Soccer ForwardSoccer ForwardOpen CupOpen Cup
Volkswagen
Nike
Become An InsiderOfficial Store
Login
U.S. Soccer
  • National Teams
    USWNT
    USMNT
    Youth
    Extended
    USWNT HomeCurrent RosterUSWNT LINEUPS
    ScheduleStoriesUSWNT STATS
    USMNT HomeCurrent RosterUSMNT LineupsUnique USMNT Player number
    Schedule & TicketsStoriesUSMNT StatsUSMNT on tv
    Women
    Under-14 NDPU-15 GNTU-16 GNTU-17 WNTU-18 WNTU-19 WNTU-20 WNTU-23 WNT
    Men
    Under-14 NDPU-15 BNTU-16 BNTU-17 MNTU-18 MNTU-19 MNTU-20 MNTU-23 MNT
    Women
    U.S. WOMEN’S BEACH SOCCER NATIONAL TEAMU.S. WOMEN’S FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAMU.S. WOMEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAMU.S. WOMEN’S DEAF NATIONAL TEAM
    Men
    U.S. MEN'S BEACH SOCCER NATIONAL TEAMU.S. MEN’S FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAMU.S. MEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAMU.S. MEN’S DEAF NATIONAL TEAM
    Co-Ed
    Power Soccer National Team
  • Schedule & Tickets
    Schedule & Tickets
    Ticketmaster logo
    GROUP ORDERS FAQ
    TICKET FAN AND EVENT FAQ
    MOBILE TICKETING
  • Participate
    Home
    Coaching
    Refereeing
    Safeguarding Hub
    Health and Wellness
    Additional Resources
    Talent IdentificationFederation ServicesOrganization MembersGovernanceU.S. Soccer Alumni Club
  • Initiatives
    Soccer Forward
    Development Fund
    STRATEGIC VISION
    National Training Center
    SHEBELIEVES
    ONE NATION.
    ADAPTandTHRIVE
    Referee Abuse Prevention
Become An InsiderOfficial Store
User profile icon
Loading...

Go Deeper

MNT9966055Things2Know2018

Related Stories

On the Pitch
September 29, 2025

USMNT Rewind: Christian Pulisic Leads Serie A in Goal Contributions, Alex Zendejas Bags Brace


On the Pitch
September 26, 2025

How Many USMNT Players Competed in Both FIFA U-20 World Cup and Senior World Cups?


On the Pitch
September 25, 2025

USMNT Looks for More Mile High Magic Ahead of World Cup

Go Deeper

MNT9966055Things2Know2018

Related Stories

On the Pitch
September 29, 2025

USMNT Rewind: Christian Pulisic Leads Serie A in Goal Contributions, Alex Zendejas Bags Brace


On the Pitch
September 26, 2025

How Many USMNT Players Competed in Both FIFA U-20 World Cup and Senior World Cups?


On the Pitch
September 25, 2025

USMNT Looks for More Mile High Magic Ahead of World Cup

Latest Videos

image
About U.S. Soccer
History
Governance
Sponsors & Partners
Careers
Media Services
How to report a concern
Fan code of conduct
Fan ticket and event faq
Contact us
Organization members
Federation Services
Brand Protection
Connect with us

Get unrivaled matchday access

App StoreGoogle Play Store
Join the team
Join the team
Join the team
Sign Up For Free
already an insider?Login
COPYRIGHT U.S. SOCCER 2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PRIVACY POLICY
CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
TERMS OF USE
ACCESSIBILITY
5 Things 2 Know

Five Things to Know About Brazil

Learn more about the U.S. Men's National Team's opening opponent in the Kickoff Series, five-time World Cup champions Brazil.
By: Jeff CrandallSeptember 5, 2018
Image
Image

The U.S. Men’s National Team beings a challenging slate of games during the official start of the 2022 cycle when they face five-time World Cup champions Brazil in the opening match of the Kickoff Series.

Before USA-Brazil, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, on Friday, Sept. 7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., here are five things you should know about the South American powerhouse.

