The USA and Brazil have both previously reached the podium at the Olympic Games. The U.S. has the most Olympic gold and most total medals in the history of the competition, winning four golds, one silver and one bronze. Brazil has two silver medals, both coming from Gold Medal match losses to the United States.
GOLD MEDAL REMATCH
Saturday’s final at the Parc des Princes marks the third time that the USA and Brazil have clashed in the Gold Medal match at the Olympics. The teams first met in the final at Athens 2004, where the USWNT took the lead in the 39th minute behind a goal from 20-year-old Lindsay Tarpley, only for the Brazilians to equalize in the 73rd minute on a tally from Pretinha to send the match into extra time. In overtime, 24-year-old 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.
Four years later, the teams squared off again in the Olympic final in Beijing and once again, the Americans proved victorious in extra time, this time prevailing 1-0 on a goal from Carli Lloyd in the 96th minute.
The teams’ three meetings in the Olympic final will tie USA vs. Japan for the most-played world championship final in women’s soccer history. It will be the seventh match-up all-time between the USA and Brazil in the knockout rounds of a major tournament, also tying USA-Japan as the most-played match-up in the history of women’s international soccer. The USA has won four of the six…
