Everything changed when London was named host city for the 2012 games. It would be a ridiculous notion to imagine that football would not take centre stage in a place that is home to 14 professional clubs (not including 40+ amateur sides).
Although, ticket sales have not been up to par despite the competition being the stand-out leader in seats sold, a large number remain unsold and organizers have reduced the capacity at some venues in response.
Attendance might be lower than anticipated, but the popularity on a global level remains unscathed. Worldwide Olympic coverage has never been better and continues to climb in record numbers every four years.
Sixteen teams make up the four groups, with each eligible to field three players over the age of 23. Going the distance to achieve Olympic glory only takes six matches, but not every team has the quality within their 18-man squad to realistically make a push for the podium.
First time qualifiers United Arab Emirates and Gabon are great example of two sides excited just to take part. The team from the Middle East will kick-off the tournament against Uruguay on Wednesday, but have little hope of making it out of a tough group. Surprise African Champions at the U23 level last year, Gabon are poised to suffer the same fate unless they can manage to defy the odds similar to last November by winning their continental title.
Honduras and New Zealand finish off the list of gleeful participants, both having minimal Olympic experience and outmatched by superior opposition. Maynor Figueroa and Ryan Nelsen earn top billing for their respective sides. MLS alum Andy Najar and Roger Espinoza are of decent quality, as is Tommy Smith for the Oly-Whites, but there is a significant drop after that.
A cluster of teams make up the long shots, though slightly more capable of causing an upset and progressing further than expected.
Korea Republic and Japan have made promising steps at the grassroots level and are close to reaping the rewards. Up until now neither has made it past the quarterfinal stage. Celtic's Ki Sung-Yeung provides the anchor in midfield for Korea, with Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won and Arsenal reserve Park Chu-Young in attack. The land of the rising sun will be banking on a stand-out performance by Ryo Miyaichi, another one of Arsene Wenger's youthful transfers that has shown tremendous promise.
The remaining three African participants join the list of hopefuls; Morocco headline by having the most experience with seven Olympic appearances under their belt. However, the Atlas Lions are notorious for underachievement, most recently losing on home soil at the tail end of last year to Gabon. Striker Zakaria Labyad is one for the future and could turn some heads if given the opportunity.
Egypt is making their first appearance in 20 years, but may struggle due in large part to the cancelation of their domestic season after the Port Said Stadium disaster. Most of the players have only the national team to stay sharp and might lack quality when going up against stronger opposition, but could also work in their favour through team unity.
The Lions of Teranga have a reputation of being inconsistent and are making their inaugural steps in the tournament. Senegal posted a positive result against both Spain and Switzerland, which elevated the team’s confidence, but a loss to Korea in their last warm-up match did little to give a proper assessment of their overall strength. Mohamed Diame and Idrissa Gueye pose a decent combination in midfield, but not enough to maneuver past difficult opponents Great Britain and Uruguay.
Switzerland has medaled in the Olympics previously, losing the final in 1924 before crashing out in the first round four years later. This will be their first appearance in the modern-era and results are expected to mirror their last showing. Manager Pierluigi Tami can call upon some quality through veteran goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, along with midfielders Fabian Frei and Pajtim Kasami. And if Innocent Emeghara can score the goals, the notion of the Swiss making it to the next round is not so far-fetched.
Despite their surprising third place at the Under 21 World Championships last summer, it’s tough to gauge exactly what to except from Belarus following a poor showing at the Toulon Tournament in May. The side travelling to London has five players with Champions League experience—most important BATE Borisov goalkeeper Alyaksandr Hutar who is well-established. Another to keep tabs on is Brazilian born Renan Bressan; the midfielder was scoring champion in their domestic league two years ago.
The list of contenders is much smaller, with these three teams vying for potentially two semifinal spots.
Uruguay already has two gold medals to their credit, winning back-to-back in 1920 and 1924. Although, this will be their first appearance since those glory days. The spotlight has been squarely on La Celeste in recent years, finishing fourth at the World Cup in South Africa and recently winning the Copa America last summer—giving a glimpse to the caliber of players this small nation can produce. Much of the credit falls to the vision of manager Oscar Tabarez.
Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates is a prime example of the talent that is developing in the youth set-up, as is his Merseyside teammate Luis Suarez. The controversial forward has proven his loyalty to the cause in past tournaments and is destined to make waves in London, combining with the quality of Edinson Cavani and Gaston Ramirez to make Uruguay strong contenders for the ultimate prize.
