U.S. Soccer has been searching for a nickname for the dynamic trio of young forwards leading its women’s national team. Saturday it found one.
Olympic champions.
Mallory Swanson, one of that terrific trio, scored the game’s only goal 13 minutes into the second half to lift the U.S. over Brazil 1-0 in the gold-medal final of the Paris Games, giving the Americans their first Olympic title in 12 years and a record fifth championship in eight tries.
Playing in her 100th international game, Swanson ran on to a nice through ball from Korbin Albert, who caught Swanson on a well-timed run that kept her barely onside. Swanson then dribbled into the box and shimmied a couple of times in an effort to distract Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena before putting a right-footed shot into the back of the net for her team-leading fourth of the tournament, one better than teammates Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman.
The three forwards combined for 10 goals in the tournament, more than any team scored in France.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher then did the rest, making four saves — including a sterling stop on an Adriana header in second-half stoppage time — to record her third straight shutout in the Olympic knockout round and win her first Olympic gold medal, the only prize that has eluded her in a 10-year international career. Naeher allowed just one goal in her last 488 minutes in France.
A capacity crowd at Parc des Princes stadium, one that included Megan Rapinoe and Tom Cruise, saw a fast-paced, back-and-forth game that had plenty of action but few goals.
The quick pace at times wore down the Americans, who went to extra-time in their first two knockout-round games, playing 120 more minutes in the steamy French summer than Brazil over the last week. As a result, the whistle ending a scoreless first half was especially welcome given the ferocity and Brazil’s attack over the final 10 minutes.
That late flurry also produced the best chance of the first 45-plus minutes with Gabi Portilho testing Naeher with a right-footed shot at the near post two minutes into stoppage time. Yet U.S. coach Emma Hayes didn’t make the first of her three substitutions until the final 16 minutes.
Brazil actually found the back of the net in the 16th minute, with Ludmilla spinning U.S. center back Naomi Girma on the left wing, then dribbling into the box alone and beating Naeher from a tough angle. The goal was negated by a offside call but the ease with which Ludmilla beat Girma, the best defender in the tournament, was no doubt for the U.S.
Ten minutes later a blistering U.S. counterattack went for naught when Swanson, after dribbling from the midfield stripe, put her shot right at Lorena, who made the easy save.
Brazil had four times as many shots, more shots on target and a sizable edge in possession in the first half, although the teams were even on the scoreboard.
The U.S. lineup averaged 26.7 of age, making it the youngest to start in an Olympic final since 1996, when women’s soccer made its debut in the Games, while Albert, two months shy of her 21st birthday, was the youngest American to ever start an Olympic gold medal match.
The lineup was also one of the least-experienced to start a world championship match for the U.S. with just Naeher and defender Crystal Dunn the only holdovers from the 2019 World Cup winners.
Brazil, meanwhile, left the legendary Marta, 38, a six-time world player of the year, on the bench for what was likely the start of her final world championship game and third Olympic gold-medal match. Marta came in for the final half hour but wasn’t much of a factor.
Saturday’s win was the 14th straight for the U.S. in France, dating to the 2019 World Cup. It’s the team’s longest winning streak in any country outside the U.S. and three of those games have come at Parc des Princes.
