Of course the footballing purists will declare that the Olympics hardly offer much drama on the pitch as it is merely a U-23 tournament that receives little mention in the media. Mexico - The Central American side has fewer big named players but there are a lot of potential stars in the side. Michael Steele/Getty Images. Jordi Alba is already a star following his efforts at the Euro's, but Cristian Tello could make a name for himself here as could Oriol Romeu. With youth and great experience, the 2012 Olympic soccer tournament looks to be exciting. He could use the 2012 Olympics as a springboard to a major club. Get European soccer, South American, North American soccer scores & Asian and Oceanian soccer, African football leagues scores and World - Olympic Games 2012 soccer results - all at Soccer24.com. The defending champion is Argentina.The tournament is hosted in England (4 stadiums), Scotland (1 stadium) and Wales (1 stadium). Men's teams were allowed to augment their squads with three players over the age of 23. Es war vorerst die letzte Fußball-Europameisterschaft (EM), die mit 16 Mannschaften ausgetragen wurde. As the soccer world descends into the summer transfer speculation depths of despair, there will be one bright spot of entertainment that approaches in the end of July. Olympics. Olympics 2012 Women's soccer: As it happened coverage of the extraordinary semi-final between the USA and Canada Olympic Games 2012 on Scoreboard.com. The USWNT has won four Olympic gold medals. Although FIFA president Sepp Blatter has repeatedly said that their status is enshrined in the ruling body’s statutes and would not be undermined by a British team taking part in 2012, the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland FAs have been staunchly opposed to it. Further providing entertainment will be the few older, veteran players who will lead their sides. Senegal's Ibrahima Balde is another exciting prospect. Four years ago in Beijing it was Lionel Messi's Argentina who won the Men's football gold medal. London 2012: Olympic Games event guides. He has scored quite a few goals in the lower levels of English soccer and would like to get on his team's radar and start playing in the Premiership. The United States women's national soccer team and the Japan women's national football team met in the gold medal match. He starred for the Gabon national team during the 2012 African Cup of Nations, scoring three goals and winning a Player of the Match award as his side reached the quarterfinals. Thu., Aug. 9, 2012 timer 3 min. 2012 is an Olympic year and as such, what better country is there to host an international tournament of soccer than Great Britain? “I can see no good reason for not having one at all. All the best photo and video highlights of Football at the London 2012 Summer Games Olympics, plus official results and medals by event and athlete. AFC North AFC North. Miami Dolphins Dolphins. Nicholas Spiller. 2012 Men’s Soccer Olympics Schedule, Groups, Standings, Fixtures, and Results: The pitches of jolly old England will be on display this year for the Summer Olympics soccer action. London – The United States beat Japan in the Olympic women's soccer final Thursday 2-1 avenging their World Cup loss in 2011 and bringing home the gold for the third straight time. One is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon. In fact, many of the players looking to represent their countries are at war with their respective clubs who don't see the tournament as worthy of prying away their talent. He has also been loaned to Bayern Munich and is expected to develop into a Japanese star. August 13, 2012. 2012 Olympics Men's Soccer Preview. – No sign of Stephanie Cox – not even as an alternate. U.S. players celebrate after defeating Canada 4-3 in extra time in Olympic semifinal. You can find our previous coverage of the final in our Mexico vs. Brazil, 2012 Olympics men's soccer final StoryStream . By Doug Smith Sports Reporter. … It should provide fans with some entertaining drama as well. For more Olympic stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" at here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china. FIFA also said in 2005 that, as host nation, Britain had to enter teams in the 2012 Games. London 2012: Canada wins soccer bronze with stunning late goal over France. Here are the contenders for medals as well as some up and coming talents that may break out during the tournament: Brazil - The South American soccer heroes will be the heavy favorites, although for all their World Cup glory Brazil has never won Olympic gold. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's U-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 15 teams, plus the hosts Great Britain, reached the final tournament. Uruguay - The 2011 Copa America champions and 2010 World Cup semifinalists have had a resurgence in recent years. Triesman added that it would be “barking mad” if Britain did not field a football team at the London Olympics. Although these five countries look set to contend above any of the other entrants, there will be a host of other talented players. Britain, champions in 1908 and 1912, have not played in the men’s Olympic soccer finals since 1960 and have never entered a women’s team because of concerns that the independent status of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could be compromised. LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Britain will definitely field a team in the men’s soccer tournament at the 2012 London Olympics even without the backing of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the English FA’s chief executive said on Wednesday. The men's football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics was held in London and five other cities in Great Britain from 26 July to 11 August. Buffalo Bills Bills. They then won first-place medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Juli 2012 in Polen und der Ukraine statt. Britain will definitely field a team in the men's soccer tournament at the 2012 London Olympics even without the backing of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the …