Olympic Soccer Bracket 2012: Dark-Horse Teams Ready to Impress Early

Few sporting events seem to work out for the underdogs quite like the Olympics. 

It seems no Summer Games can go by without an awe-inspiring story or unbelievable journey captivating the attention of the global audience. 

This is particularly true when incorporated into the international soccer landscape, where players regularly carry the hopes of their home country on their shoulders as they enter competition. 

This dynamic makes for exciting matches and great storylines to emerge. Here are four teams poised to be the subject of them. 

Men: Egypt

Simply put, no team has been looking forward to being on the pitch more than Egypt.

After a riot following an Egyptian League match in February left over 70 people dead, the country's club season was suspended, keeping 16 of the 18 Egyptian national players off the field for the past several months.

This hindered the team's ability to prepare for the London Games, it and forced them to play friendlies in Uruguay and France until national soccer authorities determined they could host closed-door matches.

Beyond the soccer controversy, the country is in the middle of political turmoil with the upheaval of President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's head coach Hany Ramzy told BusinessWeek:

"

We don’t talk about politics because it’s kind of confusing. I keep my players away from all this old regime, new regime stuff...We have to show the entire world that we’re still alive...We have some young guys that really love this country and this gives us a big motivation to play in London.

"

They may seem like a sinking ship, but the Olympic Games always seem to have a knack for seeing the best stories emerge victorious, and Egypt advancing to bracket play would be just that. 

Men: Japan

Group D may very well be the toughest pool in Olympic men's play. 

After Spain, the pool is wide open with Japan, Honduras and Morocco all vying for the other advancing spot.

The 2012 London Games marks the fourth consecutive Olympic appearance for Japan. In qualifying, Japan dominated the Asia region, scoring 17 goals and only ceding six in eight games while going 7-1. 

Japan might catch a break in their first game against Spain. In the 2012 Euros, Spain played a risk-averse opening game against Italy and seemed content to open the tournament with a draw. While no match against Spain will be easy, getting them first might help Japan steal a point in a draw.

Women: North Korea

Entering the 2012 London Games, the North Korean women's national team was given odds of 25/1. 

They may be a bit of a long shot to bring home the gold, but with their 2-0 win over Colombia yesterday, they have a solid chance at advancing to bracket play. 

In the women's competition, in addition to each pool's first- and second-place finishers, the two third-place finishers with the highest point totals advance to elimination play. 

Assuming Columbia loses their matches against powers France and U.S.A., North Korea's first match win might be enough to help them advance. Once a team is in single elimination play, anything is possible. 

Women: Canada

Canada was dealt a tough draw being stuck in the same pool as Japan (5/1 odds) and Sweden (9/1 odds), especially given they had to open the Olympics against the 2011 World Cup champions. 

The opening-game loss to Japan hurt Canada, but it shouldn't prove to be a fatal setback. The Canadian women played one of the tournament favorites tight, but they could not overcome Japan's two first-half goals. 

Their match against Sweden should be equally difficult, but if Canada can squeak out a draw, and take care of business against South Africa, they should be bracket bound.

After the U.S., Brazil and Japan, the women's field is fairly open, so a seasoned team like Canada could easily make a run once they qualify.