USA vs. Brazil live updates: Mallory Swanson scores to give USWNT lead in Olympic final

PARIS — The United States women’s national team is leading Brazil, 1-0, in the Olympic final today at the 2024 Paris Games . Mallory Swanson gave the U.S. the lead with a goal in the 57th minute. The Americans are aiming to win their first gold medal since 2012, which is also the last time they made the final.

They have been led by the trio of Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith while defender Naomi Girma has been something of a brick wall on the backline. All of this orchestrated by new head coach Emma Hayes , whose sense of humor and demanding style has struck the right balance for this roster.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, highlights and analysis throughout the match. Follow along.

Sophia Smith subbed out, Lynn Williams in

Lynn Williams replaced Sophia Smith on the field in the 84th minute.

Brazil's Tarciane hit with a yellow card

Referee Tess Olofsson has gone to her cards in the 81st minute. Brazil defender Tarciane received a yellow for her tackle from behind on Sophia Smith about 25 yards from the net. Tarciane was also upset that a pass up the sideline to Smith had not been ruled over the touch line.

Mallory Swanson goal gives USA 1-0 lead over Brazil

Welcome to the Summer of Mal. Mallory Swanson gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute on a signature run down the left side. Korbin Albert, starting in place of Rose Lavelle, delivered the through ball for either Sophia Smith or Swanson. Smith would have likely been ruled offside if she touched it. But Swanson swooped in and made a beeline for the net, and her right-footed blast beat Brazil’s keeper Lorena to break the scoreless tie.

USA chances open up

As Brazil presses for the equalizer, the U.S. will have chances in transition. Trinity Rodman nearly cashed one in in the 64th minute but her left-footed attempt went wide of the net. In the 66th minute, Sophia Smith barely lost a foot race to a loose ball in no-person’s land between her and Brazil’s keeper.

Emily Sonnett comes in for Tierna Davidson

Emma Hayes made her first sub in the 74th minute of the match, as defender Tierna Davidson was relieved and Emily Sonnett came on. Davidson suffered a leg contusion against Germany during the second match of the tournament and Sonnett has been her primary replacement in the matches she missed and when it was time for her to come off in the semifinals and, now, finals.

Marta comes in for Brazil

Although the U.S. had scored minutes earlier, Brazil’s fans cheered as Marta was subbed into the game. Marta had missed the last two matches (quarterfinals and semifinals) while serving a red-card suspension.

Brazil's Vitoria Yaya leaves game

Play was stopped in the 48th minute when Brazil’s Vitoria Yaya went down. Medical personnel removed her on the stretcher and Ana Vitoria came on for her.

USA vs. Brazil score at halftime: 0-0

For the U.S., the first half of both the quarterfinals and semifinals were scoreless (and all of regulation, for that matter). The final against Brazil was no exception.

Both teams had their fair share of scoring chances – Brazil’s more consistent compared to the Americans – but neither side had anything to show for it.

Brazil’s Ludmila has been a handful for the U.S. back line to deal with. It looked like she put Brazil up in the 16th minute when she beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box, but luckily for the U.S., the offside flag went up. Alyssa Naeher came up huge during stoppage time to save a Gabi Porthilo strike.

Mallory Swanson had the United States’ best chance of scoring on a long, speedy run with the ball.

The match has been physical despite referee Tess Olofsson’s willingness to let play continue. Brazil was whistled for nine fouls compared to seven for the U.S. Possession had been nearly even for most of the match, but Brazil largely dominated the end of the half and ended up controlling the ball 54% of the time.

USA's Alyssa Naeher makes a huge save

In the second minute of stoppage time, U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made a monster save on a shot by Brazil's Gabi Portilho to keep it 0-0.

Mallory Swanson foul on Brazil's Lorena

In the 34th minute, Mallory Swanson and Brazil goalkeeper Lorena came together, Lorena hitting the grass and staying down for a few minutes. She got back up and stayed in the game.

Water and cooling break!

In the 30th minute, the sides came in for a water and cooling break. It is 84 degrees (feels like 89) with little to no breeze. They resumed play a few minutes later.

