Victory at 2024 Paris Olympics is fifth Gold Medal for U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.
PARIS (Aug. 10, 2024) – The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is back atop the podium, claiming a record fifth Olympic gold medal with Saturday’s 1-0 triumph against Brazil in the 2024 Olympic Gold Medal Match at Parc des Princes in Paris.
As it did all tournament, the self-proclaimed “Triple Espresso” forward line made the winning difference. On the occasion of her 100th cap, Mallory Swanson made American soccer history with her “golden” goal in the second half. The trio of Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman netted ten of the USA’s dozen goals during its six-game Olympic run, and each scored a match-winner in the knockout stage. They also combined for five assists, demonstrating the USA’s attacking rebirth under head coach Emma Hayes.
Saturday’s victory was a sign of the program’s resilience and relentless consistency. On five occasions, the USA stumbled at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Each and every time, it was crowned Olympic champion the following year. At a sold-out Parc des Princes, 12 months and four days after an exit in the Round of 16 from the World Cup in Australia, the U.S. added the 2024 Olympic gold medal to those won in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The fourth, won in London, marked the only other time the USWNT went 6W-0D-0L at the Olympics.
The newest hardware was earned in Hayes’ 10th game at the helm. The USA is 9W-0L-1D under her leadership and has never trailed. She became the fourth USWNT coach to win her first major tournament on the job. Hayes made a key decision Saturday as her lineup at the Parc des Princes featured a single change from the semifinal win over Germany. Korbin Albert earned her second Olympic start and replaced Rose Lavelle in midfield.
Hayes has prioritized connection and consistency in France, starting nine players in each of the first five Olympic matches. Lavelle was one of them, and although Albert became the youngest American woman to start an Olympic final (20 years, 302 days), she earned the opportunity with a solid quarterfinal performance against Japan and her winning goal in the group stage finale against Australia. Albert’s insertion also allowed the USA to replicate the midfield (along with Lindsey Horan and Sam Coffey) that blanked Brazil, 1-0, in the Concacaf W Gold Cup Final in March. That was the fourth time the sides met in a major international final. Saturday would mark the fifth, and third at the Olympic Games.
Ninth-ranked Brazil, losers of each of those previous showdowns, started brightly in Paris. Six-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, back from a two-game suspension, began the Gold Medal match on the bench. But fellow Seleção forward Ludmila, the new Chicago Red Stars signing, tested the U.S. early. She slipped behind the USA defense in just the second minute before sending her 10-yard shot straight to goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Ludmila then fired the ball past Naeher in the 16th, but the Brazilian was a step offside on her run though the left channel seconds before.
Ten minutes later, the USA took advantage of the game’s wide-open nature and nearly went ahead through Swanson. She blew past Brazil’s Lauren on the left and as center back Tarciane slid in for the tackle, Swanson deftly poked a six-yard shot that was swatted away by goalkeeper Lorena.
That would be the USA’s best chance of the half as the energetic Seleção, which suffered two defeats during the group stage before upsetting France and Spain in the knockout rounds, entered the intermission with momentum (and an 8-2 shot advantage). But the Brazilians didn’t have the lead. Naeher saw to that, making an outstanding reaction save on a stoppage-time redirection from Gabi Portilho.
The USWNT didn’t need multiple chances, its dominant front three just needed the right one. The moment came in the 57th minute as Albert rewarded Hayes’ faith and sent the Brazilian defense into disarray with a nicely-weighted through ball. Smith, who was celebrating her 24th birthday, had the first chance at it. But realizing she might have been a step offside, the striker smartly left it for Swanson. The forward was in alone for the second time and on this occasion, she came through, firing the ball to Lorena’s left.
It was Swanson’s fourth goal of the Olympics and injected energy into the U.S. side, which remained on the front foot. Marta, 38, finally entered the match in the 61st as Brazil sought to craft a storybook comeback for the retiring legend. But gaps were opening, and Rodman was inches from doubling the lead in the 64th minute. Smith then cut to the right and shot wide of the left post a minute later.
The U.S defense solidified as the match wore on and closed off much of the space that had been available in the opening half. Marta curled an 89th-minute free kick over the crossbar and Adriana was cut off by Naeher at the right post seconds later. Provided with 10 minutes of stoppage time, Brazil forced one more outstanding save from the veteran netminder, who leaped to her right to meet Adriana’s header in the 94th.
Naeher, who has now backstopped the USA to Women’s World Cup and Olympic titles, set a program record with her fourth shutout in a single Olympic tournament and posted clean sheets in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final. She is the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to record cleans sheets in both the World Cup and Olympic final.
The whistle finally blew—time was extended further after Horan was involved in a heavy collision—and the Americans were crowned champions. The USA improved its all-time record against Brazil to 33W-3L-5D and its advantage in official competition to 9W-1L-2D. The U.S. now has defeated the Seleção in the final of the 2000 Concacaf Women’s Championship, the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Brazil, an eight-time South American champion, remains without a major world title after setbacks in the 2007 Women’s World Cup Final and the aforementioned three Olympic finals.
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