PARIS, France – In a must-see Olympic showdown of two giants, South America’s Brazil will face off with North America’s Team USA in Parc des Princes in Paris tomorrow. The winner will depart France with gold medals, while the defeated – very worthy silver medallions.
The rivals last tangled in March during the first-ever CONCACAF W Gold Cup Tournament in San Diego. America’s team captain, Lindsay Horan scored a late goal in the first half that was sufficient to secure the victory.
The delighted Americans left for their respective homes with pride, while the As Canarinhas flew South with bitter memories. One has to believe that those deep thoughts have resurfaced on whiteboards in their changing room. Added motivation is what Brazil needs.
Saturday’s outing will be the third between the USA and Brazil in an Olympic gold medal final.
In the 2004 Olympic final, Abby Wambach scored a header off a corner kick in the 112th minute to lift the USA to its second gold medal and first since 1996. The teams dueled again in the 2008 Olympic final in Beijing. Carli Lloyd’s goal in stoppage time was enough for the United States to stand the tallest on the post-match award ceremony stage.
Brazil arrives at this championship match after efficiently handling their opponents, Nigeria, Japan, France, and Spain twice.
In their last two matches, they won without the assistance of their ace playmaker, Martha, who was not sidelined with an injury; however, a two-game suspension followed a reckless challenge. Remarkably or not, without her on the playing field, her teammates rallied to defeat the 2023 World Cup champion, Spain, 4-2 in their semifinal match.
The U.S. appears to have the edge going into the finale. For one, they have rebounded from unfortunate experiences with their former coaches and have embraced new hire Emma Hayes.
Sophia Smith summed up the team’s perspective: “Emma came in so soon before this tournament, so we knew that was going to be a challenge, but she just came in flying and we love her.” Smith continued, “She has worked every day to build our trust and show us she cares about us. She is such a great coach and such a great mentor.”
“We are a completely different team and a lot of the credit goes to Emma. She has communicated everyone’s roles very clearly. We are excited for her to be our coach for a long time.”
In addition, despite the significance of the match, the players are in a good space. They are enjoying their success, notoriety, and genuine applause from their significant others.
From here on out, let’s hope for an entertaining game, and may the best team win.
Game time is set for 9 a.m. Mountain Time. Consider joining a local Colorado watch party.
Photo Credit: John Babiak
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