Brazilian Women’s National Team

By Danielle Lazarus

Return to the Main Players to Watch Page 

The Brazilian National Team at the 2011 World Cup (a)

Although the Brazilian Women’s National Team has had much success around South America, internationally, it’s still looking to emerge from the pack.  Despite winning the South American Copa América Femenina competition every year (except once), and owning a top-10 international rating each year since FIFA began keeping track, Brazil has yet to make its mark on the Women’s World Cup (1).  However, a combination of experienced veterans and young talent peaking at the right time could turn the tide for the Brazilians in 2015.

Trend of Brazilian world rankings since 2003, from FIFA (2)

 

The 2011 World Cup

Brazil entered the 2011 World Cup ranked #3 in the world, and it put its dominance on display early on—the team handily won its group after being drawn into Group D with Australia, Norway, and Equatorial Guinea (3).  Andréia, Brazil’s goalkeeper, did not allowing a goal during any of its group stage matches, leading Brazil to a 7-0 aggregate during the round (4).  Although then-head coach Kleiton Lima praised Brazil’s solid defense after its 3-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea, he responded to critics who questioned his team’s offense and ability to win it all with a defensive-heavy squad:

Overall, I don’t think we’re making the most of our technical ability yet, but our defense is 100 per cent solid. Some people are saying the way we defend is out of date, but we’re solid, we keep it tight, and we have players and strikers who are fantastic on the break (3).

Group D standings from the 2011 Women’s World Cup, from Wikipedia

However, Brazil’s technical woes came back to haunt them in the quarterfinals against Team USA.  Only able to score once during regulation time, on a penalty kick by Marta, Brazil and the United States headed into extra time tied 1-1.  Two minutes in, Marta found the back of the net again; however, a header by USA’s Abby Wambach at 120+2 minutes sent the game to penalty kicks.  Brazil was stopped by Hope Solo twice, while Andréia was unable to block any of the United States’ goals , ending Brazil’s 2011 World Cup dreams (3).

Highlights from the USA-Brazil quarterfinal match in the 2011 World Cup, from FIFATV

Brazil has only made it past the quarterfinals twice in its six appearances in the World Cup—a third place finish in 1999, and the runners-up in 2007, where they fell to Germany 2-0 in the final match (4).

 Highlights from the Germany-Brazil final match in the 2007 World Cup, from Tony Jko

 

What Has Happened Since?

The Brazilian Women’s National Team has played three major tournaments since the 2011 World Cup: the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico; the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England; and the 2014 Copa América Femenina in Ecuador.

2011 Pan-American Games (5)

Brazil entered Gudalajara as the Pan-American defending champions, having won the gold medal in Rio De Janeiro in 2007.  They looked to repeat as the #3 team in the world at the tournament’s start, with the next highest-ranked team being Canada at #9 and the highest after that being Mexico at #22.  However, Brazil and Canada were placed into the same group during the Group Stage, and ended the round tied with 7 points each.  Having tied 0-0 during their own match and accumulated an aggregate 4-1 score each against the group, the Pan-American committee drew lots to choose which team advanced with the top seeding, which Brazil won.

Group B standings from the 2011 Pan-American Games, from Wikipedia

But Brazil and Canada met again during the final round, which ended with a 1-1 tie after regulation and overtime.  After a dramatic 4-3 shootout, Canada emerged victorious—leading to another major tournament loss on penalty kicks for the Brazilians only four months after their World Cup loss to Team USA in similar fashion.

Highlights from the Canada-Brazil final 2011 Pan-American Games, from Protagonistas del Juego

2012 Summer Olympics (6)

Brazil was placed in the Group of Death in London, sharing Group E with home team Great Britain, New Zealand, and Cameroon.  Its only loss during the Group Stage was against Great Britain 1-0, and its six points were enough to advance to the quarterfinals.

Group E standings from the 2012 Summer Olympics, from Wikipedia

However, Brazil’s strong group stage performance wasn’t enough to carry it past the quarterfinals, in which it lost to Japan 2-0.  This loss ended Brazil’s two-Olympic medaling streak, after earning the silver medal in both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

2014 Copa América Femenina (7)

Brazil had won every Copa América Femenina trophy (except once in 2006) since the tournament’s inception in 1991, so it came as no surprise that they repeated as champions once again in Ecuador.  The Copa acted as the CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol)‘s qualifier for the 2015 World Cup, 2016 Summer Olympics, 2015 and Pan-American Games.  Brazil all-but steamrolled its competition on its way to qualifying for all three, allowing only three goals in the seven games it played in the tournament, ending with a +19 goal differential.  A highlight: Brazil’s 6-0 victory over Argentina in the final round-robin tournament, during which six different players scored goals, including tournament Top Goalscorer Cristiane who scored six throughout the whole Copa:

Group B and final round-robin standings from the 2014 Copa, from Wikipedia

Players to Watch at the 2015 World Cup

Marta

Since joining the Brazilian women’s national team 13 years ago at age 16, Marta has become the face of Brazilian women’s soccer—and arguably, international women’s soccer as a whole.  Her accolades speak for themselves: the FIFA World Player of the Year for five consecutive years (from 2007-2010, and placing in the top three every year since 2004); two-time Women’s Professional Soccer league MVP; and #7 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the Top 20 Female Athletes of the Decade (8).  Coupled with her statistics, it’s clear how Marta has dominated over the years: Brazil’s #1 goal scorer of all time (between both the women’s and men’s national teams) with 91 goals, including 71 scored internationally.  Marta has had success at the club level as well, earning championships as a member of six different clubs between Brazil, the United States, and Sweden, most recently with FC Rosengard in 2014 (8).

