World Football

For the first time since 2012, the United States women's national team will be playing for an Olympic gold medal after defeating Germany 1-0 in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, and it will be facing a familiar foe.

In the final on Saturday, the USWNT will face longtime rival Brazil, which trounced reigning World Cup winners Spain 4-2 in Tuesday's other semifinal.

The Americans will be surely motivated to return to the top of the podium for the first time since the London Games 12 years ago, but it won't be easy.

After losing 2-0 to Spain in a group-stage match, Brazil bounced back in epic fashion. An own goal got the scoring started in the sixth minute for Brazil, and Gabi Portilho put in another goal right before halftime to give the team a 2-0 lead. Adriana buried the dagger in the 71st minute, and Kerolin added an insurance goal in stoppage time after Salma Paralluelo got Spain on the board in the 85th minute.

The USWNT has had recent success against Brazil, including a 1-0 win in the 2024 Concacaf Gold Cup final. Brazil will be motivated to avenge that loss and to make matters more interesting, the legendary Marta will be returning from her two-game ban in the Olympic final and will be looking to end her storied career in a big way.

Still, the USWNT should enter the match with all the confidence in the world, especially after showing its resilience once again in Tuesday's match against Germany.

After both teams went scoreless during regulation, extra time was needed to determine the winner. Sophia Smith found the back of the net after a beautiful through ball from Mallory Swanson that allowed her to float the ball over Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger's head.

The goal occurred less than five minutes into extra time, creating a nerve-racking overtime period. Smith tried to put in a second goal in the 104th minute, but Berger was there for the save. Germany had a corner near the end of the first half of overtime but failed to convert.

Germany remained on the attack in the final 15 minutes. Janina Minge had a shot in the box in the 114th minute that was off-target. Germany received a free kick in the 118th minute that made the Americans sweat, but star goalie Alyssa Naeher saved the header attempt by Laura Freigang to preserve the lead.

USWNT also needed an extra-time goal to earn a spot in the semifinals, as Trinity Rodman's strike helped the team advance past Japan on Saturday. It's the first time since 2004 that the USWNT played consecutive extra-time matches in Olympics fixtures.

Saturday's final between the USWNT and Brazil will undoubtedly be another epic clash between the longtime rivals that will have fans hyped to watch.

The United States women's soccer team is moving on at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

In a competitive matchup against Japan in the quarterfinal round, a Trinity Rodman extra-time tally allowed the U.S. to claim a 1-0 victory and a guaranteed chance at a medal.

The United States advances to the semifinal round where it will face Germany for a shot to land the gold medal.

Here's a look at the quarterfinal results and schedule for the semifinal.

Quarterfinal Results

United States def. Japan, 1-0 (ET)

Spain def. Colombia, 2-2 (4-2)

Germany def. Canada 0-0 (4-2)

Brazil def. France, 1-0

Semifinal Bracket and Schedule

United States vs. Germany, Tuesday, August 6 at 12 p.m. ET

Spain vs. Brazil, Tuesday, August 6 at 3 p.m. ET

The United States' matchup against Japan was the seventh all-time in the knockout stage of a major tournament. The U.S. had a 6-0-1 record in those matchups, but the lone draw came in a losing effort as Japan defeated the U.S. in penalty kicks to win the 2011 Women's World Cup.

The U.S. recorded 15 total shots and just four on target, while Japan had 11 and only a single shot on target. The U.S. dominated possession, but some strong defense from Japan managed to keep the game scoreless until Rodman's extra-time strike.

The U.S. won bronze at the 2020 Olympics and did not reach the podium in 2016. It did win gold in 2012 and will hope to get a chance to do that once again this year.

The dream of Olympic gold is over for the United States men's soccer team.

The U.S. fell to Morocco 4-0 in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Summer Olympic tournament, ending the team's journey for a medal.

Friday's loss comes after the Americans advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 2000.

Here's a look at Friday's quarterfinal action and which teams will have a chance to reach the podium.

Quarter-final Results

Morocco 4, United States 0

Spain 3, Japan 0

Egypt 1 (5) Paraguay, 1 (4)

France 1, Argentina 0

Semifinal Schedule

August 5: Morocco vs. Spain, 12 p.m. ET

August 5: Egypt vs. France, 3 p.m. ET

The U.S. had its back against the wall following a 3-0 loss to France to open the tournament. However, it rebounded in the next group-stage games against New Zealand and Guinea and solidified a chance to earn a medal for the first time since 1904.

That was not meant to be. Morocco scored its first goal at the 30-minute mark when Soufiane Rahimi fired a penalty kick into the back of the net.