Mallory Swanson’s speed almost leads to goal

Mallory Swanson turned on the burners – and it almost led to the match’s first goal. Tierna Davidson cleared the ball from the U.S. defensive zone and Swanson found herself one-on-one with a Brazilian defender. Swanson took a couple of huge touches to win the footrace down the field and record a shot on net in the 26th minute – but it wasn’t the best angle. The subsequent U.S. rebound effort also came up empty.

VAR review – no penalty

Speaking of physicality – there has been plenty more where that came from. Referee Tess Olofsson called for a VAR review in the 21st minute that would have led to a penalty shot from Brazil. The review revealed no foul on the U.S. in the box, however.

Brazil's Ludmila called offsides

What looked like an early deficit for the Americans turned out to be offsides by Brazil. The flag went on Ludmila, who beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box and fired one past Naeher. Amid the cries of celebration for the Brazil fans in the stands, the referee’s arm went in the air and the side judge on the far end of the field had the flag up.

USA vs. Brazil Olympic final fouls so far

The play has been physical and referee Tess Olofsson has been mostly keeping the whistle in the pocket. Lindsey Horan had a strong tackle near midfield in which she extended her arms but play went on, even as the U.S. won the ball back. Then Mallory Swanson went down after contact at the top of the box, but again, Olofsson let play continue.

USWNT counters

After Brazil's chance in the second minute, the U.S. women pressed in their offensive half, Sophia Smith with a shot at the 6-minute mark. Brazil goalkeeper Lorena made the save.

Alyssa Naeher gets a save early

Brazil threatened first in the second minute when Ludmila received a ball in the box with only Naeher to beat, but couldn’t put a dangerous shot on net. Naeher easily swallowed up the attempt to diffuse the situation. The ball remained in Brazil’s attacking third and it got another shot off but that was blocked and Naeher was on it once again.

Megan Rapinoe in the house

USA vs Brazil Olympic final underway

The Americans and Brazilians have kicked off.

USWNT starting lineup today

There's a big surprise in the USWNT lineup for the Olympic final against Brazil: No Rose Lavelle in the starting lineup. Lavelle has started each of the previous five games in the tournament. But she was replaced in the lineup by Korbin Albert. Lavelle is not injured, and is available as a sub. The rest of the lineup remains unchanged:

• Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
• Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
• Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey
• Forwards: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman

This game will be the 100th appearance for Swanson, who has fully recovered from a devastating knee injury last year. Available subs: Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, Casey Murphy.

How to watch US women's soccer in Olympics final

NBC is airing it, Peacock is live streaming it.

Mallory Swanson's 100th cap

Mallory Swanson is the 44th player in team history to reach the 100-cap milestone.

US women's soccer takes field for warmups

USWNT schedule Olympics

Here are all the games the U.S. women have played at the Paris Olympics.

• July 25: USWNT 3, Zambia 0
• July 28: USWNT 4, Germany 1
• July 31: USWNT 2, Australia 0
• Aug. 3: USWNT 1, Japan 0
• Aug. 6: USWNT 1, Germany 0

USWNT's pink hair tradition

Even though she's retired, Megan Rapinoe still has influence with the USWNT.

Trinity Rodman has been wearing pink braids throughout the Olympic tournament. Rapinoe, of course, was famous for her vibrant pink hair during the 2019 World Cup, which also was played in France. The USWNT won that World Cup that year, with Rapinoe picking up both the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player and the Golden Boot as its top scorer.

"I guess we needed some color somewhere and pink's the color," Rodman said Thursday. "Pink, purple, whatever. So yeah, I guess we've got to continue that moving forward."

Elmo wishes USWNT good luck in Olympic final

USWNT vs Brazil gametime temperatures

The temperature at kickoff will be 85 degrees. There won’t be much cloud cover and humidity won’t be a factor. Neither will the wind, with a breeze tracking at 4 miles per hour.

US women's soccer coach Emma Hayes

Part of the reason the Americans feel like they have been able to be themselves? Emma Hayes’ sense of humor. She’s been called “hilarious,” her one-liners and zingers frequent. She is demanding, to be sure, but her ability to crack jokes puts her players at ease.

