NEWS » will be joined by Rickie Fowler, Patrick Re

SAO PAULO -- It might be time to put Neymars name back on the Brazilian jersey.After an uninspired start that prompted some fans to replace his name with Martas on the famed No. 10 shirt, Neymar is finally showing why he arrived at the Olympics as one of its biggest stars.Neymar led Brazil to the semifinals of the Olympic soccer tournament with an outstanding performance in the 2-0 win over Colombia on Saturday. He scored a goal and was one of the best players on the field, constantly creating opportunities despite being harassed by Colombian players nearly every time he touched the ball.He took a beating but he still helped the team a lot, Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus said. Everybody knows he is a star. He is crucial for us.Neymar impressed with his talent and his toughness, the type of performance that Brazilian fans had been expecting since the beginning of the Olympics.Neymar gave a very positive response, Brazil Olympic coach Rogerio Micale said. He was provoked almost the entire first half but he didnt let that get to him. He behaved well as the teams captain.The Barcelona player lost his cool once before halftime, committing a hard foul on a Colombian player with a tackle that led to a bench-clearing brawl. The play ignited fans at the Arena Corinthians, but he left himself in danger of being sent off.It was the only thing. He came in harder, just like they were doing, and received the yellow card, Micale said. After that, he kept his calm.Despite being the tournaments top player, Neymar had disappointed in the first two games with Brazil, when the title-favorites were held to scoreless draws by South Africa and Iraq. He was being loudly criticized by fans and local media, who said he lacked leadership and wasnt worth being Brazils captain.A photo of a Brazil jersey with Neymars name scratched off and replaced with Martas name went viral, and supporters heckled him by chanting the womens stars name during games.With the team in danger of another embarrassing home elimination two years after the demoralizing 7-1 loss to Germany at the World Cup, Neymar finally took over in the must-win game against Denmark, setting up two goals in the 4-0 victory.On Saturday, he kept alive Brazils hopes of winning the soccer gold for the first time by scoring from a free kick in the 12th minute. He controlled the pace for Brazil throughout the match despite being provoked by Colombian players.Neymar is very experienced, he helped us a lot, said Luan, who scored the other goal against Colombia in the quarterfinals. He controlled the game and overcame the pressure. He was crucial in our victory.Neymar is only 24 but is one of the teams most experienced players. He skipped the Copa America earlier this year so he could play in the Olympics to try to give Brazil the unprecedented gold, which is the only significant trophy Brazil hasnt won in soccer. Neymar was in the team that lost the 2012 Olympic final to Mexico in London.Brazil will play Honduras in Wednesdays semifinals at the Maracana Stadium, which will be the teams first game in Rio de Janeiro. Germany and Nigeria play the other semifinal match in Sao Paulo.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni Trent Taylor Super Bowl Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. 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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Words seemingly not spoken by many male golfers these days: I cant wait to get to Rio.Bubba Watson typically doesnt follow the script, and the two-time Masters champion certainly has a different view about golfs return to the Olympic Games, which has been met with numerous withdrawals.Cant wait to get there, Watson said Tuesday at Baltusrol Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship this week. Theres two weeks in between, but its pretty exciting, and I want to get there.Watson, 36, said he has been all-in on the Olympics ever since it became apparent that he had a chance to qualify for the United States, which will send four players to Rio de Janeiro in two weeks because all are ranked among the top 15 in the world.At No. 6 in the world, Watson is the top American. He will be joined by Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar, all of whom attended an orientation meeting at Baltusrol on Monday that included former Olympic speed skater Dan Jansen.Hes there to cheer you up and get you excited about it, Waatson said.dddddddddddd But all four of us are pretty passionate about it. Any time you can play and represent your country to that level; obviously we represent our country this week, but to that level, a higher level, its pretty special.Watson said he had hoped to attend the opening ceremonies, but after competing in the PGA Championship this week, he will play next weeks Travelers Championship -- where he is the defending champion -- before heading to South America.My situation is different than everybody elses, Watson said, referring to the Zika virus many have cited as their reason for not going. The virus has been associated with a rise of microcephaly birth defect cases.We adopted our kids and Im not fearful of crime or anything like that, Watson said. So there was no fear at all. It was a go. My wife knew it. She wasnt going to hold me back. I was going to go as long as I made the team. ' ' '