11/21/24
September 29, 2007
Hope Solo Kicked Off Team for Consolation Game: In response to Hope Solo's comments after the Brazil loss, Coach Greg Ryan said the benched goalkeeper won't play in Sunday's third-place World Cup game and won't even be on the bench, in spite of her apologies to the public and her teammates. "We have moved forward with 20 players who have stood by each other, who have battled for each other," said Ryan. "And when the hard times came -- and the Brazil game was a hard time -- they stood strong. Now it's the 20 who have stuck together who will be ready to go out and compete against Norway."
I think everyone realizes (even though it is in hindsight) that Ryan blew this call and cost his team a chance at the championship, but Solo shouldn't have aired her feelings publicly the way she did. There isn't one person who didn't realize it was a terrible coaching move, so keeping her mouth shut, as tough as that is sometimes, would have been the right move. Even after messing up USAs chances, Ryan had no choice but to keep her off the team. It's all too bad. It's a common problem in all sports, when to come to the realization some past-stars are no longer capable of hacking it.
posted by dyams at 08:58 AM on September 29, 2007
I'm a little surprised that more people aren't criticizing Solo for her comments. She said one of her teammates was old and that she was better than her. She should have taken the high road and not said anything. It's a team and you don't throw one of its members under the bus because you are mad that you didn't get to start. If anyone else said this, they would have been slammed (Vanderjagt, TO, and ARod have all made comments that weren't as bad as this and received much more criticism for them.)
posted by bperk at 10:23 AM on September 29, 2007
According to the reporter who got the Solo quotes, she lost her temper when a PR flack for the team practically ordered her not to comment on the way to the bus after the game. Considering that, Ryan and Solo's teammates are being remarkably ungenerous by excluding her from the final game. Instead of putting the incident behind them, it's escalating it. Ryan wouldn't even affirm that Solo's got a future with the team. Can't wait for that clown to get fired.
posted by rcade at 11:19 AM on September 29, 2007
B ack a few years ago(30) I gave up six years of my life for our freedoms one of which is the freedom of speech. now as close as I can tell what was said was not untruthfull and the young lady was not a puppet of the team. more power to her. Now to compound the problem the coach decides that he doesn't want to have the best chance at winning the third place game. Now who it dumb
posted by llm091 at 01:10 PM on September 29, 2007
I believe that everyone here "assumes" that if Solo was the goalie she would've saved all the goal attempts by Brazil. I don't think so! Maybe Coach Ryan should have alternated the goalies in and out, but it's hard to block a goal that was scored by one of your own players. Let us not forget Brazil is a good soccer team. There are a few other points I want to make. First, Solo should have kept her mouth closed. Her comments did more harm than good. By making those comments Solo can't allow a goal or allow a defeat. Second, every person you talk to who is sitting on the bench, from little league up to the professionals, will tell you they should be in there starting. They will convince you if they started that wouldn't have happened to them....yeah right....that's why they have a bench so people like that can sit on it and watch the game. Last point, Hey Solo, do you have a gold metal? I didn't think so. Until then you have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do has already gotten you suspended for the rest of the tournament. I guess you can have a pitty party with your friends and tell them how you would have stopped another goal from happening.
posted by Awwgood at 01:34 PM on September 29, 2007
Oh, fuck off Greg Ryan. Given that your career as team coach ends next week, trying to cover the fact that you've done a shitty job by scapegoating one of your players is just petty. It's especially galling that the man who ignored the old maxim 'don't change a winning team' and dropped the keeper now talks about 'sticking together' and that Solo 'lost the team'. I hate to use gender-loaded terms in this case, but the traditional phrase here is 'be a man'. Ryan's being a child. Last point, Hey Solo, do you have a gold metal? I didn't think so. Until then you have the right to remain silent And bollocks to that too. "Past performance may not be indicative of future results" isn't just for stocks and bonds. She said one of her teammates was old and that she was better than her. No, she said that it wasn't 2004 any more. Which, glancing at my calendar, is correct.
