The United States is going for its fifth gold medal in women’s soccer at the Paris Olympics, but they will face a tough test this weekend as Brazil knocked out Spain to advance to the final match of the tournament.
The U.S. took down Germany in the semifinals to start this battle, but it won’t be the first time the nations have faced off for a gold medal.
In fact, Brazil and the United States battled it out in consecutive Olympic finals, with the United States taking home the gold in 2004 and 2008.
Brazil has at least made the medal round in all but two Olympic tournaments, but has yet to capture a gold medal in the sport.
Team USA women’s soccer defeated Germany in the semifinals to advance to the gold medal game in Paris 2024.
It looked like it would be a tough task to get the chance this year, but Brazil held off a furious rally from Spain to claim victory. Adriana headed a ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0 with about 20 minutes remaining, and despite two goals by Spain, Brazil were still able to win as Kerolin scored a critical insurance goal in the closing stages.
Even with Brazil’s stunning win over Spain, the U.S. is still getting incredible production from its key players, including Mallory Swanson, who added another assist to her resume in the 1-0 win over Germany, and Sophia Smith, who scored that goal in overtime.
Trinity Rodman, who scored the game-winning goal against Japan in the quarter, has three goals in the tournaments to be the American lead in that category.
Team USA’s Sophia Smith scored the semifinal’s first and only goal in overtime, the second time in Olympic history that a women’s semifinal match was scoreless after 90 minutes.
For those hoping to catch the gold medal game between the teams, it will be available on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday.
The game will also be broadcast again at 17.00 in the USA