Olympic Soccer Bracket 2024: USA vs. Brazil Live Stream, Odds and Prediction
The gold medal in the 2024 Olympic Women's Soccer Tournament will be decided Saturday from the Parc des Princes in Paris when the United States squares off with Brazil.
It is the culmination of a tournament that's seen the Americans thrive with a youthful roster under new head coach Emma Hayes. The team advanced through the field unbeaten, including nail-biting 1-0 victories against Japan and Germany.
Brazil enters the finale with momentum on its side.
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The team suffered two consecutive losses to Japan and Germany, in group play and looked to be out of contention to secure the gold medal.
A late surge, fueled by the desire to win Brazil's first Olympic gold medal in women's soccer and send the legendary Marta off with the biggest international tournament victory over her career, has them one win away from history.
Viewing Info
Date: Saturday, August 10
Time: 11:00 a.m. EST
TV: NBC
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
Current Odds
Brazil (+425)
Draw (+205)
United States (-110)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Prediction
This will be the third time that the United States and Brazil match up in the Olympic finals, with the previous two coming in 2004 and 2008. The United States won both matchups.
It is also the seventh time the two will clash in the knockout rounds of a major tournament, meaning the two countries are no strangers to each other in high-pressure matches.
The United States has already played a lot of soccer in Paris, an hour more than Brazil according to NBC Sports. Head coach Emma Hayes has not made a habit of rotating the starting lineup and making heavy use of her bench either, meaning the same starters have played the majority of the tournament's games.
Henry Bushnell of Yahoo wrote of Hayes showing her team video of ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter discussing "pain caves" and the amount of suffering that goes into excelling in a grinding sport.
"[If] she can do that, more than 100 miles in 26 hours, we can dig deep in here," Hayes said.
She continued, "I want them to suffer. I want them to have that moment. 'Cause I do not believe you can win without it. And I haven't had long enough with this group to get that yet. And I want to see who they are when it's hard."
That decision may rear its head late in the game when exhaustion sets in. The team was built for situations exactly like this, though, with its youthfulness likely a deciding factor in Hayes' decision to ride it out with the players on the field.
They will need to find some scoring, though, after each of the last two games went to extra time and ended with one goal scored apiece.
Conversely, Brazil's most pertinent coaching decision revolves around Marta and whether she starts the game or comes off the bench. She is a legend in the sport and one of the greatest players to grace the game, so the idea of asking her not to start the final game of her international playing career is a huge ask of head coach Arthur Elias.
It is nearly impossible not to notice how much better the team was in her absence, though. Brazil defeated two teams in France and Spain that were, by all accounts, better than them all tournament long. They found momentum and on-field chemistry and put up four goals on La Roja, shocking the world and cashing their ticket to the gold medal game.
Does the coach dare interrupt what the team has going to start Marta?
Potentially, if it means achieving something the country never has, despite generations of success in the sport.
Brazil dismantled Spain, one of the tournament favorites. They have purpose and momentum on their side.
This United States team has a legacy of its own to write and a coach looking to set the tone for her time at the helm of the international squad.
With one game left, the Americans dig down and pull out another dramatic victory to claim gold and leave France once again the team to beat.
USA defeats Brazil 2-1 in ET
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