posted by etagloh at 01:44 PM on September 29, 2007
Though I will say this: given that third-place playoffs are generally the most wretched, meaningless games to play (outside of the Olympics, where there's a medal at stake) she can always see it as the rest of the squad being punished. I believe that everyone here "assumes" that if Solo was the goalie she would've saved all the goal attempts by Brazil. I don't think so! Not in the slightest: I said after the match (and thought before it) that this particular US side had been built to take on Germany, and that it might trip them up en route to the final. Again, that's a coaching failure: you don't plan ahead by trying to re-fight your last battle. For historians of the game: this ranks up there with Graham Taylor's decision to take off Gary Lineker against Sweden in 1992.
posted by etagloh at 02:05 PM on September 29, 2007
i watched this game from the very start and our goalie was not on the same page as solo..the reason being she has played in to few games. (not her fault)it is wrong for a teammate to say what solo said but you have to remember the age and what she went through to get where the team is today..now to follow up one mistake with another as ryan did is wrong ..instead of throwing her off the team he should have sat her on the bench and let her watch again as the other goalie started.. we live in a free country which means you have the right to express your opinion ,in other countries you would be thrown off the team..iam not saying solo was right but she has a right to her opinion.. what iam hoping is this incident doesnt damage two good goalies as well as the rest of the team. alot more could be said but what is the point ..iam glad iam not on the plane coming back from china it will be a long ride.. next year we have to go back to china again for the olympics and the memories will come flooding back, to bad this had to happen.. maybe if an issue wasnt made about it by the announcers and other people maybe it would not have been bad
posted by larry e. at 02:06 PM on September 29, 2007
I'll say this: in this age of political correctness and "let's make sure that we don't hurt anyone's feelings", I find Solo's honesty extremely refreshing. Was it a boneheaded decision by the coach? In hindsight, certainly. And I don't blame her for being upset. I think the only thing she should have done differently is waited until after the consolation game to fire off, though one could argue that the consolation game doesn't really mean much. I wish we had more politicians that would be so blunt when the other side says or does something completely idiotic. But that's a topic for another discussion board.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:36 PM on September 29, 2007
larry, how could the sports media not have brought this up, exactly? The US team was ranked #1 and was expected to at least make the final. The decision was controversial; this team has accomplished so much over the last decade with Scurry in goal, and her place in soccer history was assured before this week, but Solo is the best keeper on the team now, and she proved that all tournament long. And while Brazil probably would have won that game anyway regardless of who was in goal the way they played, and while what Solo said was uncouth and uncool, I have yet to hear anyone say that she was wrong. Greg Ryan's acting like he expects to not have a job after this tournament. Solo has some serious 'splaining to do to the team, but she'll get the chance to do exactly that. Her words were ill-chosen and ill-considered, but I'd rather someone be too competitive than not competitive enough. She's still young. She's already learned a lot, the hard way, about what stays in the locker room and what goes into a microphone this week. She'll be fine. I suspect Ryan won't get a similar chance.
posted by chicobangs at 03:28 PM on September 29, 2007
She's already learned a lot, the hard way, about what stays in the locker room and what goes into a microphone this week. I think we also have to make allowances for the fact that the media-player relations here are more complex (and perhaps less 'professional') than, say, the NFL. ESPN, after all, has Julie Foudy in China right now, and Heather Mitts back in Bristol, and it's very clear that both have been in contact with the squad. In a more established sport with a larger TV talent pool, that sort of potential conflict of interest doesn't generally happen: you wouldn't expect NBC to ask Tiki Barber to cover the Giants in that kind of depth. But is someone with Foudy's experience really supposed to ignore email from current players? In a decade's time, things will be different. For the moment, I think that kind of candour is actually refreshing, in the sense that it shows a sport that hasn't been commissionered to the point of stupidity. I do think it will force a certain amount of reflection. It's not enough to treat the Olympics as a swansong for the last of the 90s generation, and I do think that backwards-looking attitude, focused on re-fighting past battles, has pervaded the team's play in this World Cup.
