On a related issue. What's the status with any British football teams playing in the 2012 Olympics? I know that there's a lot of wailing and knashing of teeth about a unified British team, but are you all really going to allow an Olympics in Britain to go by without playing in the football?

Yes, it will be really interesting to see what happens. The Brits will look like stuck up prats if they don't enter a team in their own olympic football tournament. On the other hand, if they do enter one, there will be so much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over the supposed implications, that you will never hear the end of it....

If the home associations are that precious about not having a "unified" GB team at 2012, then there should be a home international series, with the winning country "representing" Britain at the games. That would only be the same as what happens in some other sports, where various "teams" compete in qualifiers with only one eventually representing the country (doubles pairs in badminton, for example).

A home international championship in the summer of 2011 could be quite a crowd-puller, as well, I reckon.

oh god, imagine the outcry if england didn't actually win the home championship.

Indeed and the GB team will be playing in Half-empty stadiums.

I think it would be an especially big crock of shit if they can't come to some accomodation for the women. Olympic men's football is a nice two-week U-23 tournament, but the players have a of other great competitions to play for in their careers, both at the club and international level.

For the women, Olympic Gold is a very big prize, possibly bigger than the World Cup, and certainly more important than any club competition going on these days.

C'mon USA, just a few more minutes...

Germany has won bronze for the third consecutive time. Given that they're World Champions, this must be fairly frustrating.

Rodriguez hits the post...

Brazil hit the side netting in the 31st minute of extra time!

And it's all over--gold for the US. Good for Hope Solo--shutting out Brazil in the gold medal game.

I'm very pleased for Hope Solo. She was treated so poorly by USS and her teammates after the World Cup. The article about her in SI made me angry. These are supposed to be professional athletes and a lot of them behaved like a junior high school clique.

It sounds like it was a fantastic match, but NBC is showing the replay at 2 am tonight. WTF?

Great day for USA soccer. Last night's win in Guatemala and now this.

Brazil 2-0 up in the bronze medal match.

35 mins gone and Nigeria is bossing this game.
Argentina's only tactic is to get the ball to Messi who is running towards goal and diving.

Nigeria are missing chances that they have put away in other games.
It Kicked off midday in China, what ridiculous scheduling by the organisers.

Come on Siasia, time to put on Ogbuke.
1-0 to Argentina.

Messi is starting to carve your boys up, TG.

Quite a finish from Di Maria for the goal.

FIVE minutes of time added on??