USWNT wins Olympic gold for first time in 12 years

The United States Women's National Team defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday to earn a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It's the team's fifth Olympic gold medal and first since the London games in 2012.

The USWNT and Brazil have met often at the Olympics; this was their third time facing one another in a gold-medal match. With this victory, the USWNT has now won all three of its gold-medal matches against the Brazilians.

Brazil entered this match with a mission: make things as uncomfortable as possible for the USWNT. It leveraged a high press and breathtaking physicality to battle the USWNT for every single ball.

It was that mindset that powered Brazil past world champion Spain in the semifinals, and for much of the first half, it looked like it would power it past the Americans as well. Brilliant goalkeeping from USWNT veteran Alyssa Naeher was all that kept Brazil from breaking through in the first half.

Brazil was able to play that aggressively thanks to its depth and rotation. After a rough first match of the tournament against Spain, Brazil made six changes to its starting lineup for game two, seven for game three, another seven for the quarterfinals and five for the semifinals.

Whereas the USWNT struggled in the final with tired legs — defender Naomi Girma, for instance, entered the match having played every minute of the tournament — Brazil's well-rotated lineup looked comparatively fresh.

It was the USWNT who delivered the first blow, though, despite the difference in energy and fitness.

In the 57th minute, midfielder Korbin Albert floated a gorgeous through-ball into Mallory Swanson just outside Brazil's penalty area. At first glance, it appeared that Swanson was offside, but she fired a shot into the back of the net anyway, just in case the replays proved otherwise.

They did: Swanson had remained onside by a matter of centimeters, and her goal stood. It was her fourth goal of the tournament, tying her for second in the 2024 Olympic goalscoring standings.

Brazil fell off the pace after Swanson's shock opener, and it wasn't hard to see why. Playing high-pressing soccer is exhausting, even with the benefit of personnel rotation; Brazil's players ran far more than the USWNT's in the first half, and the impacts of all that effort were bound to show.

Brazil made several substitutions following Swanson's goal to counteract that decline, but the subs, including the 38-year-old legend Marta, weren't able to play the same high-pressing style that Brazil championed in the first half. They quickly became stretched by the USWNT and struggled to make offensive progress of their own.

As the second half waned, the match began to look like something of a tactical masterclass from USWNT coach Emma Hayes. She clearly knew Brazil would try an aggressive approach in the first half, and she encouraged her players to let them make it happen.

From a viewing perspective, it looked like Brazil was hammering the USWNT in the first half, but Hayes knew what the viewers didn't: Brazil would tire itself out, and as long as the USWNT stayed within a goal or two, it would be able to make up the difference when Brazil fell apart.

Hayes barely made any substitutions in this game. She didn't need to. By the time the opportunity for subs rolled around, Brazil had already exhausted itself out of the game. Patience, it turned out, was a virtue for Hayes in this gold medal final.

That tactical wisdom is exactly what Hayes was brought to the United States to deliver. With her reign now firmly underway, her record speaks for itself: At these Olympics, the USWNT won every single one of its six games, scoring 12 times and conceding just twice. It did so without significant player rotation against some of the best teams in the world.

Twelve short months ago, the USWNT was at its lowest ebb, heading home from Australia in shambles after its worst World Cup performance in history. What a difference a year — and a coaching change — can make. The USWNT is a worthy Olympic champion ... and it's officially back on track.

The USWNT will take a well-deserved break after the Olympics. It will return in October for two friendlies against Iceland in Austin and Nashville.