posted by etagloh at 04:00 PM on September 29, 2007
chicobangs you are right i guess i live in a dream world ..the only point i was making is that maybe it was played up to much,as it got worse for the usa the more they talked about it ..i guess that is there job to look for news, it was played up a lot..you are right, but the action that ryan took to throw solo out of the consolation game was another mistake
posted by larry e. at 04:15 PM on September 29, 2007
I believe that everyone here "assumes" that if Solo was the goalie she would've saved all the goal attempts by Brazil Yes, I think this is more worrying than the comments made by Solo and the fall out from them. It diverts attention to the real tactical flaws and game approach used by the US against Brazil. We discussed this a few days ago - see the thread below. Brazil didn't win because Scurry was in goal. They won because they out-thought and outplayed a one dimensional team. The focus on the Solo-Ryan-Scurry shitstorm is a reflection of a media (and public) who know fuck-all about football and what happens on the pitch.
posted by owlhouse at 05:50 PM on September 29, 2007
Time to dump Ryan.
posted by Knuckles at 06:34 PM on September 29, 2007
OK, OK, I've calmed down a bit now. I had just been reading all the crap comments on Solo's blog linked above. I now know what psychologists mean by "the collective unconscious". By all means sack Greg Ryan. But do it for the right reasons. Do it because he has been tactically inept and underestimated Brazil. The goalkeeper issue is just a distraction. Unfortunately from now on, the Scurry/Hope shenanigans will be seen by the media and the uninformed public as the schwerpunkt for any decision. A few random thoughts: - the defeat against Brazil could become the US team's Hungarians-at-Wembley-1953 moment. When the realisation hits that the rest of the world has not only caught up, but passed you by. - ergo: the advantages enjoyed by the US women's team in the past are rapidly eroding. More teams can now win World Cups and Olympics. This must be good. - football is the quintessential team game. By nature it subverts the individual to a greater team ethos. Maybe the US media don't get this, hence the focus on "If Hope played we would have won". There's something in there about the cult of personalities/celebrities, too. - would the ideal preparation/coaching mix for women's teams be funding along the US model, skills training from South America coupled with tactics and fitness expertise from Europe? - the final between Germany and Brazil will be intriguing.
posted by owlhouse at 06:44 PM on September 29, 2007
As an aside, it's interesting to see SportsFilter this fired up about women's soccer. Last point, Hey Solo, do you have a gold metal? She was an alternate on the team that won the gold at Athens in 2004. I don't know if alternates win medals. Solo also went 1,054 minutes without allowing a goal. She clearly has the chops to be a gold-medal caliber goalie.
posted by rcade at 07:22 PM on September 29, 2007
Besides Hope Solo being hot as I mentioned before, I totally support her. The thing is that Scurry was great but is past her prime for the World Cup, though not for soccer altogether. Greg Ryan is just a nut trying to act like a sane person. I wish Hope the best and I know she will find an opportunity elsewhere. I hope Scurry, for the sake of her own face and Ryan's job, even though this much should not be expected of a 35+ player, and Ryan does not deserve his job, that she turns in a good performance, regardless of what the final score is, and who gets the bronze.
posted by SFValley_Dude at 10:11 PM on September 29, 2007
Ryan should be fired for ineptitude, Solo's comments were factually correct but she shouldn't have aired them publicly.
posted by aerotive at 10:20 PM on September 29, 2007
Seemingly lost in all this is that Ryan isn't the only one who faulted her for her comments. Her teammates weren't pleased either, and they have said as much.
