The Rio Olympics men’s soccer competition began on Friday. Here are six things you need to know about the event.
Key dates: Competition opened Aug. 4; final is Aug. 20
Venue: Games will be played at seven stadiums in six cities
Big story: Brazil has never won an Olympic soccer title and after the national team failed to reach the final of the 2014 World Cup it hosted, the pressure to win a gold medal is immense. That’s why Brazil held its captain, Neymar, out of the Copa America Centenario, saving him for the Olympics where he will be one of three overage players in what otherwise is an under-23 age-group tournament.
Top U.S. prospects: The U.S. did not qualify.
Others to watch: Mexico is the defending champion and has a strong youth program, having finished in the top four of the last three U-17 World Cups.
Little-known fact: The Olympic host country has won the men’s soccer competition three times but only Spain, in 1992, has done that in the last 96 years.
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