Before moving on from the Olympics, shall we have a look at some goals? It would be rude not to...

Image source, Getty Images

A final word from US football writer Meg Linehan on the pressure Emma Hayes can expect to face as head coach of the US Women's National Team:

"Externally, I think the pressure is always on the US Women's National Team to win everything that they are in, but I get the sense that the team is just really looking to figure out where it's at," Linehan told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"This is not the same team that even went to the World Cup a year ago and had it's earliest exit in the round of 16. They have said that they have put that behind them.

"There is this sense that they still very much want to win but this is about development, growing into this tournament and about figuring it out with each other.

"So, I think the level of expectations are trying to be taken off the team, internally."

Here is a full list of the matches taking place today in the women's Olympic football tournament:

Group A

Canada v New Zealand (16:00)

France v Colombia (20:00)

Group B

Germany v Australia (18:00)

USA v Zambia (20:00)

Group C

Spain v Japan (16:00)

Nigeria v Brazil (18:00)

The top two teams in each of the three groups will qualify for the knockout stages, along with the two best third-placed teams. Group matches will end on 31 July, before the quarter-finals on 3 August, semi-finals on 6 August, bronze-medal match on 9 August and the final on 10 August.

The women's Olympic football tournament begins today and you can follow along on the BBC.

For live text coverage of the matches, follow this link

Watch Spain v Japan from 16:05 BST on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online & BBC Red Button.

Image source, Getty Images

United States football journalist Meg Linehan, from the Athletic, told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast that the USA's new head coach Emma Hayes had a "good relationship brewing" with the United States players:

"She has coached four friendlies with the US so she has had a little bit of time, but this is going to be the first tournament and tournaments are always different," said Linehan, who is covering the football tournaments at the Olympic Games in France.

"So there is a sense that this is something new, this is a team looking to find its identity under Emma Hayes as head coach, but generally the vibe coming from players is that they all very much like here.

"They all say, when you ask them what they have learned so far under Emma Hayes, 'so much I can't even put it into words'.

"So it seems to be a pretty good relationship brewing so far."

Image source, Getty Images

While Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Canada have earned publicity for all the wrong reasons in the lead up to the Paris Games, former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes will be hoping for some positive media attention as she prepares to lead the United States Women's National Team in a first competitive match.

The United States are looking for a fifth Olympic title of the modern era, after winning gold at the Games in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

Hayes took over as head coach in the summer after leading Chelsea to a seventh WSL title.

The USWNT open their Olympic campaign against Zambia (20:00 BST), and will also face Germany and Australia in Group B.

A French court said today that Joseph Lombardi - described by the Canada Olympic Committee as an "unaccredited analyst", who had been working with the women's football team - had been handed an eight-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to flying a drone in an urban area without a licence.

Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, assistant to Canada head coach Beverly Priestman, were sent home from the Canada women's camp on Monday, the COC announced.

Fifa said it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer, Priestman, Lombardi and Mander.

Canada head coach Beverly Priestman says she takes responsibility for the actions of her colleagues following the drone incident after she was "voluntarily withdrawn" from today's match against New Zealand.

"I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for,” Priestman said.

“I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program."

"The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed," it wrote in a statement., external

"We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee."

The New Zealand Olympic Committee said it has "formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review", adding: "The NZOC and New Zealand Football are committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games and are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident."

Ian in the West Country

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

United States football journalist Meg Linehan, from the Athletic, discussed the drone incident on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast:

"There is something about that city [Saint Etienne] and the Olympics right now," she said, referring to the drone incident, as well as the chaotic scenes in Morocco's win over Argentina in the men's tournament.

"It is just a wild story. Canada are defending gold medallists from Tokyo. New Zealand are ranked 28th in the world, so just from that point of view it hasn't really made sense.

"[Canada's] Beverly Priestman has had to stand up and say, first of all, 'I am accountable for everyone in this programme as head coach', but I think there are going to be questions about what she knew and how much she knew.

"So far she has said 'I did not know the details of this, I did not know what was happening'.

"Canada's Olympic Committee got on Zoom last night to say they were pretty satisfied with what has happened after she removed herself from the first game.

"But this goes beyond anything we have ever seen before in the women's game."

Image source, Getty Images

Canada women's football manager Beverly Priestman will not take charge of her side's Olympics opener against New Zealand after two members of her backroom staff were sent home for allegedly flying a drone over the Kiwis' team training session.

Priestman, 38, has "voluntarily withdrawn" from Thursday's match in St Etienne (kick-off 16:00 BST) after the New Zealand Olympic Committee reported that a drone had been flown over their training session on Monday.