posted by olelefthander at 10:43 PM on September 29, 2007
- would the ideal preparation/coaching mix for women's teams be funding along the US model, skills training from South America coupled with tactics and fitness expertise from Europe? Ah, but that would put a lot of drill-running coaches out of service. Not that that's a bad thing. Certainly, the futbol de salão approach for young players is being pursued in countries where the big boot and the hard tackle traditionally reigns supreme. The ideal preparation, though, is a US professional league with the money to attract foreign playing and coaching talent while sustaining the best of the college output. On the wider point: you have ESPN which, having broadcast all 32 matches, feels compelled to put its regular daytime blowhards in to opine on a sport they do not understand. And of course, they make all manner of bad analogies to the sports they do (more or less) understand, because even if they did watch the match, they didn't appreciate how totally outplayed the US team was, everywhere on the park. The actual analysts don't help much in this regard, because two of them are basically running off between broadcasts to email their mates in China, leading to an emphasis on squad politics in their coverage. It also doesn't help that there is never any analysis of things other than goals on ESPN, given the need to pack in lots of commercials around the actual play. (Compare the BBC's Match of the Day if you can nab it online.) Again, in a decade's time the analysts will be calling up replays from open play and telestrating moves and positional issues. For the moment, we can say that the women's international game grew up in China. That's more significant than any snit over who played in goal for the USA.
posted by etagloh at 10:56 PM on September 29, 2007
There is a saying 'down South': "Don't air your dirty laundry in the front yard." In other words, Solo had the right to say what she did, but not in a public forum. That lacked class. If she wants to air a grievance against Ryan, do so in his office, locker room, to his bosses, etc.; not in front of the world press.
posted by FonGu at 05:15 AM on September 30, 2007
FenGu: you're a thread late for that discussion.
posted by etagloh at 08:52 AM on September 30, 2007
I'm tired of the unwritten law of who can say what and when. Solo was right, so she can say whatever she wants as long as she's willing to bare her naughty bits for a men's magazine in a few years. The coach is a douchenozzle and needs to shut it before I send my dog to his house to shit on his pillow.
posted by Uncle Mikey at 10:14 AM on September 30, 2007
Once again the Owlhouse shows his wisdom. I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of the game. As an American soccer fan of almost half a century I sometimes try to find the easiest explanation of a US failure on the pitch. Blaming the goalie change for the loss was just that easy. In hindsight and after reading comments by others (etagloh for one) it becomes obvious there was so much more to that loss than just the goalie change. Yes Ryan should loose his job but dismissing Solo from the team for the last game was all he could do at this point. Like it or not he had the blessing of the other 20 players on this one. Hope, im sure has done quite a bit of growing up in China in regards to what makes a good team mate. 'least I hope so.
posted by Folkways at 11:47 AM on September 30, 2007
I just that if Hope ever has a son she names him "Han." That would be cool.
posted by BlueCarp at 06:37 PM on September 30, 2007
Greg Ryan is a world class jackass. His comments about the situation to the press was: "Hope is a young person, she's made a mistake and she knows that. You just want to see her grow from this." Then his next comments were about how he may never let her back on the team. I guess that is how he is planning on helping her grow. No player needs a spineless dickhead like him in charge of their future. When his contract is up Dec. 31, or before that, Ryan will no longer have a job with the National team and Solo will be back.
posted by urall cloolis at 07:16 PM on September 30, 2007
Going to the effort to post "who cares" in a thread has a certain level of stupidity. Picking the second well-represented thread on a subject in two days for your insightful words is taking it to a whole new level. So well done.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:36 AM on October 01, 2007
"For all of whom I disappointed I am truly sorry. There is a fine line of being a professional and being yourself. I can only do what I feel is right, and then hope that my true meaning is understood." I don't understand her true meaning.
posted by JJ at 07:44 AM on October 01, 2007
Can I just register that I don't care what sportnut thinks about who cares about women's soccer?
posted by JJ at 07:45 AM on October 01, 2007
Sportsnut is Greg Ryan's boyfriend, give him a break.