Morocco started to pile on at the 63-minute mark when Abde Ezzalzouli assisted on a Ilias Akhomach goal that made it 2-0. Less than 10 minutes later, Achraf Hakimi buried another goal to give Morocco a commanding 3-0 lead.

The lead would extend to four in extra time when Mehdi Maouhoub converted from the penalty spot.

As the U.S. looks to build on its quarterfinal qualification, Morocco will now focus on earning its first-ever Olympic medal in men's soccer.

The United States men's soccer team earned a crucial 4-1 victory over New Zealand in Marseilles, France on Saturday in Summer Olympics group play, keeping the team alive for the knockout round.

Here's a look at the entire day's Olympic men's soccer results alongside the latest group table.

Saturday, July 27 Results

Argentina 3, Iraq 1

Spain 3, Dominican Republic 1

Ukraine 2, Morocco 1

Egypt 1, Uzbekistan 0

United States 4, New Zealand 1

Paraguay 4, Israel 2

Japan 1, Mali 0

France 1, Guinea 0

Group A

1. France: 6 points (2-0-0, +4 goal differential)

2. United States: 3 points (1-0-1, 0 goal differential)

3. New Zealand: 3 points (1-0-1, -2 goal differential)

4. Guinea: 0 points (0-0-2, -2 goal differential)

Group B

1. Argentina: 4 points (1-0-1, 1 goal differential)

2. Morocco: 4 points (1-0-1, 0 goal differential)

3. Ukraine: 4 points (1-0-1, 0 goal differential)

4. Iraq: 4 points (1-0-1, -1 goal differential)

Group C

1. Spain: 6 points (2-0-0, +3 goal differential)

2. Egypt: 4 points (1-1-0, +1 goal differential)

3. Dominican Republic: 1 point (0-1-1, -2 goal differential)

4. Uzbekistan: 0 points (0-0-2, -2 goal differential)

Group D

1. Japan: 6 points (2-0-0, +6 goal differential)

2. Paraguay: 3 points (1-0-1, -3 goal differential)

3. Mali: 1 point (0-1-1, -1 goal differential)

4. Israel: 1 point (0-1-1, -2 goal differential)

Djordje Mihailovic's eighth-minute penalty goal gave the United States a lead it never relinquished.

He later assisted on Walker Zimmerman's 15th-minute strike for a 2-0 advantage.

Gianluca Busio scored in the 30th minute to give the United States a 3-0 halftime edge.

Paxten Aaronson's 58th-minute goal led to a 4-0 USA lead.

The clean sheet hopes were dashed after New Zealand's Jesse Randall found the back of the net.

Still, this was an exceptional result for Team USA, which had 17 shots (eight on target) to New Zealand's eight shots (four on target).

The United States will close group play against Guinea on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. As of now, the U.S. would get into the knockout round as a top-two finisher in group play.

Ultimately, the U.S. is in good shape right now by virtue of holding a two-goal edge over New Zealand in goal differential, which is the No. 1 tiebreaker for advancement to the knockout round.

There are multiple ways for the United States to officially get in, but the easiest one is a victory plus a New Zealand loss or draw to France. Team USA could also get in with a draw plus a New Zealand loss to France.

On the flip side, a USA loss plus a New Zealand draw (or win) or a USA draw and a New Zealand win would eliminate America from the Olympics.

The MLS All-Stars were without players like Lionel Messi and Luiz Suárez for their matchup against the Liga MX All-Stars, and boy did it show.

Liga MX hammered the MLS, 4-1, as Mexico's top-flight league looked far superior to that of its northern neighbors.

Germán Berterame, Oussama Idrissi, Juan Brunetta and Maximiliano Meza all tallied goals for Liga MX, while Cucho Hernández found the back of the net for MLS.

After the contest, fans and pundits on social media didn't pull many punches while discussing the MLS All-Stars' disappointing performance:

It was not a great day for U.S. soccer.

Alongside the MLS All-Stars' disappointing showing, the USMNT squad representing the country at the Paris Olympics fell to France, 3-0. Granted, the men's Olympics are a U-23 event, barring three older exemptions each country can bring, so it wasn't representative of the nation's best players. But it was still a disappointing result.

As for the MLS All-Star Game, it ultimately was a meaningless exhibition match. But in the ongoing and heated feud between United States and Mexican soccer, it afforded Mexican supporters some much-needed bragging rights.

Those have been tough to come by for El Tri in particular—the USMNT hasn't lost to the Mexican men's national team in seven matches, with five of those being American wins. El Tri last beat the USMNT in 2019 in a friendly, and has only won two of its past 10 meetings with the United States dating back to 2017,