USWNT falls to Brazil 2-1 in São Paulo as Sophia Wilson scores first goal since 2024

In the team's first real test in an away environment, the United States women's national team fell just short. The first of the USWNT's two friendlies in Brazil ended with a 2-1 loss to the Brazilian national team. The high-energy matchup was decided early on, with all three goals scored in the first 14 minutes of play. The USWNT's lone goal came just minutes into the game thanks to a gorgeous strike from Sophia Wilson, who smoked one past Brazilian keeper Lelê Izidoro to give the U.S. an early lead and silence the São Paulo crowd. It was Wilson's first for the USWNT since the 2024 Paris Olympics, and her first since returning from maternity leave in January. Unfortunately for the U.S., the lead didn't last, as the Brazilian continued to put immense pressure on the USWNT back line. Nine minutes after Wilson's goal, a Brazilian throw-in gave 21-year-old Taina Maranhão the chance to equalize with an unmarked header. And just three minutes after that, Bia Zanaretto took advantage of several U.S. defending errors to send the ball past Mandy McGlynn and give Brazil the lead. The crowd was quickly raucous again after Brazil took the 2-1 lead. Brazil's infamous physicality was on full display throughout the game, with those early goals giving the team (and the crowd) a boost throughout the end of the first half. But the USWNT came out of halftime with a new vigor, holding most of the momentum throughout the second half and getting several great shots on goal that the Brazilian defense was able to smother. Multiple players, including Wilson, showed moments of brilliance, but it didn't end up being enough to change the score line. USWNT gets a true test away from home vs. Brazil Saturday's friendly was a rare opportunity for the USWNT to play in a truly hostile environment. The U.S. has not played away from American soil since the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was (for all intents and purposes) a neutral site. The crowd at Neo Química Arena in São Paulo, however, is anything but neutral. The environment is noisy, with some of the U.S. players likely getting booed for the first time on the international stage. Tuesday's friendly, held in Fortaleza, Brazil, will be no different. In May, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said that the two friendlies offer "perfect preparation" for the 2027 Women's World Cup, which will be held in Brazil next summer. "I've said so many times that Brazil is probably the one team in the world where you're lucky if you get two or three passes in a row because of the intensity of the press and their deliberate intentions, 1-v-1," Hayes said at the time, via The Athletic . "So, to experience that in their home backyard, I think, is important, and we're very much looking forward to it." That intensity was clear throughout the game, with the U.S. responding poorly at some points, but much better at others. In all, Saturday's game gave the USWNT a chance to test itself on multiple factors that it doesn't usually have to deal with: Between the away fans, the noise, the pace and the physicality, this match served a purpose far before the final score.