posted by urall cloolis at 08:08 AM on October 01, 2007
WHO REALLY CARES. Comment icon posted by sportnut at 7:25 AM CDT on October 1 A few more than care about a retired ice hockey player being stalked by his neighbors.
posted by googly at 10:34 AM on October 01, 2007
I was not putting down womens soccer, I was making a general statement about soccer. I guess I'm one of those sports guys that think soccer period is BORING. Most of the kids (males) who play soccer in the US play because their parents won't let them play football. Oh by the way, I would bet Gordie Howe has many more adult followers nation wide than the most boring game on earth. Curling may be more boring. WOW I bet all you soccer people are going to get your panties in a wad after you read this. Again, WHO REALLY CARES. The game will never be a major spectator sport in the US no matter what sissy they bring over from Europe to try and promote the sport.
posted by sportnut at 11:18 AM on October 01, 2007
The game will never be a major spectator sport in the US You're probably right, but regardless of whether you are or not, it remains the most popular sport in the world no matter what the US thinks about it. You find it boring - that's your privilege - but there's no need to come into a soccer thread and start shouting the odds about what you think of the game as a whole. No one in here stomps all over your threads about pig-wrestling or whatever it is that floats your sporting boat, so why would you feel the need to stomp all over this one? Luckily for you, just because something isn't popular, doesn't mean it isn't valid.
posted by JJ at 11:26 AM on October 01, 2007
What JJ said!!!!111!!
posted by Folkways at 12:22 PM on October 01, 2007
JJ, You are right. I apolgize.
posted by sportnut at 12:25 PM on October 01, 2007
The amazing thing is, this is all a media creation. I was astounded when all the media reporting revolved around Solo "throwing a team member under the bus". I watched video of what she said and I read a transcript of it as well. Her statement was a criticizing of a coaching decicision. She was ppointing out an error in judgement on the coach's part and why it was a bad decision. Somehow, in the desire to get a story, it was twisted to be Solo vs. Scurry. This poor girl got the shaft. Just another media manipulation by the team to deflect the fact that they got drilled by an opponent and the coach is a bonehead!
posted by Hockey fan at 02:52 PM on October 01, 2007
Her statement was a criticizing of a coaching decicision. She said that she would have made those goals. She said it's not 2004 anymore (you know, when Brianna Scurry was the goalkeeper and they won.) And, you can't live in the past. Regardless of the truth of those statements, they are direct shots at her teammate. That's why the team leaders thought she shouldn't be on the team for the consolation game. The media didn't make their decision for them against their own teammate.
posted by bperk at 03:12 PM on October 01, 2007
This poor girl got the shaft. Any "shaft" she got was brought on by Solo herself. Any sport/athlete has issues such as this where a player, upset and emotional, shoots their mouth off when they shouldn't. You bash the coach and a teammate who has a rich history of success in the sport, in a clip played all over the air, then you take what comes with it. The coach is still the coach, and he had no choice but to keep Solo away from the team in the consolation game. I admire Solo's apparent fire and determination, but if there's a next time I bet she chooses her words more carefully when the microphones are in her face. Soccer, and women's soccer in particular, want people to follow the sport in this country and jump on the bandwagon, so a player can't complain when her words are made into a big deal by the media.
posted by dyams at 03:20 PM on October 01, 2007
The coach is still the coach, and he had no choice but to keep Solo away from the team in the consolation game. Come now. He has plenty of choices. He's made some bad ones and I feel that this is compounding them. He's not even letting her sit on the bench, forgodsake -- not even as a backup, which, y'know, he might end up needing. That makes it seem like nothing but a fit of spleen.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 03:26 PM on October 01, 2007
Let's tell it like it is. Greg Ryan was bowing to the race card. Do you think he would have made that change had Scurry been the "hot" goalie? Of course not. Greg Ryan is a spineless jellyfish hiding behind a young woman's skirt while letting his coach's pets deflect the criticism away from him and onto Hope Solo.
