USA vs. Brazil: Starting XI & Lineup Notes

USWNT vs. Brazil – Paris 2024 Olympics – Gold Medal Match
Date: August 10, 2024
Venue: Parc des Princes; Paris, France 
Broadcast: NBC, Telemundo, Peacock
Official Kickoff Time: 5 p.m. local / 11 a.m. ET

Starting XI vs. Brazil: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox, 3-Korbin Albert, 4-Naomi Girma, 5-Trinity Rodman, 7-Crystal Dunn, 9-Mallory Swanson, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 11-Sophia Smith,12-Tierna Davidson, 17-Sam Coffey

Available Subs: 6-Casey Krueger, 8-Lynn Williams,13-Jenna Nighswonger, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Jaedyn Shaw, 16-Rose Lavelle, 18-Casey Murphy

GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW 

• USWNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (Including this match): Horan (156), Dunn (155), Naeher (112), Swanson (100), Davidson (64), Fox (57), Smith (56), Rodman (46), Girma (40), Coffey (24), Albert (18)
• The starting lineup for today’s Olympic final features one change from the lineup that faced Germany in the semifinal, with Korbin Albert starting in the midfield in place of Rose Lavelle. It is the fourth different starting lineup used by the USWNT at Paris 2024.
• Alyssa Naeher and Crystal Dunn are the only players in today’s starting XI who have previously started for the USA in a world championship final, both starting – and playing the full 90 minutes – in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final against the Netherlands five years ago in France.
• Today’s lineup averages 74.3 caps per player and 26.7 years of age, making it the second-youngest lineup to ever start for the USWNT in a gold medal match, trailing only the XI that started the 1996 Olympic final, which averaged 25.8 years old. It’s the third-youngest starting lineup ever for the USWNT in a world championship final after the 1996 Olympics (25.8 average age) and the 1991 Women’s World Cup Final (23.8).
• Nine players in this starting lineup started against Brazil in the Concacaf W Gold Cup Final on March 10 in San Diego. Smith, who came on in the second half of the USA’s 1-0 victory, and Swanson, who was still working her way back to form and fitness after injury, are the only new insertions to the lineup from the meeting earlier this year.
• Lindsey Horan will become the fourth player to captain the USWNT in an Olympic gold medal match, joining Carla Overbeck (1996), Julie Foudy (2000, 2004) and Christie Pearce (2008, 2012). Horan scored the game-winning goal against Brazil in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup final and has been directly involved in a goal in four of her five appearances for the USA in competitive finals, scoring in the final of 2016 Olympic qualifying vs. Canada, tallied an assist in the final of 2018 World Cup Qualifying vs. Canada, scored in the final of 2020 Olympic Qualifying vs. Canada and scored in the Concacaf W Gold Cup Final.
• Coming off back-to-back shutouts in the quarterfinal and semifinal, Alyssa Naeher will earn her 112th cap as she makes her second start for the USWNT in a world championship match. Naeher has three clean sheets at Paris 2024, tied with Hope Solo (2008, 2012) for the most by any USWNT goalkeeper in a single Olympics. In 2019, Naeher became the fifth goalkeeper to earn a shutout in the Women’s World Cup Final, recording a clean sheet in the USA’s 2-0 victory over the Netherlands on July 7, 2019.
• Mallory Swanson will earn her 100th cap as she becomes the 44th player in USWNT history to reach 100 international appearances. At 26-years-old, Swanson is the youngest player to reach the century mark since 25-year-old Amy Rodriguez achieved the feat in 2012 and is the 15th youngest-player all-time to the milestone for the USWNT.
• Emily Fox will make her sixth start of the tournament as she earns her 56th cap for the USWNT. Fox ranks third on the team with 483 total minutes played this tournament and has won 79% of her duels in the Olympics, the highest duel percentage on the USWNT.
• Making her second start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Korbin Albert will become the youngest player to start for the USWNT in an Olympic gold medal match at 20 years, 302 days, breaking the record previously set by Lindsay Tarpley in the 2004 gold medal match against Brazil (20 years, 339 days). Albert, who started the quarterfinal at Parc des Princes against Japan, is the third-youngest player overall to start for the USWNT in a world championship final, trailing only Mia Hamm (19 years, 258 days) and Kristine Lilly (20 years, 131 days) when they started the 1991 World Cup Final against Norway.
• The only field player to play every minute for the USWNT this Olympics, Naomi Girma will make her 40th career appearance for the USWNT. Girma has played every minute of the last nine matches for the USWNT at the World Cup and Olympics and has completed 96% of her pass attempts so far this tournament, the highest completion percentage of any player this Olympic tournament (min. 100 pass attempts).
• Trinity Rodman, who scored the dramatic game-winner in the USA’s quarterfinal victory over Japan at Parc des Princes, will make her 46th international appearance. Rodman will be making her 36th consecutive consecutive appearances for the USWNT, the longest streak by any USWNT player since 2018, and her three Olympic goals are tied with Shannon MacMillan for the most by any player in USWNT history under the age of 23.
• Crystal Dunn will make her second start of the USWNT in a world championship final and her 21st consecutive start for the USWNT in a World Cup or Olympic match, the longest streak by any USWNT field player since Christie Pearce made 27 consecutive starts from 2004-2012. Dunn assisted Rodman’s game-winner the last time out at Parc des Princes and leads the USWNT with 14 tackles this Olympics.
• Sophia Smith, who scored the game-winning goal in the semifinal against Germany, will earn her 56th cap as she celebrates her 24th birthday. Smith is tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals this Olympics and could join Megan Rapinoe as the only players in USWNT history to win a world championship on their birthday. Rapinoe celebrated her 30th birthday as the U.S. defeated Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. Smith would be the first U.S. player ever to win Olympic gold on her birthday.
• Tierna Davidson will make her fourth start of Paris 2024 and her fourth start in an Olympic knockout round match, after starting the semifinal against Germany and both the semifinal and bronze medal match in Tokyo. Davidson missed the USA’s final group stage match and the quarterfinal vs. Japan with a leg contusion but returned to the starting lineup for the semifinal in Lyon.
• Coming off a 120-minute effort in the semifinal against Germany, Sam Coffey will make her 24th international appearance and fifth start of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Coffey is tied for the team lead with 32 ball recoveries this tournament and was one of three players to play all 270 minutes of the group stage along with Girma and Naeher.