The Dios Riachos, Alagoas native has had much success in the World Cup in the past, notching four goals at the 2011 edition, including two during Brazil’s penalty-kick loss to the United States.  However, she found most of her success in China, garnering the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe Awards for the top individual player and goal scorer during Brazil’s runner-up run in 2007 (9).  To beat the United States to reach the finals in 2007, Marta scored perhaps her greatest goal of all time:

Clearly, it is nearly impossible to sum up all of Marta’s accomplishments into words—it’s much easier to show.  Below, enjoy a highlight video compiling Marta’s top goals in her 13-year career:

Érika

Érika is a multifaceted player, who began her career as a forward before switching to defense upon joining the national team at age 15.  Érika has since patrolled the net as a member of one of the top defenses in the world, while still scoring 10 goals internationally, the most of any defender on the team (10).

In Brazil, Érika is an enormous proponent of women’s soccer.  She has spent all but one year of her club career playing in Brazil, five of which were spent on Santos.  However, when Santos’ men’s side gave Neymar Jr. a contract extension in 2012, they chose to cut the entire women’s team.  Érika cried when Santos announced the cut, and afterwards led the charge to privately fund the Santos team, successfully recruiting Neymar to help (12).  In the end, Santos rejected her efforts, citing the zero profits that the women’s squad had generated.  Érika had no choice to move to another club, Centro Olímpico, in 2013 (10).  In 2014, after the Brazil U-20 women’s team lost in the U-20 World Cup to Germany, Érika wrote an open letter to Brazilian Soccer criticizing the lack of exposure women had received, signed by more than 100 other women athletes (translated from the original Portugese):

Who has not dreamed of being a football player? In a sexist and bigoted country that never believed, accepted or truly invested in women’s football, it is very difficult for us to dream… This note, in agreement with more than 100 athletes in the women’s game, is more than necessary, and comes in the form of an outburst, not to judge technically or tactically the match in question, or to compete with the men’s game, but to show [women] are flesh and blood, we exist, we want to be heard, not only in defeat and humiliation, but in the news and daily.  We want the exposure of our problems and our games and championships. (11)

Érika has only played in one World Cup previously, in 2011, where she scored a goal against Equatorial Guinea.  On the other side of the field, she helped hold Brazil’s opponents to only two non-penalty kick goals, both of which came against the United States.  However, Érika is less well-known for her strong play and more so for presumedly faking an injury against the United States in the 2011 quarterfinal game.  With Brazil up 2-1 23 minutes into overtime, Érika fell to the ground screaming in pain, stopping play for a few minutes as she was stretchered off, in an attempt to curb the United States’ tempo:

A rewatch of the tape, and Érika’s quick return, indicates that she was not touched before falling to the ground, calling the legitimacy of her injury into question.  Brazil faced payback in the 122nd minute, when Wambach beat Érika and the defense to head in the winning goal (13).

However, Érika has grown up since Germany, and is peaking coming into Canada.  After a ligament injury in 2013 that left her sidelined for 10 months, Érika is healthy just in time for 2015.  Her versatility, stifling defense, and strong personality on and off the field should help Brazil make their mark at the World Cup.

Return to the Main Players to Watch Page 

 

Works Cited

(1) “Brazil Women’s National Football Team.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_women%27s_national_football_team>.

(2) “The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – Associations – Brazil – Women’s – FIFA.com.” FIFA.com. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=bra/women/index.html>.

(3) “FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011.” FIFA.com. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/womensworldcup/germany2011/teams/team=1882881/index.html>.

(4) “2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_FIFA_Women%27s_World_Cup>.

(5) “Football at the 2011 Pan American Games – Women’s Tournament.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2011_Pan_American_Games_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_tournament>.

(6) “Football Women Results – Football – London 2012 Olympics.” 2012 London Summer Olympics. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.olympic.org/olympic-results/london-2012/football/football-w>.

(7) “Women’s Copa América.” CONMEBOL. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.conmebol.com/en/copa-america-femenina>.

(8) “Marta (footballer).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_%28footballer%29>.

(9) “Marta.” FIFA.com. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=190358/>.

(10) “Érika.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89rika>.

(11) “Zagueira Vê Falta De Apoio Ao Feminino E Critica Comparações Com O 7 a 1.” Terceiro Tempo. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://terceirotempo.bol.uol.com.br/noticias/zagueira-ve-falta-de-apoio-ao-feminino-e-critica-comparacoes-com-o-7-a-1>.

(12) Marques, João H. “Erika Chora Por Fim Das Sereias E Santos Coloca Gastos Com Neymar Como Responsável.” UOL Esporte. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/ultimas-noticias/2012/01/03/erika-chora-por-fim-das-sereias-e-santos-coloca-gastos-com-neymar-como-responsavel.htm>.

(13) Bennett, Roger. “Marta, Brazil Take a Turn to the Dark side.” ESPN. 11 July 2011. Accessed on 28 Apr. 2015. <http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6754782/women-world-cup-marta-brazil-take-turn-dark-side-roger-bennett>.

Images

(a) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Brazil_women’s_national_football_team_2012.jpg

(b) http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/QRxA8uGaiw3/Equatorial+Guinea+v+Brazil+Group+FIFA+Women/1zZ3p-9P-Xg

(c) http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2011/05/17/espn-to-present-heroics-documentaries/

(d) https://redjiblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/can-marta-lead-brazil-to-world-cup-glory/

(e) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/%C3%89rika_Cristiano_dos_Santos.jpg