Just three days after the world No. 1 USWNT took down Brazil 2-0, the world No. 8 team returned the favor, securing a stoppage-time lead to take the pair’s second April friendly 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Brazil’s victory in San Jose marked the team’s first win against the USWNT since 2014, and their first-ever on US soil.
Striker Catarina Macario put the USWNT on the board just 34 seconds into the match, before 2023 NWSL MVP Kerolin drew Brazil even with a clinical 24th-minute equalizer.
Chippy, physical play left much of the match at a stalemate until Amanda Gutierres came off the bench to snatch victory with a goal for Brazil in second-half stoppage time.
Growing pains apparent in young USWNT roster
Taking a calculated risk on Tuesday, USWNT manager Emma Hayes’s starting XI was one of the youngest-ever that the team has fielded, averaging just 22.3 years old.
The inexperienced roster, which included first starts for defenders Gisele Thompson and Avery Patterson, averaged the fewest caps for a USWNT starting group since 2001. Tuesday’s 17.9 cap average, however, shrinks to just 8.1 without veteran defender and captain Emily Sonnett’s 106 previous appearances.
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