posted by cactusjoe44 at 03:27 PM on October 01, 2007
What I don't understand is, in regards to the comments about Scurry, what was so BAD about them to be considered "throwing her under the bus" or "taking direct shots at her teammate"? "It's not 2004 anymore" How is that a slam? Its not saying "Scurry hasn't been good since 2004", it's saying "you can't make a decision based on how someone played in 2004". That's not a SLAM on Scurry. "you can't live by big names. you have to live in the present". Again, simply stating you can't make a decision based on what someone has done in the past. It doesn't scream out that she is slamming Scurry. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. While this is the most direct putdown on her teammate (basically saying that she is a better goalie than scurry), what athelete wouldn't say this? I can't imagine someone like TO being benched and his replacement dropping balls and TO not saying "I would have made those catches". That's just what they believe. Remember Kordell clapping when Tomzack replaced him and threw an INT? There's been far worse displays of "team" than this. Now she definitely threw the coach "under the bus", but I didn't see where her comments about Scurry were so far out of line. She probably didn't word them as well as she should, but athletes should have a thick enough skin to take comments like that in stride.
posted by bdaddy at 03:34 PM on October 01, 2007
you use by what got you their in the first place
posted by BOLTING2BELEIVE at 03:45 PM on October 01, 2007
iam a new soccer fan i follow english league for about a year it took me a long time to understand that you dont need to be scoring all the time to have a good game..as far as being rough if you have ever seen some of the tackles they make and the other physical play, i dont think anyone would want be in there. as far as this sport becoming a major draw over some of the other sports i dont think it will happen but they will draw a lot more than people think..what is going to happen is more and more international players are going to come here and with the influx of foreign people coming into the country soccer will become some what popular.. does anyone have a idea what happen to brazil? they didnt look like the same team, that move that marta made on the usa most men couldnt make it
posted by larry e. at 03:48 PM on October 01, 2007
While this is the most direct putdown on her teammate (basically saying that she is a better goalie than scurry), what athelete wouldn't say this? Athletes never say that, even if they are thinking it. They really just don't. If you are a backup and you get a chance to come in the game, you say that you are glad to help. If things don't work out, you say it is unfortunate the way it worked out. You never blame a particular teammate for losing a game without suffering major criticism for it (like TO when he said McNabb choked in the Super Bowl, which was also probably true). Oddly, the criticism for Solo for her comments have been rather muted.
posted by bperk at 03:53 PM on October 01, 2007
He's not even letting her sit on the bench, forgodsake -- not even as a backup, which, y'know, he might end up needing. they had 3 keepers with them for the tournament, so losing one wouldn't be a big deal in terms of having a backup covered. the decision to boot Solo for the final game sounds like it came from (or was suggested by) the veteran players (and if you believe this rumor, so did the decision to play Scurry).
posted by goddam at 03:54 PM on October 01, 2007
The amazing thing is, this is all a media creation. I was astounded when all the media reporting revolved around Solo "throwing a team member under the bus". I don't know how accurate that is, but I did notice this weekend that ESPN seems intent on turning her into an all-time villain for what amounts to one unconsidered statement to the press.
posted by yerfatma at 04:26 PM on October 01, 2007
I do not believe that rumor. The Washington Post had the story before the Brazil game and Wambach said the team and herself couldn't believe that they were making a keeper change when they were getting a rythm going. She also feared that it may disrupt team chemistry. Those comments were made BEFORE the Brazil fiasco. In the same story Ryan was quoted as saying that he had promised Scurry months ago that he would get her a game during the Cup. So I also do not believe it was a tactical decision as Ryan still contends.
posted by urall cloolis at 04:36 PM on October 01, 2007
Here is the Washington Post Story before the Brazil game
posted by urall cloolis at 04:40 PM on October 01, 2007
"Bri's ready," Ryan said. "Just wait and see." What a moron. We all saw it Coach and she was not ready.
