Ahead of Copa America final, Miami residents talk game's importance

Why it matters: The eyes of the Americas will be on Miami as two great soccer nations fight for the championship.

• Both countries have big expat populations in South Florida. As of 2022, there were over 165,000 Colombians in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and 40,000 Argentineans, per the Migration Policy Institute.

🤑 Sticker shock: It'd be cheaper to fly to Medellin for a watch party, as radio host Andy Slater points out — the cheapest tickets are over $2,000.

By the numbers: Argentina — the reigning Copa America and World Cup champion — is favored to win at -155 odds, while Colombia has +110 odds, according to BetMGM.

• Colombia is on a 28-match unbeaten streak, while Argentina has only lost three of its last 63 matches.
• Colombia's last defeat was two years ago — to Argentina.

Axios spoke with South Florida fans about how they were feeling ahead of the game.

Alvaro Zayas, 30, who plays soccer in a local co-ed league, said Sunday's game is a long time coming for the Colombian team and its fans.

• He pointed to the team's failed effort to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and losing in the 2021 Copa tournament in the semifinals to Argentina in penalties.
• "No one expected Colombia to even come out of the group tournament," Zayas said. "I'm ecstatic we're finally here, [and] I'm confident in our team."

Hugo San Roman, a Buenos Aires native, said "there isn't room for anything less than champions" in Argentina.

• Leaving Buenos Aires Cafe — the North Beach favorite was decked out in light blue and white flags — Roman told us that growing up he "lived for soccer."
• After living in the States for many years, though, it's less so, but he won't miss Sunday's game; he said he's both anxious and confident about it.

Olga Lucia Palaez, who emigrated from Colombia about 22 years ago, says she was crying and shaking Wednesday night watching La Seleccion Cafetera advance to its first final in 23 years.

• "We love them with all our heart," the Hallandale Beach resident says.
• "It's not just the sport, but it's the pride. The people. It's the country. It's everything. It's what identifies all of us as Colombians."

She said Hard Rock is going to be "crazy" and full of Colombians, just like the sea of yellow visible at Bank of America stadium in Charlotte Wednesday.

• "I know the Argentineans also have a lot of support, but Colombia is Colombia and I feel proud of my country."

For Joe Btesh, a 68-year-old psychotherapist from Buenos Aires, watching La Albiceleste during the Copa has helped him reconnect with his roots after nearly 30 years living in South Florida.

• The Delray Beach resident has been eating Argentine staples like alfajores and sándwiches de miga and texting old friends back home he hasn't spoken to in years.
• "A part of me that was repressed," he says, "now it came back."

Soccer is more than a sport, especially for immigrants cheering on their team from an adopted country, as Btesh told us. Some fans cry when they play the national anthem before a match.

• "Coming to a different country is very difficult for everyone. Your country is your mother, your country is your root. When you go to watch fútbol, you're being a fan of your country — not of the team only. It's what you lost when you left. It's mixed emotions. It's fútbol and also your roots."

What's next: "I'm gonna be so depressed after Sunday," Btesh says, "because I'm not gonna have that fútbol."