Given that IOC rules dictate that only three players over 23 years old can be named to each squad in the men's Olympic football tournament, it comes to no surprise that largely untested teams will fight for the gold in Rio come August.

Still, Brazil have managed to cause some shock: alongside Neymar and Douglas Costa, manager Rogerio Micale chose to complete his wild-card pack with a 37-year-old goalkeeper who has never been capped at the international level. Palmeiras' number one, Fernando Prass, was a shocking choice but also rekindled the debate concerning the lack of unquestionable names between the posts for the Selecao.

Of the 18 players named by Micale, 12 play in Brazil, and some of them are not totally unknown to neutral audiences, with Santos' striker Gabriel and Gremio forward Luan being the biggest examples. But it would have taken the most enthusiastic gambler and Palmeiras fan to take a punt on their charismatic goalie getting the nod.

Prass is not only a journeyman, with six clubs on his CV and a discrete career abroad with 81 games for modest Portuguese side Uniao Leiria. He is also a member of Bom Senso F.C., the player-led movement that became famous for its vocal support for changes in Brazilian football and that grabbed international headlines with "sit-ins" before matches in the Campeonato Brasileiro a couple of years ago.

It gets better: Prass' name was leaked by the Brazilian press last week as a possible reserve in a 35-player list sent to the IOC, which also included the names of Thiago Silva and Willian. Micale and his staff thought the player could step up in case Benfica decided to make Ederson's release difficult -- just like the recent Copa America, the Olympics is not part a tournament with which clubs must comply.

As a matter of fact, this technicality could cause more changes to Micale's roster: Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, one of the three defenders picked for the Olympics, still hasn't been given a full green light to go by the French club and there's still talk that Lazio might refuse to let midfielder Felipe Anderson travel. At least Barcelona were willing to play ball not only by releasing Neymar in exchange for his withdrawal from the Copa America, but also by allowing Rafinha Alcantara to wear the Selecao shirt at Rio 2016.

Of course, the manager would never admit such a thing in the case of his choice for the No. 1 shirt.

"[Prass is] an experienced player who is a leader at his club and his form has been great," says Micale, who also referred to Prass' interesting record in penalty shoot-outs as a reason to have the Palmeiras man on board. "Fernando is a player always willing to win,"

Still, Brazil are gearing up for their home Olympics with perhaps one of their most humble squads since the "law of 23" took over. Having failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympics -- the first games in which FIFA and the IOC reached a gentlemen's agreement to avoid a mini-World Cup stealing the thunder from the main event -- Brazil came back in 1996 with a squad in which Dida, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Juninho were all eligible in terms of age: Rivaldo, Aldair and Bebeto were the wild cards.

Four years later, Ronaldinho and Lucio were at hand. Ronaldinho also took part in Brazil's next Olympic campaign (Beijing 2008) alongside Thiago Silva, Hernanes, Marcelo, Anderson, Lucas Leiva, Alexandre Pato and Ramires. In London 2012, the Selecao had Neymar, Oscar and Silva.

You could argue that none of these stronger sides managed to break what surely looks to be one of the last remaining curses in world sport: Brazil have thrice finished with a silver medal and twice settled for bronze. But while it's inevitable to think that their squad this time looks less robust, they have been given an amazing helping hand by the draw: Brazil will face South Africa, Iraq and Denmark in the group stage and have been kept away from Germany, Mexico, Portugal or Argentina (arguably the other candidates for a podium finish in Rio) until at least the semifinals.

Maybe this could be the proverbial blessing in disguise. A lack of massive public expectations have served Brazil well in the past. The problem is that since the defeat to Mexico in the London final, the Rio games have been heavily touted as Brazil's best chance to win the only thing missing from their impressive trophy collection. As we saw at the 2014 World Cup, that kind of pressure didn't really help the Selecao at all.

It's true that competition in the Olympic tournament is far from the toughness of an "adult" tournament, but Brazil's most recent results will certainly make opponents feel they can give them a proper game. Especially with a curse hanging in the background.

Brazil Olympic team

Goalkeepers: Fernando Prass (Palmeiras), Uilson (Atletico-MG)

Defenders: Luan (Vasco), Rodrigo Caio (Sao Paulo), Marquinhos (PSG), Douglas Santos (Atletico-MG), Zeca (Santos), Willian (Internacional)

Midfielders: Rafinha (Barcelona), Rodrigo Dourado (Internacional), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Thiago Maia (Santos), Felipe Anderson (Lazio)

Forwards: Neymar (Barcelona), Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich), Gabriel Barbosa (Santos), Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras), Luan (Gremio)

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Fernando Duarte

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]