posted by urall cloolis at 04:48 PM on October 01, 2007
The Washington Post had the story before the Brazil game and Wambach said the team and herself couldn't believe that they were making a keeper change when they were getting a rythm going. She also feared that it may disrupt team chemistry. where do you see that quote? she says, "At this point in the tournament, yeah, you do want to get a more solidified starting 11, but we do want to put the best team on the field for every individual team we face. . . . Our whole team, we all trust [Scurry] is going to get the job done." that doesn't sound too surprised to me. and she's says nothing of disrupting chemistry. look, i'm not saying these rumors are at all true, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if there is some sort of old guard vs. new guard rift on that team.
posted by goddam at 05:12 PM on October 01, 2007
Fair enough goddam. I was going by memory and reading a bit between the lines. Sounded to me like Wambach was surprised but also did not want to undermine the coach on the eve of the game. I agree that there is probably a bit of old guard v. new guard rift, after all soccer is the most political sport I can think of.
posted by urall cloolis at 05:21 PM on October 01, 2007
Greg Ryan was bowing to the race card. I very much doubt it, but you get bonus points for a charmingly mixed metaphor.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 05:44 PM on October 01, 2007
No, I read it online: he's into some weird Tarot sect. He really does bow to weird cards.
posted by yerfatma at 07:59 PM on October 01, 2007
No excuses for Solo, but being a competitive athlete sometimes emotions are expressed at the wrong time and at the wrong place. She is/was the #1 goalkeeper for the USA team. She proved herself. I think Greg Ryan made the decision to let her go just to keep the media busy on a different subject rather than himself.
posted by maximuz23 at 11:07 PM on October 01, 2007
Ryan had to be thrilled when Solo mouthed off. It just deflected all the criticism away from him. They weren't prepared properly, and used the wrong strategy against Brazil, a team they normally can beat. His fault, nobody elses'. Solo is the #1 keeper, she shouldn't be benched for a world cup game, any game for that matter. Ryan will be a former coach within a few weeks, and hopefully the US team can put this whole thing behind them.
posted by eccsport78 at 03:22 AM on October 02, 2007
Some terrific comments and debate going on here. It's good to see so many comments from Americans as well. Apologies if I happen to repeat what someone else has written, but it seems Ryan was using Scurry as a relief pitcher, bringing her into the game to face one opponent. It's been said a million times, but you don't do that in soccer. The decision to make the change to a 'keeper who's played 7 games in two years is naive at best. I admire Hope Solo for what she's said and of course there's a First Amendment stamp all over this. However, coaches aren't required to follow the Bill of Rights; they follow team rules set forth in advance. I don't know if the suspension of a player for speaking out to the press is in their rulebook, but it probably is. If Hope knew the consequences, she should have no complaints about the suspension. That doesn't mean Ryan had to come out with his I'll-show-you statement about fighting on with 20 committed players and all that crap. That was childish, absolutely unnecessary and has only made the matter worse. Flat out - this team wasn't good enough and was built to beat Germany, like I mentioned in another thread after the N. Korea game. Skilled technical teams were always going to rip us up: enter Brasil. Ryan should be fired. Hope should be back between the sticks.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 10:58 AM on October 02, 2007
Greg Ryan wants to talk about moving forward with players that stick together! What a bunch of SHIT ! When that worthless piece of shit said that if his decision to change goalkeepers turned out to be a bad one that he could live with that. Who is looking out for himself with a statement so ridiculous as that? He didn't think of the effect that that move would have on the rest of the team or the rest of the U.S.A. for that matter. There is nobody to blame but himself and if he thinks that kicking the best goalie that they have off the team makes him look good then he is just fucking stupid! This is the biggest coaching blunder in any sport in recent memory and if this idiot is not fired then soocer in this country will take another undeserved hit.