1 Neymar shed tears of joy after delivering soccer gold medal with the winning penalty in a 5-4 shootout triumph over Germany after a thrilling final ended in a draw following extra-time on Saturday.
2 Empty seats have been as ubiquitous at the Rio Olympics venues as Brazilian flags and yellow soccer kits; the organizers donated a massive amount of tickets to less-populated events to underprivileged children even makes things worse.
3 Beckham's cultural clout, combined with his valuable (if diminished) presence on the soccer field, raised the profile of MLS.
4 New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco previously paid host to their own Beckham statues, which showcased the soccer star in his skivvies.
5 He joined an Indonesian Boy Scout troop and played soccer, which would not become popular in the United States until years later.
6 FIFA is the governing body of world soccer.
7 After more enquiries, a devout soccer fan gave me a selection to read.
8 For some people soccer has a reputation as a rather namby-pamby sport.
9 It's rude to spit in public except soccer players.