National Teams

With a squad containing the likes of Neymar, Renato Augusto, Gabriel Jesus and Rafinha, it was understandable that a huge home crowd booed their own team off the pitch following a scoreless opening Olympic match against South Africa.

Brazil played the majority of the second half with a man advantage following Mothobi Mvala’s dismissal, but they could not find a way past South Africa despite registering 20 shots with seven of those on target.

Mexico and Germany got the Olympics off to a hot start with a 2-2 draw that made for a game that was both well-played and exciting.

One of Mexico's over-23 players, Oribe Peralta, opened the scoring.

Oribe Peralta's goal https://t.co/XgpaPsgRrq

— The18 (@the18soccer) August 4, 2016

The USWNT got their Olympics off to the start everyone was hoping for with a comfortable, injury-free 2-0 win against New Zealand.

New Zealand played a physical, bruising style of soccer, but in the end the USWNT's skill advantage won out.

Having the best player in the world helps too. Carli Lloyd got the USWNT on the board in the first half, heading in a Tobin Heath cross.

The Nigerian men’s soccer team has been training for the Olympic tournament in Atlanta for the last month. Now, with less than 36 hours before their first match against Japan in Manaus, the Nigerian team remains in their Atlanta hotel.

According to the BBC, an unpaid flight bill resulted in the airline refusing to take the team to Brazil.

Sources from Lionel Messi’s family have told Goal.com that the former Argentina captain will not return for his country’s September World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela.

I can see it now, the invitation letter fluttering down the chimney a la Hogwarts and gently nestling at the feet of former Canadian player turned China national beach soccer coach Ross Ongaro. 

Dear Mr. Ongaro,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at the 2016 Beach Soccer Worldwide Mundialito. You’ll play Portugal, Brazil, and the United States of America. This is not a joke. Best of luck, lads!

Sepp Blatter

Argentina’s opening match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico was against a South Korean side that was participating in the tournament for the first time since 1954. Argentina’s 1982 World Cup campaign, after having won the 1978 edition on home turf, had been a disaster. 

It had been Maradona’s first World Cup and defeats against Italy and Brazil had offered a glimpse of how to disrupt the Argentinian star: aggressively man-mark and foul the Argentine No. 10.

The Olympics haven't started yet, so Brazilian striker Neymar has nothing to do except sit around and learn to play golf. Try to learn to play golf, that is.

The Selecao captain received a golfing lesson from 16-year-old Spanish golfer Agueda Cortilla Mas, a Barcelona native. She was very good at showing Neymar how to golf. He was very bad at golfing.

Jordan Larsson, a 19-year-old forward for the Sweden National Team and Helsingborgs IF, will not be suiting up for Sweden in the Olympics because his father and manager at Helsingborgs, legendary Swedish striker Henrik Larsson, won't let him.

The reason is an injury crisis at the club, which needs all hands on deck, including those of the younger Larsson, who scored eight goals in 17 appearances last season.