USWNT wins 5th Olympic Gold Medal, beating Brazil 1-0 in Paris 2024 title match

PARIS – The U.S. Women’s National Team has returned to its traditional place 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. (HIGHLIGHTS)

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 tallied 10 of the USA’s 12 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.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

USA – Mallory Swanson (Korbin Albert), 57th minute: Albert found the ball at the midfield stripe and slipped a perfect pass through three Brazilian defenders and into the path of Sophia Smith. The striker appeared to be slightly offside, however, and she smartly peeled away to leave the ball for Swanson. Swanson bore down on goal and fired a right-footed shot past Lorena. USA 1, BRA 0 FINAL

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The U.S. Women’s National Team claims its fifth Olympic gold medal, four more than any other nation in Olympic Women’s Soccer history. The USA is now 5W-1L-0D all-time in Olympic Gold Medal matches
• This is the USA’s seventh overall Olympic medal, with five gold (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2024), one silver (2000) and one bronze (2020). Germany has won the next-most Olympic medals with five (one gold, four bronze).
• The 12-year gap between gold medals marked the longest the USA had gone without topping the podium in Olympic history.
• This is the second Olympic medal for eight players on this roster, as Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Casey Krueger, Rose Lavelle, Alyssa Naeher, Emily Sonnett and Lynn Williams also won bronze at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
• For the remaining 12 eligible players, this is their first Olympic gold medal. Per IOC regulations, alternates Croix Bethune and Emily Sams will receive a medal as they appeared on a matchday roster.
• Emma Hayes joins Anson Dorrance as the only head coaches in USWNT history to win every match in their first major tournament, with Dorrance winning all six games at the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
• The USA’s gold medal victory comes in just Hayes’ 10th match at the helm of the USWNT, the fastest by any head coach to win a World Cup or Olympics in women’s soccer history.
• The USWNT never trailed at the Paris 2024 Olympics or at any point in its 10 games under Emma Hayes. The only other time the USWNT went an entire Olympics without trailing was during its run to the 2004 gold medal in Greece. The USWNT has won three World Cups – 1991, 2015 and 2019 – without trailing at any point in the tournament.
• Swanson became the ninth player in USWNT history to score while earning her 100th cap and the first to do so since Lindsey Horan scored in her 100th cap against New Zealand at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
• Swanson is the sixth player all-time to score for the USWNT in an Olympic Gold Medal match, joining Tiffeny Milbrett (3 goals), Carli Lloyd (3), Abby Wambach, Shannon MacMillan and Lindsay Tarpley.
• Swanson is the 44th player in USWNT history to reach 100 international appearances and at 26 years old, she’s the youngest player to reach the century mark since 25-year-old Amy Rodriguez achieved the feat in 2012. Swanson is the 15th youngest player all-time to reach milestone for the USWNT.
• Swanson’s goal was her team-leading fourth of the tournament, tied for the second-most by a USWNT player at a single Olympics. Only Abby Wambach had more, scoring five at London 2012. Swanson’s five career Olympic goals – one in 2016, four in 2024 – are tied with Mia Hamm, Tiffeny Milbrett and Megan Rapinoe for fourth-most in U.S. Olympic history.
• Naeher is the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to keep a clean sheet in both a World Cup final and an Olympic final, having also shut out Netherlands in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Lyon. Hope Solo is the only other goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in an Olympic Gold Medal match.
• This is Naeher’s fourth shutout of Paris 2024, passing Hope Solo for the most shutouts by any USWNT goalkeeper at a single Olympics. Solo recorded three clean sheets during the USA’s runs to gold in both 2008 and 2012.
• The starting lineup to face Brazil averaged 26.7 years of age, making it the second-youngest lineup to ever start for the USWNT in a Gold Medal match, trailing only the XI that started the 1996 Olympic final (25.8 years old). It’s the third-youngest starting lineup for the USWNT in a world championship final, after the 1996 Olympics (25.8 average age) and the 1991 Women’s World Cup (23.8).
• Lindsey Horan became the fourth player to captain the USWNT in an Olympic Gold Medal match, joining Carla Overbeck (1996), Julie Foudy (2000, 2004) and Christie Pearce (2008, 2012).
• At 20 years, 302 days, Korbin Albert became the youngest player to ever start for the USWNT in an Olympic Gold Medal match, breaking the record previously set by Lindsay Tarpley in 2004 (20 years, 339 days). Albert, who started the quarterfinal at Parc des Princes against Japan, is the third-youngest player to start for the USWNT in a world championship final, trailing only Mia Hamm (19 years, 258 days) and Kristine Lilly (20 years, 131 days) when they started the 1991 World Cup final against Norway.
• Albert’s assist was the first of her international career.

– U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –

Match: United States Women’s National Team vs. Brazil
Date: Aug. 10, 2024
Competition: Paris 2024 Olympics Final
Venue: Parc des Princes; Paris, France
Attendance: 43,813
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local / 9 a.m. ET
Weather: 84 degrees, sunny

Scoring Summary:    1            2          F
USA                            0        1          1
BRA                            0         0         0

USA – Mallory Swanson (Korbin Albert)                    57th minute

Lineups:

USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox; 4-Naomi Girma, 12-Tierna Davidson (14-Emily Sonnett, 74), 7-Crystal Dunn; 3-Korbin Albert, 17-Sam Coffey, 10-Lindsey Horan; 5-Trinity Rodman, 11-Sophia Smith (8-Lynn Williams, 84), 9-Mallory Swanson (6-Casey Krueger, 90+5)

Substitutes not used: 18-Casey Murphy, 13-Jenna Nighswonger, 15-Jaedyn Shaw, 16-Rose Lavelle

Head coach: Emma Hayes

BRA: 1-Lorena; 21-Lauren (4-Rafaelle, 84), 3-Tarciane, 15-Thais; 9-Adriana (Capt.), 8-Vitoria Yaya (17-Ana Vitoria, 50), 5-Duda Sampaio (20-Angelina, 61), 13-Yasmin; 18-Gabi Portilho, 11-Jheniffer (19-Priscila, 61), 14-Ludmila (10-Marta, 61)
Substitutes not used: 12-Taina, 16-Gabi Nunes
Head coach: Arthur Elias

Stats Summary: USA / BRA
Shots: 9 / 13
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 4 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 7
Fouls: 12 / 15
Offside: 5 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
BRA – Tarciane (Caution)                  81st minute

Officials:
Referee: Tess Oloffson (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahic (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Francesca di Monte (ITA)
4th Official: Rebecca Welch (GBR)
VAR: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
AVAR 1: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
AVAR 2: Jerome Brisard (FRA)

Woman of the Match: Alyssa Naeher