FRISCO, Texas — At a World Cup draw, a country’s group-stage fate is decided in part by how the pingpong balls come out of the pots on stage. But friendly tournament schedules are human creations.
So when U.S. Soccer set the order of games in the SheBelieves Cup, of course it put the U.S.-Brazil game last. The organizers knew it was time to put one of women’s soccer’s grand old showdowns back in a big spotlight.
It’s not quite a rivalry in the way U.S.-Canada is, for example. But few of the Americans’ marquee opponents have produced as many fireworks over the years as the ones in those famed canary-yellow shirts.
There have been three clashes in the Olympics, including the 2004 and 2008 gold medal games; and four in World Cups, including two of the most famous non-final games in the women’s tournament’s history.
In the 2007 semifinals, Marta announced herself to the world with a hat trick in a 4-0 Brazil win. In the 2011 quarterfinals, the U.S. won in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 tie — the game where Megan Rapinoe crossed to Abby Wambach for arguably the most dramatic goal in U.S. women’s team history.
These teams have also met at significant moments in U.S. construction projects between World Cups. In December 2014, the U.S. played a two-game set in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, and went winless: a 3-2 loss and a scoreless tie. In July 2017 in San Diego, the U.S. rallied from 3-1 down in the 78th minute to win 4-3 with goals from Christen Press, Rapinoe, and Julie Ertz.
And in 2018, suburban Chicago hosted a game that’s still revered by many fans who watched it. In the finale of the short-lived Tournament of Nations, a summer equivalent to the SheBelieves Cup, the U.S. needed to beat Brazil by two goals to top a round-robin with Australia and Japan.
The deficit grew to three in just the 16th minute when Tierna Davidson gave up an own goal. But the U.S. came barreling back, with Rapinoe and Tobin Heath’s playmaking sparking four straight goals for the win.
The U.S. and Brazil have met twice since then, but both contests were fairly muted: a 1-0 U.S. win in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup and a 2-0 U.S. win in a pandemic-hindered 2021 tournament.
Wednesday’s matchup (7 p.m., TNT, Universo, HBO Max, Peacock) will be less than it could be too, because of Brazil’s loss to Canada on Sunday. Still, this World Cup year feels like a good time for another classic, with Toyota Stadium and the National Soccer Hall of Fame as the backdrop.
Many of the current U.S. players will end up donning the Hall’s red blazers someday. Hopefully, Brazilian superstar Marta will too, for her years of stardom in the NWSL and WPS before it.
But this time, Marta isn’t Brazil’s only attraction — and that’s why this game has so much potential. Debinha, Kerolin, and Geyse are also big-time talents, and manager Pia Sundhage has gotten Brazil’s federation to invest in more behind-the-scenes resources.
“Marta is the greatest player, I think, that’s ever played in our game,” Rapinoe said at Tuesday’s U.S. practice. “Being able to couple that old-head wisdom of Marta with players like Debinha, Kerolin — I mean, it’s just crazy. They’ve proven in the league and at the international level they’re just an annoying handful all the time.”
Not that Sundhage needs to scout the U.S. all that much. Though it’s been 11 years since she coached the U.S. to its second straight Olympic gold medal, she still knows the program as well as anyone.
“I’m 100 percent sure the U.S. will start at 110 miles per hour,” she quipped.
It’s about as safe a bet that Marta’s role will be limited because she just returned to action after 10 months out with an ACL injury. The U.S. knows, though, that even as a substitute she can turn a game on its head — as she did with a dazzling assist to Debinha against Japan last Thursday in Orlando.
There and in Nashville on Sunday, the crowd gave her a standing ovation when she took the field. American fans know when they’re watching a legend no matter which side she’s on, and every opportunity to watch Marta is worth taking.
The 37-year-old saluted the crowds in turn, as the only player to score at five World Cups — men’s or women’s — heads toward her sixth World Cup this summer.
“It’s something that makes you feel extra motivated every day,” she said on Sunday after a video went viral of her encouraging fans during pregame warmups. “I want to do a nice show, outside the field, but most of the time on the field for these people, because they deserve it.”
