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Olympic Soccer: Men’s Semifinals (Your Running Commentary)

Mexico (Reuters Pictures)

After an exhilarating Monday of Olympic soccer on the women's side, the men take center stage with four teams vying for a chance to play for the gold medal. 

On the heels of winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup and finishing third in the U-20 World Cup last year, Mexico continues it quest to add an Olympic gold medal to its trophy case. To do so, El Tri will have to get by a stout Japan side that has yet to concede a goal in the tournament and coasted by Egypt to reach the semifinals at Wembley Stadium.

In the day's second semifinal, gold medal favorite Brazil faces a South Korea side that eliminated host Team Great Britain and will look to spring the biggest surprise of the knockout stage by taking down Neymar & Co. at Old Trafford.

Here is the viewing schedule for the day's matches:

12 p.m. – NBC Sports Network/Telemundo/NBCOlympics.com – Mexico vs. Japan

2:45 p.m. - NBC Sports Network/Telemundo/NBCOlympics.com – Brazil vs. South Korea

If you will be watching today's Olympic semifinal matches, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. Pay to play and the suburban focus push out huge percentages of players who would otherwise be good. College, while free, as noted almost anywhere else on this site, prevents the best development during the key years with a short season, not the best coaching, and poor competition and a focus on purely winning. That’s bad.

    Nice job keeping it classy, pretty sure you’re the one who is grossly uninformed. Pray tell, what is it that Japan does ‘earlier in players career’ that the US doesn’t? Oh, and most US sports aren’t pay to play-football and basketball historically haven’t (even if that trend is changing). You seem to defend the college system at the expense of the European academy system, fair enough, what was lacking in USSF investment with regards to high school and college soccer? USSF has no power over the NCAA, if you really think they could affect change you’re just plain dumb.

    Besides talking in generalities, do tell, what is it that Japan does that the US doesn’t? And if it is the academy system you admonish, then what is Japan doing that the US wasn’t doing pre-2007?

    Oh and the Kagawa example? That proves my point. He went pro at the age of 17, something that is just not socially acceptable for most of the suburban players who currently make up teh bulk of American soccer.

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  2. Respectfully disagree steve-0… There is not one team on this planet that I would not root for if playing Mexico, unless there is some reason a Mexico win would benefit the USMNT in a tournament.

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  3. The way I see it is I support any Concacaf teams vs. other confederations. But when it comes to Mexico vs. USA, I want us to win so bad it makes them cry 🙂

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