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.
Marta is approaching the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics like a woman possessed. She sees the chance to win gold in her home country as the culmination of her life’s work, and she credits her “stubbornness” with putting her in this position.
Marta took to social networking service LinkedIn to explain her emotions heading into the Olympic games.
It's never easy being the son of a legendary footballer, but Giovanni Simeone, son of Diego Simeone, is showing all the signs that he can follow in his father's footsteps. Need convincing? Just take a look at this goal he scored for the Argentina U-23 team against Haiti.
We are three weeks away from the opening ceremony of the Olympics and, as the date approaches, I can't help but wonder: does Neymar have more pressure to win than any other athlete competing this summer?
With all the turmoil that has surrounded these Olympics and the unrest in the host country, I feel there is nothing the citizens of Brazil would love more than to see their young superstar lead their nation's team to a gold medal in the sport that they hold so near and dear to their hearts.
The Mexico national team has become, in recent years, a fertile ground for European scouts to find promising talent. Of course, Chicharito is the most famous example, but the likes of Hector Herrera, Jesus "Tecatito" Corona, Miguel Layun, Andres Guardado and Hector Moreno have not only found success, but have become integral to their respective clubs.
Many people give credit to the rise of Chicharito for shining the spotlight on Liga MX as a spot for promising talent, but in reality, more credit should be given to the sustained success of the Mexican youth.
To say things have been a bit rocky of late for one of the giants in world soccer would be a massive understatement. After three consecutive runner-up finishes at the World Cup and two Copa Americas, Argentina find themselves in a place where few international powerhouses have ever been. They can reach their ultimate goal, come near enough to touch it but they just can’t take the final step.
The defending World Cup and Olympic champions USWNT have set their 18-player squad that will head to Rio in a few weeks. Jill Ellis has picked a group that includes most of the mainstays (Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, etc.) and some good young players (Mallory Pugh).
The biggest surprise is probably Heather O'Reilly, a fixture in every major tournament since 2004, not making the cut, instead being selected as an alternate. Also, Megan Rapinoe has made the team after rapidly recovering from a torn ACL.
Having played for Mexico at the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand and having smoothly transitioned from Queretaro to Chivas in Liga MX, it was widely reported that Orbelin Pineda would make the natural progression to El Tri’s U-23 setup for the Olympic Games. However, Pineda, still only 20 years old, was omitted from Mexico’s roster for the Rio Games.
Mexico have announced the U-23 squad, along with three overage players, that will represent El Tri at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Having won the gold medal at the previous Olympics in London in 2012, this Mexico squad will be looking to defend their title with the likes of Oribe Peralta, Alfredo Talavera, Erick “Cubo” Torres and Jorge Torres Nilo.
Peralta, Talavera and Nilo represent the three over-23 players for Mexico.
Megan Rapinoe has been repeatedly forthcoming about her chances of making the United States women’s Olympic squad. There’s simply too much at stake with regards to her career to rush back after her third serious knee injury. However, it’s impossible not to get excited about the news that Rapinoe has returned to training with the USWNT.