Sunday’s Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens was a disgrace. It followed on the heels of Wednesday’s events in Charlotte and the very strong comments by Marcelo Bielsa, now managing Uruguay about the preparedness for this competition.

It’s not all on CONMEBOL though they could be blamed for giving the US this tournament and then not understanding the limitations of playing such a prestigious and visible tournament here.

Why the US hosts international soccer tournaments and big club friendlies

Let’s first establish something that’s straightforward. The United States hosts major football tournaments and a disproportionate number of European club preseason friendlies because of money. The United States DOES NOT host tournaments or friendlies because it has the most fans, best venues, most functional cities or most vibrant supporters cultures.

While the culture has improved in this country as has the depth of understanding of the sport, it’s still not where it needs to be for the US to constantly be awarded hosting rights to events. I shudder to think what a disaster moving Regular Season La Liga or Premier League matches to this country will in fact be, if in fact club supporters travel here.

When I have made these comments privately in the past or articulated some of the concerns I am about to write, I have experienced HUGE pushback – because to criticize any aspect of American soccer to some is seen as a personal attack on our country (this tends to happen also when you criticize US players). And after all, their is a personal economic interest associated with the US hosting major tournaments for many in the game here. The stay quiet attitude and forced group think has gotten us to the point where the 2024 Copa America was an international embarrassment.

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What happened this past week

It’s convenient for those spinning to blame CONMEBOL or to make derogatory remarks about fans and players from Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. I’ve seen too much of that today and while the former is a valid point of debate, the later smacks of jingoism and a lack of understanding of major events.

The reality is this: Security failed at two major US venues.

What happened at the end of the semifinal in Charlotte between Uruguay and Colombia is the sort of thing Americans used to freely mock about football in other countries. Even making jokes about it on news and comedy shows and contrasting it with the supposed order of American sporting events (which has always been overblown while the disorder in football abroad has largely been exaggerated).

The Copa final in Miami Gardens was a disgrace of epic proportions, and though there was no loss of life thankfully, it was a failure on the order of Heysel or Hillsborough. In nations with football/soccer cultures it’s generally known how to police such matches and how to prepare for the event. Granted we’ve seen issues, particularly in France of late at club matches but in general there is an understanding of these things in other countries.

CONMEBOL and Hard Rock Stadium had months to prepare for this final and as someone who lives in the area, it’s has been the center of conversation for at least six months – that we are hosting this huge event.

That same venue in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area will host SEVEN matches in the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup. Zurich (or maybe now it is in fact Miami where much of FIFA is based?), we have a problem…

Bielsa Comments

The comments made by Bielsa struck a chord with me. Because consistently through the years when I have covered or worked as a press officer for events with European clubs in the US I have heard the same complaints.

• Training facilities are subpar and not adequate for high-level training before a nine-month season. European clubs I have been around have almost ALWAYS complained about the facilities in this country that they are stuck training on – and it seems Bielsa has the same complaints.
• Grass pitches placed over turf fields are an injury risk and have a psychological impact on players that are not in midseason shape. While this could matter less in an international tournament in terms of injury it’s still a problem.
• I’ve repeatedly heard about ticketing nightmares and how some of the protocols with security would not be tolerated in Europe. I never really understood that to be honest, but I am registering here that I have heard multiple times around multiple events in this country. And it might be more critical to discuss after events Wednesday and Sunday.

The US ability to manage a major tournament has to be questioned

Yes the US hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup (24 teams) and the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cups (16 teams). We successfully hosted the 2016 Copa America Centenario (16 teams), but that tournament didn’t quite have the buzz or anticipation for this regularly scheduled Copa in 2024. Keep in mind the 2026 FIFA World Cup which is being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico but realistically 90% hosted by the US is a 48-team tournament.

Some thoughts-

• I recently served as a press officer for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, During that tournament I heard repeated complaints from foreign journalists how hard it was to get around the United States as well as too and from the venues within large US cities.
• The lack of mass transit makes getting many US venues a nightmare and unlike in Germany where Euro 2024 just concluded, getting between US venues isn’t easy.
• Training grounds are often nowhere near stadiums causing more logistical problems for the clubs/national teams and operations. While this is a problem in many places, it’s a bigger problem from what I have been told in the US and Canada than in other western countries.
• Often times it costs local governments tons of money to properly. These are things they don’t budget for and quite frankly I am not of the opinion these events bring enough revenue to a city for them to host, but that’s a conversation for another day.

The US has two-years to get it right. But to get it right, we must be honest with ourselves and start making the sort of proactive and progressive changes that must happen. Otherwise 2026 will be a disaster in my opinion.