PSV fullback and USMNT star Sergino Dest is openly questioning why his home country is hosting the Copa America, one of the more prestigious international tournaments in world football.
The Copa America, CONMEBOL’s flagship cup competition, is traditionally hosted by South American nations – but has been held outside the continent before.
‘I would love to have had it (Copa America) in South America,’ Dest told The Athletic.
‘It’s like you’re playing the Euros in Africa. It doesn’t make sense to me. But nowadays everything is about the money.
USMNT full back Sergino Dest questioned the decision to host the Copa America in the USA
‘I’d love to have seen it in Brazil or Colombia and seen that passion for football.
‘It should be a culture thing; for the fans it is, but for others it’s business, unfortunately.’
The Copa America has been hosted outside CONMEBOL before: when the United States brought the 2016 edition of the tournament to US shores.
2024’s Copa America was supposed to be hosted by Ecuador. However, the country declined hosting the tournament in November of 2022 when organizers said it wouldn’t be possible to host the competition. CONMEBOL then chose to give the tournament to the USA.
Regardless of where the tournament is being played, Dest says the USMNT are hopeful to make an improvement from their form at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – a competition the right back started all four games in.
‘We are a young team, and when we went to the 2022 World Cup we were on an upward curve but we also had some setbacks,’ says Dest.
‘The line isn’t always rising though, it can go down. We need to get back to our shape now, get back together. At this moment I think if we were to play the World Cup tomorrow, we would not be ready.
‘The Copa can have a great effect and we will also see where we stand, but even that is (four) months from now. In that time, a lot can still happen.
Dest says he’d much rather be playing the games in Brazil or Colombia to see their passion
Just months ago, Dest was sent off from a game against Trinidad and Tobago in a fit of rage
‘The warm-up game against Colombia (set to be played in June before the tournament begins) will be amazing. A great opponent we can test ourselves against.’
That game against Colombia will be played in the Washington, D.C. metro area – with another match against Brazil on the cards at a to-be-determined location.
Following that, the USMNT plays its group stage games against Bolivia in Dallas on June 23, against Panama in Atlanta on June 27, and against Uruguay in Kansas City on July 2.
Dest notably got sent off in a game against Trinidad and Tobago to qualify for the Copa America as he lost his temper at referee Walter Lopez.
Despite the loss in the game, the United States officially qualified for the competition on aggregate.
