This February saw the launch of the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup, which has been compared to the European Nations League.
Four non-CONCACAF sides (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay) were invited to the competition, but only Brazil remains, and they have been one of the most impressive sides, winning four of four.
Canada came into the tournament looking to be a serious competitor towards the business end of the competition, and they have lived up to their pre-tournament expectations up until now, winning four from four without conceding a goal.
Mexico, who got that crucial group stage, upset over the USWNT to top the group. However, they have impressed in several critical areas and equally remain unbeaten in the competition so far.
The US entered the contest as hosts and pre-tournament favourites. Despite that surprise loss to Mexico, they again find themselves at the business end of the competition, where they can look to add to the legend surrounding the USWNT.
In this tactical analysis and scout report we will provide some analysis of key players, key tactics and key statistics that could prove vital in determining the remainder of this competition.
Brazil
Brazil has been one of the most exciting teams in the competition so far. They have scored 12 goals in four games, including five goals in their previous two outings against Panama and Argentina in the quarter-finals. However, this is not just down to mere chance, with them also achieving an xG of 12.84.
Now, let’s take a look at what enables Brazil to be so exciting in attack. Throughout the competition, they have some iteration of a 3-4-3, either playing with two creative midfielders behind a forward or one creative behind a front two. The fluidity of their attack makes Brazil so dynamic, where they utilise the third-player principle throughout their off-the-ball movement to create sharp, free-flowing attacks.
In this example here in the quarter-finals against Argentina, you can see an example of this off-the-ball movement. The ball is being carried towards the final third by right centre-back Antonia. Once there, she plays a penetrating ball towards Gabi Nunes, who has made a disguised run across the back of the Argentina player. She receives the ball and draws the defender out of the backline. Nunes then drops off the ball to creative midfielder Bia Zaneratto. While this is going on, central midfielder Vitória Yaya has made a third player run off the ball to attack the space vacated by the defender drawn in by Nunes. This enables Vitória to get into a dangerous position in the box, and she plays a ball across the box, which ends in an off-target shot.
This example here shows off the ball movement and fluidity that impressively enables Brazil to create goal-scoring opportunities. Antonia has the ball and passes towards the right flank. Duda Sampaio lets the ball run beside them rather than playing at it acting as a disguise, and then the ball reaches wingback Gabi Portilho on the right flank. Here, with the ball out wide, Sampaio and Vitória’s movement is vital to this attack as when they switch and split, they create the space for Portilho to drive inside where she can play a ball into forward Nunes. Portilho then continues her run looping around Nunes, the key to this play is the patience Nunes shows to play the ball at the right time, when the defender has turned her back on the goal and Portilho is able to get a shot on goal.
