CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Excitement could be felt throughout Charlotte thanks to Wednesday's Copa América semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia with tens of thousands of fans flocking to Uptown for the match.
Fans traveled from across the country to see the game, including Jon Borja, who traveled to the Queen City from New Jersey.
"Soccer, in the culture, means everything," Jon Borja said.
Jeffrey Lopez drove up from Orlando, Florida, to support Colombia in its quest to win the championship.
"It runs through our veins," Lopez said. "It's literally in our culture."
Colombia fans gathered at Cali Colombian Restaurant on South Boulevard before making their way to the stadium. Their support goes beyond the national team, and the culture that's tied with a sport that's rapidly growing in Charlotte.
"It's growing here in the United States," Lopez said. "We want it to continue to grow and then get other states here. More opportunities, more teams."
Fans who spoke to WCNC Charlotte say they most appreciate the connection that goes beyond the pitch.
"We're all from a Latin American community," Borja said. "It's not just one country, but a lot of countries all together, passionate for the same sport. It doesn't matter the colors that you have, we respect every color, and then when it just becomes the nation, the country, we all unite together."
The influx of fans meant more business for the restaurant and for support manager Karen Duque, more of a sense of community. "It’s home here," Duque said.
The restaurant has been so busy, it had to close an hour early on Tuesday night after running out of food. "I don’t have rice, I don’t have beans, I don’t have any -- it’s crazy," Duque said.
She is happy to see the restaurant thriving and servers making extra money. She said the restaurant opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday and customers were already lined up waiting to come inside.
Soccer fans hope the excitement surrounding Wednesday's match carries into the future.
"Not only because it's America, but we were developing more younger players coming up," Lopez said. "Hopefully this gives us a bounce to the World Cup that's coming in 2026."
Colombia will take on Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Copa América finals. Uruguay will face Canada in the third-place match in Charlotte on Saturday.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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