Two long-time women’s soccer rivals are set to square off 5 p.m. Sunday, July 30 at Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley in their second match of the Tournament of Nations.
When the U.S. women’s national team, under head coach Jill Ellis, tackles Brazil, it will renew friendly hostilities dating back to their last meetings two years ago. For the U.S., this will be their seventh-ever visit to play in San Diego.
For those heading to the Q this Sunday, expect a good crowd on hand. In the last meeting (Oct. 21, 2015) between the two in Seattle, a record attendance of 23,603 showed up to cheer on the respective teams.
In 2015, the U.S. scored a 1-1 tie in the first encounter (in Florida), going on to tally a 3-1 victory in the second installment. For their meeting in Orlando, nearly 33,000 fans were in attendance to watch a U.S. friendly win. That crowd was the biggest stand-alone crowd to watch such action in the Sunshine State.
The year prior in South America, Brazil defended its home turf by beating the U.S. 3-2 and settling for a 0-0 tie, respectively. International rivals To say the U.S. and Brazil women’s teams are old adversaries would be an understatement.
To date, the two teams have collided 34 times; with the first encounter dating all the way back to 1986. Given its success on the world stage, Brazil has proven to be South America’s top success when it comes to women’s soccer. In doing so, the Brazilians will prove a solid challenge this weekend for the U.S. women.
Both squads sport some of the top women’s players the sport fields. For the U.S., soccer fans know the impact Carli Lloyd has had on the game. Meantime, Brazil features Marta, a five-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year. Highlighting her talents, Lloyd has captured the award twice (back-to-back). Before the U.S. and Brazil collide, Japan and Australia will battle in the first match at 2:15 p.m. For ticket information, visit www.ussoccer.com.