Copa America this year because I am Peruvian on my mom’s side,” junior Raimi Kvedys said.

Kvedys is not satisfied with how Peru has been playing recently but he remains an optimistic and loyal fan. “Peru hasn’t been playing their best recently but hopefully that can change that by this summer,” Kvedys said.

Similarly, junior Daniel Yaya also is rooting for a South American team. “I’ll be supporting Colombia since that’s where my family is from,” Yaya said.

Although Colombia has only won a single Copa America tournament, Yaya has high hopes for Colombia in the upcoming summer. “My goal for Colombia is for our team to win the whole tournament, which I know they are capable of after recently beating Brazil in World Cup qualifiers and Argentina’s unconvincing performances,” Yaya said.

It is not quite clear yet if the US national team has the ability and skill level to compete with South American countries, which have a richer soccer history and more years of experience.

Junior Ryan Kaufman is an avid US national soccer team supporter. Kaufman supports the US team because he was born and raised here.“I think the USMNT is young but has the potential to be one of the best teams in the world, and the Copa America is a place for them to prove that,” Kaufman said.

Last school year, the 2022 Qatar World Cup occurred throughout November and December. This was able to engage a larger population of the student body in watching soccer than ever before. Since the 2024 Copa America will occur over the summer, “It won’t really affect the soccer culture like the World Cup did at Wootton because it is over the summer, but I think it could inspire kids to try out for Wootton Soccer,” Kaufman said.

The tournament will kick off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. However, the nearest games will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This stadium will host two group stage matches on June 25 and June 27, as well as a semi-final game on July 9. Yaya said that if Colombia “were to play in New York or Philadelphia [he’d] probably take the train but if they were to play somewhere across the country [he’d] most likely fly.”

In 2026 the U.S. will also host the World Cup. This is expected to change American soccer forever. The 2024 Copa America is a perfect way to warm-up the fans for the even bigger World Cup.