By OkayGoal 
The stakes might not be as high, but the rematch from the Olympic Gold Medal game is upon us. The USWNT will take on Brazil in back-to-back friendlies at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and PayPal Park in San Jose. It’s another solid test for the USWNT against a strong team that can pose problems for the USWNT backline without Naomi Girma. Here’s a preview of the friendlies.
First, here’s the TV/streaming info for both of the games:
USWNT vs. Brazil: Saturday, April 5 at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT, TBS, TruTV
USWNT vs. Brazil (Game Two): Tuesday, April 8, 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT, TBS, TruTV
Let’s get into the USWNT roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 10), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 2), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 0)
DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (Kansas City Current; 29/1), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; 2/0), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 157/25), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 65/1), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 0/0), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 3/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 105/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 25/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 31/1), Lindsey Heaps (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 163/36), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 1/0), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage; 24/8), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 4/1)
FORWARDS (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 2/1), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 22/5), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 21/9), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 46/10), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 7/0), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 5/2), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 15/1)
USWNT Roster Breakdown
It’s great to see Phallon Tullis-Joyce get the call-up to the roster; she’s been playing incredibly well for Manchester United. Mandy McGlynn has started strong for the Utah Royals as well, but ultimately, it’ll be Jane Campbell starting in the net. In defense, Gisele Thompson is taking Tierna Davidson’s spot due to injury. Crystal Dunn is still listed as a defender even though she’s been playing as an attacking midfielder for PSG. Tara McKeown is being given another opportunity to show what she can do after the SheBelieves Cup.
The midfield features the usual suspects from the last USWNT camp. Claire Hutton is getting valuable experience with the senior team, along with Lily Yohannes, who is more likely of the two to get some significant minutes during these two friendlies. Ashley Hatch is back, and this is a huge chance for her to leave an impression on Emma Hayes. Trinity Rodman is back in the team after some time off. Everybody else in the team is a familiar face whom we know and love. Hayes used a 4-2-3-1 formation in the SheBelieves Cu,p and while there’s always a chance she changes tactics, this seems to be the formation we’ll see against Brazil.
Here’s Brazil’s roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Lorena (Kansas City Current), Natascha (Palmeiras), Camila (Cruzeiro)
DEFENDERS (8): Tarciane (Lyon), Isa Haas (Cruzeiro), Kaká (São Paulo), Lauren (Atlético de Madrid), Bruninha (Gotham), Antônia (Real Madrid), Yasmim (Real Madrid), Fê Palermo (Palmeiras)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Duda Sampaio (Corinthians), Angelina (Orlando Pride), Laís Estevam (Palmeiras), Mariza (Corinthians)
FORWARDS (8): Adriana (Al-Qadsiah), Gio (Atlético de Madrid), Jheniffer (Tigres), Amanda Gutierres (Palmeiras), Kerolin (Manchester City), Gabi Portilho (Gotham), Ludmila (Chicago Stars), Luany (Atlético de Madrid)
Game Breakdown
Brazil will look to test their mettle against the USWNT and bring a strong backline and attack. Their midfield might be the weak spot for the USWNT to target. Angelina is a great player in the NWSL, but the remaining midfielders are coming from the Brazilian league. It’s still a great league, but you’d give the advantage to Lindsey Heaps, Sam Coffey, and Jaedyn Shaw all day long.
As you’d expect, it’s Brazil’s attack that the USWNT will have to worry about. Kerolin is a familiar face returning stateside. She is a gamebreaker along with Ludmila, Luany, Gabi Portilho, and Adriana. Marta isn’t even on the roster, and those five names are scary to go up against. Portilho and Adriana might move into the midfield even though they’re listed as forwards to give Brazil even more of an attacking edge. The Brazilians are not the type of team to sit back the entire game. If the USWNT give them opportunities at the back, this is a team that can take advantage of it.
Most countries have a bad record against the USWNT, where they’ve never even beaten the United States. Brazil is one of the few countries that can say they’ve beaten the United States more than once. Since 2007, Brazil has three wins, three draws, and 15 losses in 21 games. The USWNT didn’t have Trinity Rodman in the loss to Japan; having her against Brazil will be a huge boost. Brazil might be able to steal a win or draw in one of these two matchups, but in the end, we always expect the USWNT to win.
Featured image via Getty Images
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