Rarely has a team tournament been so much about one player. All the pressure is on Neymar to deliver a gold medal for Brazil.
The men's Olympic soccer tournament gets underway a day before the games' opening ceremony, and all eyes are on one team. The hosts, Brazil, have never won an Olympic gold medal in soccer. While most countries see the Olympics as an afterthought in men's soccer, this is Brazil's great national shame. This is why Neymar was rested in the Copa America this summer, and he's by far the biggest star at the Olympics.
This tournament can get bizarre, though, with traditional powers rarely dominating. Mexico captured the last Olympic gold medal, upsetting Brazil in the final. Argentina won the two gold medals before that, but faced Nigeria and Paraguay in those finals. Before that, Cameroon and Nigeria won Olympic gold.
Because the men's Olympic tournament is an Under-23 tournament with three over-age players allowed, two distinct strategies emerge. One is to actually attempt to win the tournament by bringing lots of experienced 22-to-23-year-olds while using over-age slots on superstars. Some other teams just send their most talented young players to get them some experience, even if they're too young to have a shot to deliver a medal.
Bracket
You can find a bracket with updating results at the Olympics website.
Schedule (all times ET)
TV listings for all games can be found at Live Soccer TV. All games can be streamed online in the United States at NBC Sports Live Extra.
Thursday, August 4
Iraq 0-0 Denmark
Honduras 3-2 Algeria
Brazil 0-0 South Africa -- Recap
Mexico 2-2 Germany -- Recap
Portugal 2-0 Argentina
Sweden 2-2 Colombia
Fiji 0-8 South Korea
Nigeria 5-4 Japan -- Recap
Sunday, August 7
Fiji 1-5 Mexico -- Recap
Honduras 1-2 Portugal -- Recap
Germany 3-3 South Korea -- Recap
Argentina 2-1 Algeria -- Recap
Sweden 0-1 Nigeria
Denmark 1-0 South Africa
Japan 2-2 Colombia
Brazil 0-0 Iraq -- Recap
Wednesday, August 10
Algeria 1-1 Portugal -- Recap; Portugal advances in first place
Argentina 1-1 Honduras -- Recap; Honduras advances in second place
Germany 10-0 Fiji -- Recap; Germany advances in second place
South Korea 1-0 Mexico -- Recap; South Korea advances in first place
Japan vs. Sweden -- 6 p.m.
Colombia vs. Nigeria -- 6 p.m.
Denmark vs. Brazil -- 9 p.m.
South Africa vs. Iraq -- 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 13
Quarterfinal 1 -- 12 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2 -- 3 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3 -- 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4 -- 9 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17
Semifinal 1 -- 12:p.m.
Semifinal 2 -- 3 p.m.
Saturday, August 20
Bronze medal match -- 12 p.m.
Gold medal match -- 4:30 p.m.
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