Concacaf
·9 August 2024
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Yahoo sportsConcacaf
·9 August 2024
PARIS – The United States women’s national team seeks to win a record fifth Olympic gold medal when it meets Brazil on Saturday at the Parc des Princes in Paris as the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament concludes in Paris 2024.
This will also be the third time these two nations will face off for gold at the Summer Olympics. The United States won on both previous occasions, at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
The USWNT won its first gold medal on home soil at Atlanta 1996. Their previous appearance at the top of the podium came in London 2012 when they won their fourth gold medal. They also won silver at Sydney 2000 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, making them the most decorated soccer team at the Olympics.
The U.S.’ road to the final
This year’s tournament has started a new era under head coach Emma Hayes. The team won its three matches in the group stage to win Group B before defeating Japan in the quarterfinals after extra time. The U.S. went to extra time once more in the semifinals to defeat Germany on a goal from Sophia Smith.
The USWNT's record at the women’s Olympic soccer tournament is 32W-0D-7L, excluding penalty shootouts. They have a favorable record when playing South American teams, winning five and drawing one.
Brazil returns to a final
Brazil defeated reigning FIFA World Cup winners Spain, 4-2, to advance to a third Olympic Final. The team achieved silver in both encounters against the United States at the 2004 and 2008 games. They have also played for bronze three times, falling to Canada, Norway, and Germany.
The Brazilian contingent will attempt to be the first South American nation to win a gold medal at the women’s Olympic soccer tournament. The legendary Marta will be back on the pitch after completing a two-match ban due to a red card.
Rematch of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Final
The gold medal match will be a rematch of the inaugural 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Final earlier this year. The U.S. won that encounter 1-nil with a goal from Lindsey Horan to crown themselves as the first-ever champions of the tournament in front of a sold-out crowd at SnapDragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
Horan is the captain of the current Team USA squad at Paris 2024 and is available to play in the final along with four other players named to the W Gold Cup Best XI in Alyssa Naeher and Jaedyn Shaw of the U.S. and Rafaelle Souza and Yasmim of Brazil.
Brazil v USA