(18 July 1996)
Argentina, one of the favorites to win the gold medal in men's Olympic football, will receive an immediate test from the United States in Saturday's Group A competition, first round match. The contest will be one of four matches being played during the opening day of the 1996 Olympic Games.
The Argentina-U.S. matchup will be played at famed Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. Earlier in the day, Portugal will face Tunisia in a Group A afternoon meeting at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. Group B will find Spain, the defending Olympic Champions, and Saudi Arabia battling each other in the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, while France and Australia meet at the Orange Bowl in Miami for early evening contests.
Brazil, another solid gold medal favorite, opens against Japan in four additional first round matches on 21 July. A field of 16 teams will compete in the men's Olympic tournament.
On the women's side, Norway and the United States will vie for gold in the eight-team tournament setting. The two teams begin play on 21 July as Norway, last year's World Cup Champions, opens against Brazil in Washington, D.C. The United States, which captured the inaugural women's world title in 1991, will face Denmark in Orlando.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta
Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.
Written by Mike Mead.