Canada and Uruguay will clash in the Copa America third-place match on Saturday in Charlotte with vastly different outlooks on the tournament’s conclusion. Canada, in its first-ever Copa America, has made a significant impact, finishing second in Group A, defeating Venezuela in the quarterfinals, and only falling to Argentina, twice, in the tournament. This strong showing has sparked a growing interest in football within the typically hockey-loving nation.
“We want to inspire the nation,” said Canada coach Jesse Marsch. “We want to develop the sport in the country. “We want people to remember this as a moment in time that changed the trajectory of what this sport is in Canada.”
Uruguay, on the other hand, has seen its bid for a record 16th Copa America title come to an end after a 1-0 semi-final loss to Colombia. Despite dominating Group C and defeating Brazil in the quarterfinals, Uruguay’s dominance ended with a controversial loss against Colombia. After the match, some Uruguayan players engaged in altercations with Colombian fans, leading to accusations of potential sanctions against the team.
“We didn’t make the most of the moments during the first half when we could have equalised,” Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said. “In the second half, we should have created more danger.”
When asked about potential sanctions, Bielsa responded with frustration: “The players reacted like any other human being would,” Bielsa said. “If you see that there’s a process to keep what happened from happening, if you see that if what happened happens anyway, and that there’s supposedly another process — an escape hatch, let’s say — and both things fail, and you see your woman or your mother or a baby being attacked, what would you do? “You’d ask whether they’re going to punish the people who defended themselves? What you should be asking me if you had a minimum amount of sympathy is if the players have received an apology from those who are responsible for caring for every single spectator.”
Adding to the controversy surrounding the tournament, Canada coach Marsch expressed criticism towards the Copa America’s management, citing poor treatment of his team and questionable officiating. He highlighted the lack of a foul call when Canada captain Alphonso Davies was injured in the semifinal after a tackle by Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel. “For me, this tournament has not been professional,” Marsch said. “I watched what happened after the (Uruguay-Colombia) match and certainly I don’t know all the details, but certainly we wouldn’t want anyone’s families or any player’s families to be put in harm’s way. “But I know if Team Canada, if our team would have responded like this, that there would be heavy sanctions because of the treatment that we received in this tournament. “The whole time we’ve had our players be head-butted, we’ve had racial slurs thrown at our players live and through social media… We’ve been treated like second-class citizens.”
Marsch remains uncertain if Davies will be available for the third-place match. Meanwhile, Uruguay will see the return of defender Nahitan Nandez from suspension, while another key defender, Ronald Araujo, will be sidelined due to an injury sustained against Colombia. The upcoming match promises to be a clash of contrasting emotions and perspectives on the Copa America’s conclusion.
