Olympic Soccer Schedule 2012: When to Watch Men's Gold- and Bronze-Medal Matches

The Olympic soccer tournament has featured plenty of surprises. From Spain losing to Honduras and getting eliminated in the group stage to an upstart Mexico squad making a run all the way to the gold-medal match, there has been plenty of unpredictability.

One thing just about everybody did predict before the tournament was Brazil's likely presence in the final. The South American nation's team didn't disappoint, clearly asserting itself as the favorite en route to the final.

With that in mind, let's take a look at both the gold- and bronze-medal matches and make predictions for how each of the anticipated games will turn out.

Bronze-Medal Match: South Korea vs. Japan (Aug. 10 at 2:45 p.m. ET on MSNBC)

South Korea caused a lot of disappointment in the host nation when it knocked Great Britain out of the tournament in the quarterfinals. The Taegeuk Warriors weren't able to carry that momentum into the semifinals, however, getting beat 3-0 by Brazil.

The team's usually reliable back line, which was no match for the Brazilian attack, must get back on the same page quickly.

Striker Park Chu-Young will need to carry the load up front. He's the most experienced player on the squad but has just one goal so far.

Much like Korea, Japan relies first and foremost on strong defending. The Japanese squad didn't allow a single goal in its first four matches, before Mexico was finally able to expose some weaknesses in the semifinals with three goals.

As long as the defense returns to form, Kensuke Nagai will be the key factor in the match. The 23-year-old rising star already has two game-winning goals in the tournament, and Japan will need him to step up one more time to win bronze.

This should be a really close match. It wouldn't be a surprise to see it go to extra time and potentially even penalty kicks.

Ultimately, I expect Japan to pull out the victory.

Prediction: Japan 1, South Korea 0

Gold-Medal Match: Brazil vs. Mexico (Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network)

Brazil has been the most dominant team in the event, and it hasn't even been close. The Brazilians have scored three goals in every match, illustrating that their attack simply has too much star power to get slowed down by under-23 back lines.

The combination of Neymar and Leandro Damiao has been virtually unstoppable, scoring nine goals.

Brazil plays an extremely aggressive style, which leaves some holes on the counterattack, but opponents haven't been able to capitalize.

It's the one area in which Mexico will need to excel if it plans on pulling off the upset.

El Tri began the tournament with a lackluster scoreless draw against South Korea, but have since rattled off four straight victories to reach the final.

One factor working in Mexico's favor is a lack of pressure. Since Brazil is considered the heavy favorite to take home gold, the Mexicans can assume the underdog role and play freely. Combined with a balanced attack, that makes them a dangerous foe for Brazil.

That said, I still lean toward Brazil in the gold-medal match. The amount of firepower the Brazilians have up front makes it incredibly difficult to slow them down for 90 minutes and should be enough to earn them a narrow win.

Prediction: Brazil 2, Mexico 1