USA vs Brazil, Tournament of Nations: match preview and how to watch

The 2018 Tournament of Nations comes to a close with the third and final game of the series. The United States will face Brazil in their third game, and hopefully some players will be allowed to rest while others will get their chance for more minutes.

Who to watch

Brazil has not looked particularly organized throughout this tournament; in their opener against Australia, it seemed as though they were going mostly for chaos, and in their game against Japan, it took a while for them to break down a mediocre Nadeshiko squad. Their defense has looked shaky, both in open play and on set pieces, and their goalkeeping has been hit or miss. Aline was much steadier for them than Barbara, so we’ll see how they rotate in goal.

Still, no team that has Marta on it can ever really be counted out, and Marta has been acting as a goad and playmaker for her teammates. Though they struggled in their second game against Japan, they pulled it together during halftime and came out energetic and pressing. They have decent speed in their front line and will look to break defenses with smart through balls and deceptive runs.

On the US side, this may be a good time for roster rotation. Brazil will probably bring a physical, frustrating game and having fresh legs on the field could help mitigate that. That might mean more time for McCall Zerboni, Allie Long, Casey Short, Christen Press, or Amy Rodriguez. Sam Mewis is also relatively rested, but may not be up to more than a half as a sub. We may also see Tierna Davidson return as part of the training staff’s management of Becky Sauerbrunn’s recovery. Of course, Ellis may also just opt for many of her regular starters and manage them through subs since she seems to favor looking at the same players over the course of each set of friendlies.

Potential lineup

Brazil roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Barbara (Kindermann), 12-Aline (UDG Tenerife, Spain), 22-Letícia (SC Corinthians)

DEFENDERS (8): 3-Daiane (Avaldsnes Idrettslag, Norway), 4-Kathellen (FC Girondins, France), 6-Tamires (Fortuna Hjorring, Denmark), 13-Rilany (Atletico de Madrid, Spain), 14-Poliana (Orlando Pride, USA), 15-Tayla (Santos FC), 19-Joyce (UDG Tenerife, Spain), 21-Mônica (Orlando Pride, USA)

MIDFIELDERS (5): 5-Thaisa (Unattached), 7-Camila (Orlando Pride, USA), 8-Juliana (CR Flamengo), 17-Andressinha (Portland Thorns FC, USA), 23-Rayanne (CR Flamengo)

FORWARDS (7): 2-Millene (SC Corinthians), 9-Debinha (NC Courage, USA), 10-Marta (Orlando Pride, USA), 11-Adriana (SC Corinthians), 16-Beatriz (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels, South Korea), 18-Thaís (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels, South Korea), 20-Raquel (Ferroviária)

TV and livestream

Thursday, August 2
8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT
FS1
Streaming on Fox Sports Go