Romario, the star of Brazil's World Cup championship in 1994, won't be making an encore at the Olympics.
That probably won't help the rest of the field, because the Brazilians are still loaded as they seek their first Olympic gold.The United States is an outsider in the competition, which primarily is limited to players under 23. The tournament features first-round games at Birmingham, Ala.; Miami; Orlando, Fla.; and Washington. The medal round will be at Athens, Ga.
The absence of the high-scoring Romario is a measure of the depth of new talent that makes Brazil the favorite.
"The order is to bring back the only title that Brazilian soccer doesn't have," said Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian Soccer Confederation.
To do it, Brazil boasts an exceptionally skilled and versatile generation of players ideally suited to the Olympic regulation, which allows each team just three players over 23.
"The variety of talent gives us a million alternatives with this group," said Mario Zagallo, coach of both the national and Olympic teams.
Only two starters from the 1994 World Cup team were picked as wild cards: veteran forward Bebeto and defender Aldair. The third over-23 spot went to Rivaldo, a gifted playmaker and scorer from the Palmeiras club, whom Zagallo calls the best player in the country.
As usual with Brazilian teams, the attack is its strong suit.
Bebeto, 32, remains at the top of his game. Replacing Romario will be 19-year-old Ronaldinho, who proved his recovery from knee surgery with a strong showing in Brazil's 3-1 victory over Poland in an exhibition game June 26.
But many, including Zagallo, say the player to watch is Savio, a quick forward on Flamengo.
The midfield also is deep in talent. Rivaldo divides playmaking chores with Juninho, who stars for Middlesbrough in England's Premier League.
The defense, however, makes Brazil fans somewhat nervous.
On the left side, Roberto Carlos earned the starting berth more for his booming left-footed shot than for his defense. Ze Maria on the right has played unevenly for months, but has no challengers for the spot.
Aldair, 30, still anchors the line, but Zagallo hasn't found a second defender to match his skills. Ronaldo and Narciso, both last-minute additions to the roster, will compete for the spot, but neither has inspired confidence.
That could mean extra work for Dida, the 6-foot-5 goalkeeper.
Zagallo knows there is still work to be done. Still, Zagallo these days is smiling a lot. Undefeated in exhibition play, he has revived the "art soccer" of Brazil's best teams and achieved a rare consensus of approval among fans.
And he knows how to win. Not even Pele can boast Zagallo's four World Cup titles: as a player in 1958 and 1962, as coach in 1970, and as coordinator in 1994.
Also in Brazil's group are Japan, Hungary and Nigeria.
The United States has a difficult group, joining Argentina, Portugal and Tunisia. The Argentines won the Pan American Games last year as a tuneup for the Olympics and have experience on the international level for such a young squad. Midfielder Diego Simone and defenders Jose Chamot and Roberto Sensini are Argentina's over-23 players.
Despite the unenviable competition, U.S. coach Bruce Arena is confident the hosts will get beyond the first round for the first time in Olympic soccer.
"We have the best 18 players available and the two finest goalkeepers in America on the squad," Arena said. "I'm not an oddsmaker, but I am very optimistic."
The Americans flopped at the Pan Am Games and have been inconsistent throughout their pre-Olympic performances. But they've played better recently following the addition of three players from the national team who have World Cup experience: defender Alexi Lalas, goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Claudio Reyna.
Australia, France, Saudi Arabia and Spain are in Group B; Italy, Ghana, Mexico and South Korea are in Group C.
Italy, which won the European under-21 title, is using goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca - its 1994 World Cup starter - midfielder Massimo Crippa and forward Marco Branca as its wild cards.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SOCCER
Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga., and several other cities
MOVING THE BALL
Trapping: Relaxed body absorbs impact of ball.
Chest trap
Thigh trap
Foot trap
Heading: Hit ball with forehead. Keep eyes open.
Throw-in: From out-of-bounds, hands are used to throw ball over head using body-whip motion. Feet must stay on ground.
Dribbling: Player nudges ball with inside or outside of feet, keeping ball within stride for control. Dribble should be part of natural running style. Don't look at ball, look for teammates and defenders.
BASICS
- The object of the game is to get the ball into the net using any part of the body except hands and arms.
- Goal counts one point.
- Teams have 11 players.
- Each team is allowed only two substitutions.
- Game is two 45-minute halves with no formal timeouts.
- Injury time may be added to end of game.
BALL: Leather. Weight 14-16 oz. inflated. Black and white color allows players to judge ball's spin and speed.
SHOES: Lightweight with interchangeable studs for different field conditions.
KICKING
Controlling the direction of the ball.
- Ball goes straight and stays low. Used for accurate passing.
- Ball goes straight and rises.
POSITIONS
Goalie: Guards goal. Allowed to use hands.
Fullbacks: Four or five defenders that stop offensive players from shooting at goal.
Halfbacks (midfielders): Two to four players. Play both offensively and defensively.
Forwards (wings, stikers): Two to four players responsible for scoring goals.
Standard offensive alignment: Four fullbacks, two forwards, four halfbacks.
PASSING
Passer anticipates receiver's movement, kicking ball ahead to meet receiver as he runs.
OFFSIDE PENALTY
If player receiving pass is on opponents' half of field and is closer to the goal than two opponents (including goalie), he is offsides.
1992 GOLD - SPAIN
WHO TO WATCH
Soccer grows more popular every year, and the U.S. program got a big boost this year with the debut of Major League Soccer. But U.S. men are playing catch-up to the rest of the world, particularly Brazil, Italy and Spain.
Meanwhile, the U.S. women have been pummeling their international competitors. They're expected to medal, in this first Olympics and quite possibly, that medal will be gold.
FOULS
A penalty kick is given when foul occurs within penalty area. Designated player takes one shot on goal from 12 yards away. Fouls include use of hands, offensive charging, kicking, tripping, unsportsmanlike conduct. Referees use yellow cards to caution player for serious foul. Two yellow cards against some player means ejection.
Red card means flagrant foul and immediate ejection.
TELEVISION
NBC coverage is subject to change.
Saturday, Aug. 3
- Men's final, 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m.
- FIELD
- 80 yards by 110 yards
- Penalty kick encroachment line
- Corner area
- Penalty area
- Goalie area
- Goal
A collaboration of The Associated Press; El Periodico, Barcelona; El Mundo, Madrid
Sources: The U.S. Soccer Federation, Summer Games Access, Barcelona and Atlanta organizing committees, Eyewitness Books Sports, The Basic Soccer Guide