“It’ll be even tougher”, says Arthur Elias on second USA friendly | OneFootball

The Brazilian Women’s National Team was at Arena Castelão on Monday night (8) for training ahead of the second match against the United States, which takes place this Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.

The match in Fortaleza has already set a ticket sales record for women’s national team friendlies in the country: 38,500. Until now, the biggest crowd was for the friendly against Jamaica, in Recife, in June 2024, which drew 33,272 spectators.

The growing interest in women’s football is one of the great legacies that next year’s World Cup, in Brazil, is expected to leave behind. Since the first game against the USA, on Saturday (6) in São Paulo, Arthur and the team have emphasized the importance of the fans and of friendlies as preparation for the World Cup.

Arthur Elias has had two wins in five matches against the USACredits: Lívia Villas Boas/Staff Images/CBF

“We had a favorable atmosphere and, for the World Cup, we expect even fuller stadiums. So that the public can get to know the Brazilian players even better and so that recognition and commercial growth in women’s football can increase,” the coach said.

After achieving something that few national teams in the world have managed — two consecutive wins over the Americans — Arthur Elias acknowledged the scale of the next challenge. “Their mentality is very strong, which is why they are world and Olympic champions. They have quality and many options. Tomorrow will be even more difficult than the first game,” he pointed out.

Regarding the tactical setup, the coach explained that, for each match, the staff defines the system according to the opponent’s resources and style of play, within the individual-marking model, which has been the team’s main characteristic since he took charge of the Women’s National Team.

In addition to the attendance record, the game in Fortaleza could level the number of wins between the United States and Brazil in the Arthur Elias era. There have been five meetings, each one more hard-fought, with two wins for Brazil and three for the Americans.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.