On Friday, the Copa América soccer tournament kicked off in Atlanta, with Argentina defeating a spirited Canadian team 2–0. This year marks the second time the United States has hosted the tournament. The first fell during another pivotal election year: 2016. Ordinarily a South American tradition, the 2024 games represent, in a way, a celebration of unity in the Western Hemisphere. But they’re also occurring in a political moment when Donald Trump is promising to deport millions of people from the United States and Joe Biden is boasting about shutting down the border.
On the second episode of Owned Goals, hosts Alex Shephard, Miguel Salazar, and Ben Makuch recap the first week of Euro 2024 and discuss U.S. immigration policy, the recent Chiquita judgment, and the political situation in Brazil and Argentina in the context of Copa América.