"I think the one thing I love most about Emma is that she has the perfect balance of being serious but then you also see her goofy side too," Mallory Swanson said . "I think seeing that side of a coach helps a lot because we’re all human and she does such a good job of showing that."

USWNT matchday kit

Here is what the Americans are wearing for the gold medal game against Brazil.

USWNT vs. Brazil prediction

The road for Brazil to reach this point has been … interesting. Marta , the legend, took a red card in Brazil’s final match of group play and served a two-match suspension. The only way she could have returned to this tournament – said to be her last on the international stage – was if her teammates found a way to reach the gold-medal match. They did, and Marta will have at least one final moment in front of the globe.

Spirit won’t be enough for the Brazilians against the U.S. though. The American back line, led by Naomi Girma , is stout. Alyssa Naeher has been solid in net. Although the U.S. has not flexed the offensive firepower in France, it has at least scored enough to reward the defense. Take your pick of The Triple Threat, The Big Three, “Triple Espresso” – whatever your preference is for the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith – to find the back of the net.

Score prediction: USA 2, Brazil 0

US women's soccer Olympic gold medals

If it's an Olympics, you can find the U.S. women's national team on the medals podium. The USWNT is assured of winning a medal at the Paris Games, with only the color still to be determined by the final with Brazil. The Americans have won four golds at the Olympics (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012), more than any other team, and also have a silver from Sydney in 2000 and a bronze from Tokyo.

Do the math, and that means the USWNT has won a medal at every Olympics except 2016. Oh, and another fun fact? Two of the USWNT's golds have come after playing Brazil in the final in both 2004 and 2008.

USWNT players

• Forward: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman, Crystal Dunn.
• Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher.
• Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett.
• Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams.

Brazil's Marta is getting a fitting sendoff

Marta , the Brazilian great, is playing her final international match today, when Brazil faces the U.S. It’s the fourth time in her career Marta has made the final at a major tournament, and third at the Olympics . The Brazilians lost to the USWNT in 2004 and 2008. They also lost to Germany at the 2007 World Cup.

“We all wanted to play the final at the Olympics regardless of the circumstances. But of course this is an extra motivation,” Angelina said Friday. “We want to give this medal to Marta. She has given us so much throughout her career. She’s given everything she has to us and women’s football. She really deserves to play in the final.”

USWNT Olympic wins

The USWNT is 32-7-4 all-time at the Olympics, including four gold medals, won in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

USWNT vs. Brazil Olympic history

The USWNT and Brazil have some history at the Olympics. The teams faced each other in the final in both 2004 and 2008, with the USWNT winning each time. Although no one from those USWNT teams is left, Brazilian icon Marta played in both games. Brazil scored one goal in those two games, by Pretinha in 2004.

"What happened in the past is far away," Brazil coach Arthus Elias said Friday. "Football deserves great games and we should stop whining and talking about the past. We have new ingredients, new things to talk about rather than be thinking about the past.

"I’m not worried at all about what happened in the past," Elias added. "I feel we are close to our dream coming true and that our players will do their very best tomorrow.”

Last time USWNT advanced to Olympic gold medal match

The USWNT is the most-decorated team in the women's game, with four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. But it's been a minute since they've reached the Olympic final.

In Tokyo, the Americans won the bronze medal after falling to eventual Olympic champions Canada in the semifinals. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, the USWNT was knocked out in the quarterfinals, at the time their earliest exit ever at a major international tournament. They "topped" that dubious result last summer, losing in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The last time the USWNT made the Olympic final was in 2012, when they beat Japan to win their third consecutive gold medal. No players are left from that team.

Emma Hayes calls Naomi Girma the best defender she's ever seen

Emma Hayes paid Naomi Girma the ultimate compliment. Girma, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is widely recognized as one of the best centerbacks in the world. But Hayes said there’s no need for the qualifier .“She the best defender I've ever seen . Ever,” Hayes said after Girma’s stone-wall defense helped secure the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Germany that sent the Americans into the gold medal match . “I've never seen a player as good as her in the back."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA vs. Brazil live updates: Mallory Swanson scores to give USWNT lead in Olympic final