Paris , France – 10 August 2024; Mallory Swanson of Team United States celebrates after scoring her side’s first goal during the women’s gold medal match between Team Brazil and Team United States at Parc des Princes during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
It all comes down to this. After a grueling stretch of five games in 13 days, the United States women’s national team faces Brazil for the gold medal. If they win, it would be their first since the 2012 London Games, which capped off a streak of three straight golds. Since then, the USWNT won bronze in Tokyo and did not medal in 2016. The USWNT is coming off two straight matches that went into extra time.
The United States is led by the “trident,” AKA Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson, who fittingly each have three goals in this tournament. The team has also been rejuvenated by new coach Emma Hayes, whose sometimes unconventional tactics seem to be resonating with the group.
Saturday’s match will also see the return of Brazilian soccer icon Marta, who was suspended for the last two games after receiving a straight red during the group stage. This is the final international tournament for Marta, who is retiring this year, and her last chance to win her first major international title with Brazil. Marta has two Olympic silver medals from the 2004 and 2008 games, and will be trying to earn her first gold…but the U.S. isn’t just going to let her take it.
How to watch Olympic gold medal game: United States vs. Brazil
Date: Saturday, August 10
Time: 11 a.m. ET | 8 a.m. PT
Location: Stade de France | Saint-Denis, France
Channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: NBCOlympics.com, Peacock, Fubo
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the United States takes on Brazil in the gold medal match on Saturday.
Live51 updates
Another corner kick for the U.S., but Swanson’s ball goes too far over the box.
Brazil’s Lauren is down and looks in pain after a non-contact injury in her right leg. Brazil opts to not use its final substitution after Lauren gets some stretching and stays in the game.
Brazil gets another corner, but it goes over the heads and Crystal Dunn gets it out. Both teams have four corners each, but haven’t been able to score off of them yet.
And now Smith gets a shot, but hers goes just wide as well. Brazil is getting sloppier on defense, and the U.S. is taking advantage of those mistakes.
Trinity Rodman breaks through, but her shot goes wide left. It would’ve been a banger and she knows it…but still, a great look for the U.S.
Swanson gets another run, but it’s broken up. Brazil is trying to up the pace again after letting it settle during the first part of this half, but the U.S. looks stronger on the back of that goal.
Marta comes off the bench for her final major international match
Marta, who has said that this is her final major international tournament with Brazil, comes on for Ludmila and takes back the captain’s band. The 38-year-old forward is a legend in the game, but also has the ability to change games for Brazil.
United States 1, Brazil 0
The goal stands! Swanson breaks the draw in the 57th minute, taking advantage of Brazilian missteps to take the lead and put the U.S. in a much more comfortable place.
GOAL MALLORY SWANSON
The USWNT scores with a brilliant assist from Korbin Albert, as Swanson gets the fabulous finish. The play will be checked for offsides and it’ll be close.
A great chance doesn’t go through, as Horan threads the ball through to Rodman but overshoots the kick.
Brazil gets a good chance with a throughball from Gaby Portilho to forward to Ludmila. Fox gets her foot on the ball first, and draws the foul to give the ball back to the U.S.
Vitoria Yaya is still being tended to on the sideline, looking to be in pain. Still unclear what the injury could be but it’s likely something on her lower body.
The U.S. finally gets a couple of good looks, with a good look from Smith across to Swanson, followed by a few more chances. Sam Coffey eventually takes a kick with way too much sauce and it goes out, high over the goal.
Brazilian midfielder Vitoria Yaya is down, and is eventually taken off on a stretcher. It is unclear what was wrong, but she is replaced by Ana Vitoria.
Sophia Smith gets a great run and an attempted pass to Mallory Swanson that is broken up by Brazil’s defense, but the Brazilians quickly turn it around to the other end of the field. Once again, the United States is struggling on those transitions, but that kind of offensive play is exactly the kind that could lead to a goal.
Brazil’s Gaby Portilho gets an early run, but Tierna Davidson does a great job of holding her off, and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
The second half is underway for USA vs. Brazil. Will the U.S. be able to fend off Brazil and break the stalemate to take gold?
Even with a tough first half, the United States has some USWNT legends in the house to cheer them on. Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Ali Krieger — all champions themselves — are in Paris’s Parc des Princes showing their support.
This game might be a tough one, but luckily some things — Trinity Rodman putting defenders through a spin cycle — never change.
This is not the kind of game the U.S. would like to be having, with the defense looking unsettled and the team unable to hold the kind of control over the ball that they’re used to. It’s scoreless at least — thanks to Alyssa Naeher — but Brazil has been far more of a threat in this first half.
The best option for Emma Hayes and the USWNT is to make some substitutions at halftime or early in the half. A few fresh legs, especially to shore up the defensive end, will be key.
In terms of offense, the USWNT’s best chance is to wait for Brazil to make a mistake and nail a shot. With this front three, it’s absolutely possible to take a lead with that strategy, but they need to keep Brazil out of the net first.
Audrey Schroeder is a writer, editor, and journalist who has written for the New York Times and The Washington Post. She's also an avid sports fan and has been featured in Sports Illustrated and ESPN. She loves to read about science, technology, and health issues. She loves to travel both domestically and internationally, especially when she can experience new cultures and people.
