Shocker

[akbar]

#3 ranked Host Brazil draws 0-0 tie to #103 ranked Iraq in Men's soccer.

Brazil has had 40+ shots and zero goals in two matches. Booed by home crowd.


Ouch!

......and I thought I was frustrated earlier today. Small potatoes.

[Gilmoy]

- Venus and Serena lost in doubles
- #1 Djokovic lost in singles (del Potro)
- #1 Massialas (men's foil) trailed his QF 8-14, won 15-14 ... then lost in the final
- bike crashes

The rowing regatta has been fouled (pushed back 1 full day) by strong wind gusts. Of all Rio problems we expected, that probably wasn't one.

[Wolfgang]

I haven't followed international soccer since the 2014 World Cup. I got the sense that Brazil was shell-shocked after the 7-1 annihilation by Germany. They were even booed by their home crowd during and after that match.

[Gilmoy]

Totally different teams. Olympic mso is U-23 with 3 overage ringers (including Neymar, but heck he might still be a U-23).

Brasil's U-23 Olympic teams have unfair expectations. They've never won it, they've lost to Mexico (London'12), they're Brasil, they must win pretty (it's not good enough to just win), they're still just kids, they play with their hero/idol Neymar and all they see in his eyes is frustration (with them), etc. etc. etc. Then there's the fear-of-losing and taking the flight home, knowing that exactly nobody will be at the airport waiting for them. Kind of like USA's last all-collegiate int'l mbb team after they got crushed by Argentina(?) in the Pan Ams way back when, but much much worse.

Brasil psych themselves out. Playing at home doesn't help -- their own fans are fickle and harsh.

[akbar]

Brazil team sports are struggling a little in their pool plays it seems.

The pressure internal/external has got to be huge.

[postitagain2]

I remember the Atlanta Olympics story line that featured USA women and how well they performed. I think USA women at this Olympics will be off the charts. They are just kicking butt. (Aside from tennis.)

The USA team is made up of 53% female athletes. I wonder if this is the first time there are more women than men? There is a long way to go and events like track & field that haven't even started, but our women are performing and getting it done. It started with a teenager beating two Chinese in a women's rifle competition that the Chinese have dominated for years and USA got the gold

Keep it rolling ladies!

[akbar]

Aug 8, 2016 15:21:53 GMT -5 akbar said:

Brazil team sports are struggling a little in their pool plays it seems.

The pressure internal/external has got to be huge.

Brazil women's soccer and now volleyball crash and burn!

[akbar]

So the women's 4x100 gets disqualified today for a handoff problem....eliminated from finals.


Hold on. Appeal and tape review showed that Feliz was bumped by Brazilian sprinter while handing off to Gardner.

Change of fortune. Brazil gets disqualified instead and Americans will get a solo rerun at 6pm.

Wow.