Jasmine Mander, Priestman's assistant, has been sent home along with "unaccredited analyst" Joseph Lombardi.

Fifa said it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer, Priestman, Lombardi and Mander.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) say a scouting report filed by Lombardi was sent to Mander.

The COC confirmed on Wednesday that a "non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team" was detained by authorities.

Read more here.

The chaotic opening to the men's Olympic tournament followed a remarkable story on the eve of the women's competition, which unfolded at Canada's training base, also in Saint Etienne...

Here's how the events unfolded as Morocco beat Argentina in the opening match of the men's Olympic tournament in Saint Etienne:

• Immediately after Argentina's Cristian Medina looked to have made it 2-2, a number of cups and bottles were thrown at the celebrating Argentina side before what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff
• A number of fans in Morocco colours also ran on to the pitch, with some being escorted off the pitch by stewards
• Riot police moved to the side of the pitch and the referee took off the players
• Fans were told to leave the ground and a message on a big screen said: "Your session has been suspended please make your way to the nearest exit."
• It was later revealed the final three minutes would be played in an empty stadium with no fans present
• Before the match could be played to a finish, it was announced that Argentina's potential equaliser had actually been ruled out for offside by a video assistant referee decision
• The players, who had gone off the pitch at 16:05 BST, came back to warm up at 17:45 before the match resumed at 18:00 and the final three minutes were played out with no further goals.

Image source, Getty Images

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano described the chaotic ending to his team's 2-1 loss to Morocco in the men's Olympic football tournament as a "disgrace" and "a circus".

"I have not been a coach for long, but never in my career as a player have I seen a situation like that," said Mascherano, who won gold as a player with Argentina in 2004 and 2008.

"It is a circus. But that is how it is. We cannot control it. I told the boys that now we need to look forward, try to get the six points that will allow us to qualify and that all this should fill us with energy and anger for what we have ahead of us."

"It is a disgrace that this should happen and poison the tournament. This wouldn't even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It's pathetic," he added.

"Beyond the Olympic spirit, the organisation needs to be up to standard and at the moment, unfortunately, it is not."

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Michael Emons
BBC Sport

Crowd trouble forced the first football match of the Olympics to be suspended for nearly two hours amid chaotic and worrying scenes, with the game eventually completed in an empty stadium.

Morocco had been 2-0 ahead against Argentina, who pulled a goal back and were pushing for an equaliser. Cristian Medina then appeared to have made it 2-2 in the 16th of what had been 15 scheduled minutes of injury time at the end of the second half.

After the resulting crowd trouble, play finally resumed after a lengthy delay with no fans present, and with VAR having ruled out Argentina's equaliser, Morocco secured a controversial 2-1 victory.

Click here to read the full report.

Right, on to the Olympic football tournament and a wild opening game in the men's competition between Argentina and Morocco...

And remember folks, if you are hungry for more news, views or analysis on any Premier League team, then BBC Sport has a page dedicated to every club.

Just click on this index and then the link to the specific team you are interested in.

Just to mark your card, there is a flurry of pre-season friendlies set to take place over the weekend, with a number of Premier League teams out in the United States, across the UK, Europe or further afield.

But before then, here are a couple of warm-up games taking place over the next two days:

Thursday, 25 July

Benfica v Brentford, Estadio da Luz, Lisbon (20:00)

Friday, 26 July

Leicester v Palermo, SMH Group Stadium (19:00)

• Click here for a full list of pre-season fixtures and results involving Premier League teams.

Chris: RE: David and his appalling bias. Give over! Premier League is rightly the priority. The only bias on show is how much undue coverage Wrexham receives - which is due to its ownership and nothing on the field of play, incidentally! Where are the other 23 League One sides, eh? And did we forget the entire Championship inbetween too? Outrageous!

The reality is we have been concentrating on the four English and Welsh teams who featured in pre-season friendlies overnight in the United States but are moving on from that shortly to the rest of the footballing world, starting with the Olympic tournament currently taking place in Paris...

Simon Stone
BBC Sport in Los Angeles

Image source, USA Today Sports

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber touched on the Premier League when he was asked about football's finances ahead of the All-Star game in Columbus last night.

MLS is sometimes criticised for its spending restrictions.

It is fair to say Garber doesn't think it is much better in Europe.

"There is a lot of instability in international football," he said.

"Premier League teams are for sale and have all sorts of debt issues because their spending isn’t in relation to their revenues.

"You have FFP that is coming in many leagues and Confederations.

"We are not sure that is achieving everything people want."