This piece from Reuters goes some way toward illustrating why the excitement for football at the Olympics is so muted. Some of the players worth watching can't get permission from their club teams to play.
Here are the teams playing in the Olympics.
53 minutes ago
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6 deflections:
Not exactly a group of death anywhere. Who do you like for the final? Argentina vs. Brazil in uno torbellino Sudamericain.
It would mean just as much to most Americans to do well in the Olympics as in the World Cup, so the Americans could be really motivated.
It's very difficult to know what the teams will look like, but I gather that Lionel Messi will be playing for Argentina, so that would make them a team to watch, and Brazil is always good, so, as usual with your international-football predictions, this one will probably be spot on.
Your prognostication for Club football, however, continues to poor, as demonstrated by your prediction for a top-four finish for Spurs this season. That one, as they say, doesn't pass the "straight-face test."
I find your lack of faith disturbing, although maintaining my optimism might be difficult once fixtures actually start. There are always the Hammers to root for.
Are you trying to say the Olympics AREN'T as important as the World Cup?
Exactly, but, I'll at least check it out. Of the other football blogs I read, only that Reuters blog has discussed the Olympics at all that I've seen; but then again your hard-core, Home Nations club supporters can hardly be bothered with the World Cup itself.
I will likely watch, too. But it's a little like watching preseason American Football. Best players aren't there, fans aren't engaged, play is lackluster. I guess it might be fun to watch if the PRC team gets the "olympic bump."
America v China - now that would be a well-viewed final - a good chunk (half or more?)of China's 1.3 billion and a decent handful of America's 0.3 billion; not your 75 million or so Superbowl viewers, but 17 million Americans watched the France-Italy World Cup Final, so with the US in the final at the Olympics, we could see American Idol-type numbers: 25, 30 million.
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