The US Ladies’s Nationwide Workforce defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday to earn a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics. It is the crew’s fifth Olympic gold medal and first because the London video games in 2012.
The USWNT and Brazil have met typically on the Olympics; this was their third time dealing with each other in a gold-medal match. With this victory, the USWNT has now gained all three of its gold-medal matches in opposition to the Brazilians.
Brazil entered this match with a mission: make issues as uncomfortable as doable for the USWNT. It leveraged a excessive press and breathtaking physicality to battle the USWNT for each single ball.
It was that mindset that powered Brazil previous world champion Spain within the semifinals, and for a lot of the primary half, it seemed like it might energy it previous the People as effectively. Good goalkeeping from USWNT veteran Alyssa Naeher was all that stored Brazil from breaking by means of within the first half.
Brazil was capable of play that aggressively due to its depth and rotation. After a tough first match of the match in opposition to Spain, Brazil made six modifications to its beginning lineup for recreation two, seven for recreation three, one other seven for the quarterfinals and 5 for the semifinals.
Whereas the USWNT struggled within the remaining with drained legs — defender Naomi Girma, as an example, entered the match having performed each minute of the match — Brazil’s well-rotated lineup seemed comparatively recent.
It was the USWNT who delivered the primary blow, although, regardless of the distinction in vitality and health.
Within the 57th minute, midfielder Korbin Albert floated a beautiful through-ball into Mallory Swanson simply exterior Brazil’s penalty space. At first look, it appeared that Swanson was offside, however she fired a shot into the again of the online anyway, simply in case the replays proved in any other case.
They did: Swanson had remained onside by a matter of centimeters, and her objective stood. It was her fourth objective of the match, tying her for second within the 2024 Olympic goalscoring standings.
Brazil fell off the tempo after Swanson’s shock opener, and it wasn’t arduous to see why. Taking part in high-pressing soccer is exhausting, even with the good thing about personnel rotation; Brazil’s gamers ran way over the USWNT’s within the first half, and the impacts of all that effort had been sure to indicate.
Brazil made a number of substitutions following Swanson’s objective to counteract that decline, however the subs, together with the 38-year-old legend Marta, weren’t capable of play the identical high-pressing model that Brazil championed within the first half. They rapidly turned stretched by the USWNT and struggled to make offensive progress of their very own.
Because the second half waned, the match started to appear to be one thing of a tactical masterclass from USWNT coach Emma Hayes. She clearly knew Brazil would strive an aggressive method within the first half, and he or she inspired her gamers to allow them to make it occur.
From a viewing perspective, it seemed like Brazil was hammering the USWNT within the first half, however Hayes knew what the viewers did not: Brazil would tire itself out, and so long as the USWNT stayed inside a objective or two, it might be capable of make up the distinction when Brazil fell aside.
Hayes barely made any substitutions on this recreation. She did not have to. By the point the chance for subs rolled round, Brazil had already exhausted itself out of the sport. Persistence, it turned out, was a advantage for Hayes on this gold medal remaining.
That tactical knowledge is strictly what Hayes was delivered to the USA to ship. Along with her reign now firmly underway, her file speaks for itself: At these Olympics, the USWNT gained each single certainly one of its six video games, scoring 12 occasions and conceding simply twice. It did so with out vital participant rotation in opposition to a few of the greatest groups on the earth.
Twelve quick months in the past, the USWNT was at its lowest ebb, heading house from Australia in shambles after its worst World Cup efficiency in historical past. What a distinction a 12 months — and a training change — could make. The USWNT is a worthy Olympic champion … and it is formally again on monitor.
The USWNT will take a well-deserved break after the Olympics. It should return in October for 2 friendlies in opposition to Iceland in Austin and Nashville.