Olympic Soccer Live Stream: Viewing Info for Weekend's Most Exciting Matches
The opening ceremony is over, and the 2012 Summer Olympics are officially under way, even though the football tournament has already begun.
The first round of games featured plenty of drama and upsets, but it is difficult to tell a team’s true form by its performance in the opener. After the second game, the contenders will start to separate themselves.
The women will play on Saturday, July 28, and the men will take the pitch on Sunday, July 29.
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Here is how to catch all the action for the weekend’s best matchups online, with all live streams courtesy of NBCOlympics.com.
Women’s Matches
Japan vs. Sweden
Time: Saturday, 6:50 a.m. ET
Japan is the reigning World Cup champions and the No. 3 ranked team in the world, while Sweden sits at No. 4.
These two teams clashed on June 20 in an exhibition tournament hosted by Sweden, and Japan squeaked by with a 1-0 win.
Both teams opened up the Olympics with wins, showing they are poised to win a medal. Japan defeated Canada 2-1, and Sweden routed South Africa 4-1.
This will easily be the most competitive match of the weekend in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
United States vs. Columbia
Time: 11:50 a.m. ET
The United States women are the biggest attraction of the tournament in London.
They are the top-ranked team in the world and are shooting for their third consecutive gold medal. Their quest will be fueled by a loss in penalty kicks to Japan at last year’s World Cup.
The team turned in a gutsy performance in the opening match. The Americans gave up two quick goals to France, but then delivered four unanswered strikes and won the match 4-2.
That match will give the team momentum going forward and a convincing victory against the 28th ranked Columbians will keep the ball rolling.
Men’s Matches
Brazil vs. Belarus
Time: 10 a.m. ET
There are no tasty matchups in the second round of men’s games, but Sunday’s action will offer another chance to see more of the favorites.
Joga bonito will certainly be on display throughout the tournament as the talented Brazilians try to win their country’s first gold medal in soccer.
With a host of dynamic attacking players led by 19-year-old Neymar, Brazil is a fascinating team to watch. They proved to be extremely dangerous, scoring three goals in the first 30 minutes against Egypt.
The team will try to continue its dominance in the attacking third against Belarus, which defeated New Zealand 1-0 in their opening match. This match may not be closely contested, but watching Brazil play is always a treat.
Spain vs. Honduras
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Spain is the other favorite to win the men’s tournament, but they certainly did not show this in their first match.
The team failed to hit the back of the net and lost 1-0 to Japan. Now, the Spaniards must rebound and get three points against Honduras.
The Hondurans tied 2-2 Morocco in a wild game and could spoil Spain’s defense of their gold medal.
This is the match in which Spain must earn their status as one of the top teams in the tournament. In all likelihood, they will be more aggressive and score multiple goals, which will be worth watching.
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