A História

There is no more successful nation in world football than Brazil. The largest country in South America is also the only one to win the FIFA World Cup on five occasions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) and also the only nation to qualify for all 21 editions of the tournament.

Along with great team performances, the football-mad country has also produced some of the best players in history. From Pele, Zico and Socrates, to modern figures like Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho and Kaká, Brazil has no shortage of great players as part of its legacy.   

Most Recently…

Friday’s match marks Brazil’s first since participating in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In Russia, Brazil went 2-0-1 during group play, drawing Switzerland 1-1 before earning matching 2-0 victories against Costa Rica and Serbia, respectively. After finishing on top of Group E, O Canarinho defeated Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16, before falling 2-1 to eventual third-place finishers Belgium in the Quarterfinals.

  • READ MORE: Kickoff Series Provides MNT With Tough Tests to Start New Cycle

September’s friendlies against the USA and El Salvador are Brazil’s first steps in the new World Cup cycle, which will see the team build towards the 2019 Copa America set to take place on home soil next summer.

Brazil Roster

On Aug. 17, 2018, Brazil head coach Tite named a 24-player roster for the side’s matches against the USA and El Salvador. Led by Neymar, 13 of the players featured for Brazil at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while 11 players combined for a total of 21 trophies won across domestic and European club competitions last season.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Alisson (Liverpool/ENG), Hugo (Flamengo), Neto (Valencia)

DEFENDERS (8): Alex Sandro (Juventus/ITA), Dedé (Cruzeiro), Fabinho (Liverpool/ENG), Fagner (Corinthians), Felipe (Porto/POR), Filipe Luís (Atlético Madrid/ESP), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Andreas Pereira (Manchester United/ENG), Arthur (Barcelona/ESP), Casemiro (Real Madrid/ESP), Fred (Manchester United/ENG), Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona/ESP), Renato Augusto (Beijing Gouan/CHN), Willian (Chelsea/ENG)

FORWARDS (5): Douglas Costa (Juventus/ITA), Éverton (Grêmio), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool/ENG), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Pedro (Fluminense)

USA-Brazil History

The teams met almost 90 years ago, with the USA going down in a wild 4-3 defeat to Brazil on Aug. 17, 1930 in Rio de Janeiro. Sixty-two years would pass before they crossed paths again, and in that timespan Brazil had grown to become world football’s best team, dominating most competition. Overall, O Canarinho holds a 17-1-0 all-time record against the MNT, with the South American power’s one blemish coming back in 1998.

  • READ MORE: Three Tidbits of History vs. Brazil

Facing the USA in that year’s Gold Cup Semifinals, Brazil forced Kasey Keller to come up with the game of his career, with the MNT net minder turning away 10 shots to set up Preki’s decisive 65th minute winner in a 1-0 victory on Feb. 10, 1998 at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Though frustrated with not converting on the night, Brazil legend Romario said post-game that Keller’s display was “the greatest game I’ve ever seen from a goalkeeper.”

USA-Brazil Connection Via France

The star-studded Brazil roster does have one connection to the U.S. squad, via France where MNT winger Tim Weah is teammates with the trio of Neymar, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos at Paris Saint-Germain.

Already enthused about the prospect of getting to play against Brazil, Weah said there was a little bit of friendly trash talk when he confirmed he would be a part of this month’s U.S. roster.

“We joked about getting to play against each other,” he told ussoccer.com. “I told them, ‘I’m still going to beat you, because we’re not scared of you guys. We’re not scared of anything to be honest.’”

I used to pray for times like this ⚡️😭🙏🏾........📸: @christian.gavelle

A post shared by timothyweah (@timothyweah) on Aug 13, 2018 at 4:35am PDT

After giving his friendly jab, Weah made sure to pay his respects to his club teammates, all three of which are at least a few years senior to him.  

“Those are three guys that I do look up to because they have been playing in the club I’m at and at such a high level for such a long time. A player like Neymar – when I was younger, I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to play with his skill and score goals that he scored. To be on the same pitch as teammates and now possibly against each other is super amazing. That’s the same for Thiago Silva and Marquinhos. They’re amazing center backs and leaders of men. It’s a dream to get to play against the three of them