It’ll be North America vs. South America when the United States and Brazil battle for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup in the final Sunday. The two sides have an extensive history against each other that dates back decades with the Gold Cup final being their 40th all-time meeting, set for Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif. at 8:15 ET on Paramount+. The winner will have the honor of hoisting the inaugural trophy.
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The U.S. lead the series (31W-5D-3L) and Sunday will mark the fourth time the two sides have faced each other in a final. The USWNT won the previous three finals by a one-goal margin. Two of their knockout meetings were during the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Fans can watch all the Gold Cup action on Paramount+.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming match:
Viewing info
Date: Sunday, March 10 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Place: Snapdragon Stadium– San Diego, Calif.
Stream: Paramount+
Pre-game coverage: CBS Sports Golazo Network at 7 p.m. ET
Players to watch
Brazil
- Adriana: The midfielder is entering her second season with NWSL side Orlando Pride and scored the opening goal in the semifinal against Mexico. She is capable of scoring from a distance and is strong off the ball as an open outlet in ball progression.
- Bia Zaneratto: The attacker is entering her first year with NWSL side Kansas City Current and is a constant threat when on the ball. She scored two goals in the quarterfinal against Argentina.
USA
- Jaedyn Shaw: The attacking midfielder is making history during the tournament after scoring four goals in four of her starts. She’s already a confident player, but she’s earning crucial tournament experience ahead of the Olympics. The 19-year-old’s ability to connect the final pass and score will be necessary against Brazil.
- Alyssa Naeher: The goalkeeper had a historic performance during the semifinal against Canada saving three penalties and converting an attempt. She’ll be tested again by attackers who can score from distance, short, or even off of set pieces and her confidence in goal will be an asset for the team’s defensive structure.
What they’re saying
Shaw on playing against Brazil for the first time at the senior level: “It’s been really fun playing against really high-level teams, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot each game and I’ve become more confident with each game in my abilities. Even just as a team, I feel like we’ve grown a lot this tournament. I feel really excited to play against Brazil. They’re a great team, have amazing individuals, and I think that it’s going to be a really good matchup and really fun game to play.”
Naeher, on her advice to less capped players ahead of rivalry games: “It’s a joy to get to play. These are the games that you want to play. You want to play in those. You want to play against Mexicos, the Canadas, you want to play a final against Brazil for the first Gold Cup. We need to embrace it. It’s exciting and it’s gonna take a lot of work. We’ve put in a lot of work in the last 30 days together here on the road and preparing for this.
“That’s our message. We need to live that as well, and we need to embrace it as the veteran players, and hopefully then they can kind of see that mentality and our approach to it. It’s that balance, you don’t want to overhype up too much and kind of overdo it, you want people to be relaxed and to play. But it is a big game and it matters and it’s important to put our best foot forward … You want to play for trophies. This is what it’s all about.”
Storylines
USWNT: The group never actually got to play a game of soccer against Canada during the semifinal due to the horrible wether but the forecast in San Deigo is much drier ahead of the final. The quick turnaround from extra time and penalties against Canada is just three days but part of the Gold Cup experience has been to mirror tournament-style play ahead of the Olympics this summer. That means there might be little rotation compared to what we’ve seen earlier in the competition. Both veterans and less-capped players need to have their best game.
Brazil: The Brazilians have gotten stronger as the tournament has gone on and their 3-0 blowout of Mexico, the Gold Cup’s rising stars, will only propel their odds heading into the final. Manager Arthur Elias has the group playing connected and with confidence with 11 different goal scorers entering the final. The No. 1 ranked team in CONMEBOL, they are equipped to upset.
Prediction
Look for some stretches of end-to-end action as both sides will want the ball and to play things out. In the end, the Americans get it done. Pick: USA 2, Brazil 1.