In the same group are the hosts Great Britain; united under one football banner for the first time since 1960. Although, the Irish and the Scots declined the invite, Stuart Pearce hopes to lead a side of English and Welsh born players to the ultimate finish of winning Olympic gold—making the podium will not be enough to satisfy the high expectations of their football-mad supporters. Playing on home soil has historically proven to be a winning formula, and Team GB has tasted success in Olympics by winning the competition in 1908 and 1912.
Unfortunately, their only warm-up match ended in failure, losing 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough to Brazil. It was a stark reminder at the sheer strength of the competition and just how much better they need to become in such a short time.
The poster boy of London 2012, David Beckham was left off the roster, making room for Ryan Giggs to be named captain—an honour well-deserved. He is joined by Craig Bellamy as the two elder statesmen of the squad. Full-backs Micah Richards and Ryan Bertrand give the team immense speed and toughness, while a trio of midfielders in Joe Allen, Tom Cleverley and Aaron Ramsey provide great vision to build the play. Up front, Daniel Sturridge will be intent on proving his exclusion from the Euro Cup was a mistake, and between the posts both Jason Steele and Jack Butland can do the job required.
Their first opponent is Senegal on Thursday, before facing UAE and finally Uruguay. Topping the group to avoid the prospect of facing Group B favourites Mexico is the goal.
Mexico won the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic qualifying tournament with ease before following that up by recently winning the Toulon Tournament. A tightly knit squad, with tremendous pace and all-around work ethic has paved the way for Mexico to leave the London games with their bags approximately 400 grams heavier than when they arrived.
At 38 years of age, veteran Carlos Salcido is the anchor on defence, having already competed in two World Cups and numerous other international tournaments for Mexico—his experience and leadership should help the yougsters. The star-man up front is Giovani dos Santos, having represented El Tricolor at practically every level. The tiny striker has also played in three of the top leagues in Europe and is well-versed at playing against strong opposition. Though, the player who stands out the most is midfielder Marco Fabian, who’s already impressive tally of 13 goals in 12 matches for the U23 squad shows his true potential.
That leaves the two teams who are odds on favourites to meet in the final at Wembley Stadium on August 11—barring any unfortunate slip-ups in the group stage; both are positioned to meet on the final day if everything goes according to plan.
Brazil are football royalty—the collection of silverware can attest to their dominance. The only piece missing from their illustrious trophy cabinet is Olympic gold. The Selecao won another bronze in Beijing 2008; adding to the same medal won in Atlanta 1996, plus two consecutive silver medal performances in 1984 and 1988.
Manager Mano Menezes has put together a team that has the potential to erase the history of underachievement in this competition. This Brazil squad is the strongest in recent memory; captained by PSG’s €42 million star centre-back Thiago Silva, and complimented by experienced full-backs Marcelo and Rafael da Silva—the quality continues to get better as you move up the pitch.
Eccentric, but highly skilled, Sandro will command the middle through great positioning and intuition that gives him the ability to break up any threat—allowing a trio of attack-minded midfielders who are being courted by Europe’s top clubs free reign moving forward. The prospect of Oscar, Lucas Moura and Ganso playing off one another is frightening, not to mention the reality of the three creating for the likes of Leandro Damiao, Alexandre Pato, Hulk and/or the new chosen one of Brazilian football, Santos’ Neymar. The four forwards provide a diverse blend of skills that will be difficult for any defensive system to handle.
Brazil should easily sweep through the group phase before facing slightly stronger opposition in the knockout rounds. The road to the finals and an epic encounter with the nation dominating the sport at present time looks like a safe bet.
If any team can match the South American giants for star power and class its Spain. Manager Luis Milla has the squad in place to continue La Furia Roja's reign at practically every level for the last four years. Champions at Barcelona 1992, the closest they've come since is a silver medal in Athens 2004 and have failed to qualify for the last two Olympics—which has not affected their status as favourites in London.
Starting in goal, David de Gea checks all the boxes and is arguably the best number one in the tournament. Barcelona prospects Christian Tello and Martin Montoya are both well-seasoned and have clocked significant minutes at the top level despite their boyish looks. The same can be said for Athletic Bilbao's duo of Ander Herrera and Iker Muniain, the latter is only 19 and already closing in on 100 appearances for Los Leones. Throw in Isco, Koke and Adrian Lopez and you have a powerful formula of youthful experience that almost goes unmatched.
The addition of Euro Cup winners Jordi Alba, Juan Mata and Javi Martinez only compliment a potent squad list. Make no mistake; this is a group of professionals playing in a competition that is known for its amateur status—a statistic that is a running theme and difficult to police given the young age in which players hit the pro level nowadays. But, Spain should not be singled out for their ability to breed top talent.
Whatever the end results, London 2012 will provide a welcomed teaser before the start of a new football calendar year.
