Mexico vs. Brazil: 5 Candidates to Be the Hero of Olympic Gold Medal Match

Mexico meets Brazil on Saturday morning in the men’s Olympic gold football match.  Mexico is in search of their first ever Olympic football medal of any kind, while Brazil hopes to atone for a history of Olympic underachievement.

The match promises to be a contrast of styles, with Brazil playing with greater abandon, in that rhythmic, free-flowing style of theirs that has come to embody “jogo bonito.”  Mexico employs a more cautious approach and are likely to pick their spots in testing the Brazilian defense.

Each team features world class players capable of changing their side’s fortune at a moment’s notice, but here, in no particular order, are five candidates to be the hero in the gold-medal match.

Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura

The new Paris-St. Germain player settled on the £45 bid by the French club, despite an intense attempt to sign him by Manchester United.  With his professional concerns quieted for the moment, Lucas may finally be able to focus on just playing the game. 

If that were to be the case, then Mexico would have one more cause for concern given his prodigious talent.  An in-form Lucas just may make Brazil’s coronation a foregone conclusion.

Marco Fabian

Marco Fabián

Fabian has had a relatively quiet Olympic games thus far, but one senses that he is poised for a breakout performance.  The Chivas midfielder was the top scorer at both the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the 2012 Toulon Tournament. 

Having scored Mexico’s equalizing goal in the semifinal win versus Japan, fans of El Tri will hope for Fabián to continue his form.

Leandro Damiao

Leandro Damiao

Playing, in essence, for a huge contract, the Internacional Brazil forward has attracted interest from a number of clubs, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.  Having scored six of Brazil’s 15 goals, Leandro is the tournament’s leading goal scorer, and one can reasonably expect that he will continue his fine form in the final against Mexico.

Jose Corona

Jose Corona

The Cruz Azul custodian began his Olympics with three straight shutouts and did not concede a goal until conceding two to Senegal in the quarterfinals.  He conceded Japan’s opening tally in the semifinal game, but made several spectacular saves to preserve the win for El Tri. 

If Mexico is to have any chance at a gold medal, Corona will have to have the game of his career, for as solid as the Mexican defense has been, they have yet to face a challenge as stern as the one presented by Brazil and its coterie of attacking players.

Neymar

Neymar

He has consistently drawn the focus of opposing defenses in the tournament to date, routinely drawing two defenders every time he touches the ball. He’s equally a danger to score as he is to pass and create for others, as exemplified by his three goals and many assists.  Saturday’s match promises to be no different.