Olympic Soccer 2016: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Thursday Match Times
You don't have to wait until after the 2016 Summer Olympic Games' opening ceremonies on Friday to start mainlining all the sports action from Rio de Janeiro.
Olympic soccer is already underway in Brazil, providing fans around the world with a nice buildup to the official start of the competition.
Wednesday saw the women's soccer tournament kick off, with France, Germany and Brazil turning in especially strong performances. On Thursday, there's a full slate of action in the men's tournament. Sixteen teams are competing for medals at these Games.
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Here's a look at the TV viewing info for Thursday's group-stage offerings. For those live-streaming, head over to NBC Olympics to catch the action.
| 12 p.m. | Iraq vs. Denmark | A | NBC Sports Network |
| 2 p.m. | Honduras vs. Algeria | D | USA |
| 3 p.m. | Brazil vs. South Africa | A | NBC Sports Network |
| 4 p.m. | Mexico vs. Germany | C | USA |
| 5 p.m. | Portugal vs. Argentina | D | NBC Sports Network |
| 6 p.m. | Sweden vs. Colombia | B | USA |
| 7 p.m. | Fiji vs. South Korea | C | NBC Sports Network |
| 9 p.m. | Nigeria vs. Japan | B | NBC Sports Network |
Though the Brazilians are used to covering themselves in glory at major soccer competitions, the men's team has yet to win Olympic gold. A triumph in Rio de Janeiro would do well to placate the fans who have watched the national team's form suffer—at least compared to the squad's usual lofty standards—ever since that embarrassing 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup.
“We know how important this medal is,” Neymar said, per USA Today's Martin Rodgers. “We will do everything we can to try to win it.”
As Brazil's talismanic forward, Neymar will be crucial to the team's success at the 2016 Olympics. Following a successful campaign at club level with Barcelona, Neymar is by far the most dangerous player in the men's tournament.
Germany is in the tournament and has brought along the talented brothers Lars and Sven Bender to add some punch to its Olympic roster, but even then, Die Mannschaft aren't quite the collection of creative and technically proficient boogeymen Brazil saw at the most recent World Cup.
Though it's tempting to focus on the recognizable veterans stars each team is towing along—each team can pick up to three players over the age of 23—the Olympics is a time for the youngsters to shine.
Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell compiled a list of 20 young players to keep an eye on, one of the more intriguing being Japan's Takuma Asano, who recently signed with Arsenal.
"Arsene Wenger saw enough in Asano to buy him earlier this summer," Bushnell said. "Maybe Wenger thinks he’s the solution to Arsenal’s striker problems? Probably not, but given the Arsenal move, Asano is probably worth keeping an eye on in Brazil."
The 21-year-old forward is making the move to north London after three strong seasons with Sanfrecce Hiroshima of the J1 League (the top league in Japan). His move to Arsenal was one of the more intriguing deals of the summer, and the Olympics should serve as something of a global introduction before the upcoming Premier League campaign.
In a strange bit of news, it appears Nigeria had issues with its original flight from Atlanta to Brazil and will be a bit late to the competition. Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh reported the details:
That's certainly cutting it close and probably had some fans worried unforeseen delays could put the team in danger of missing the match against Japan altogether. However, several hours later, Udoh had picture proof of the Super Eagles getting on their way to Brazil:
The two minnows in the tournament are by far Iraq and Fiji, ranked 99th and 187th in FIFA's world rankings respectively. This is the first time Fiji has ever qualified for the Olympics, while Iraq did well to finish fourth at the 2004 Games in Athens.
ESPN FC noted Iraq left back Dhurgham Ismail as one to keep an eye on: "Dhurgham Ismail is only 21 yet has already established himself as one of the top left-backs in Asia, though he is also comfortable playing further up the pitch. Standout performances defending and going forward at the 2015 Asian Cup with the senior team helped broker a deal with Turkey team Rizespor."
Though the focus on youth players might help to close down the talent gap between Iraq, Fiji and the rest of the field, it's difficult to imagine them making too much of an impact at the Olympics.
Iraq will find it tough to make it out of a group that features host Brazil and Denmark, while just about any positive results for Fiji would come as a surprise, though perhaps a welcome one for those looking for an underdog at this year's Olympics.
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