While I agree that benching Solo for an aged Scurry was questionable and I think everything she said was on point, her decision to openly blast her team and her coach shows how classless she is. Rather than voicing her opposition in a closed door session and allowing the media to go after him, she did it on her own. Frankly, I'd bench her in the 3rd place game for that very reason.

Granted the Head Coach is the guy getting paid to make these type of decisions. But, dang, it really seamed like a bone-head move, and hindsight sure proves this. There must be more to this story that is not being told.

Looks pretty catty and unprofessional to me. I hope you stay benched.

Solo is exactly right, and Ryan is completely wrong. Ryan's decision to bench Solo was one of the worst decisions I've seen in American soccer coaching since Steve Sampson ruined the men's '98 world cup. And when a coach makes a decision that is this bad, then the whole "code of silence" nonsense is just a way of trying to escape responsibility for a terrible decision. Ryan should be fired, pure and simple.

Hope Solo showed a complete lack of class with her comments. Soccer is a team sport, Hope. Don't be such a diva. You THINK you would have made those saves. No one will ever know. Grow up!

Solo needs to be quiet this is not entertainment tabloid stuff, this is the reason most of the world soccer funs didn't want America to join FIFA. let me give you an example the most loved Brazilian men’s soccer team 25 of the players are the best all of them professionals but only 11 players are the one who starts the game that is veteran players first and the rest of the players are benched they knows it too one day they will be old so they give much respect for them, you didn't see any Brazilian complain for not starting the game even though some times they can play better than the other players but what do they do they cheered ... for their teammates no matter what, the us national team committee have to deal with solo’s behavior and suspend her from the national team for talking to the press, she is selfish. If she really wants to play she need to learn the discipline it comes with the soccer history before she says something stupid.

Yikes. She is right to an extent; however, she should have kept her feelings within the confines of the team, rather than air her grievances in the press.

She has every right to be angry, but she sounds completely self-serving and literally threw her teammates and coach under the bus.

I'd be very surprised if Coach Ryan kept his job, or she will much less still be on the team.

Just sad, but life goes on.

She'll get another chance to show what she can do on the big stage. Solo is young and has plenty of time.

I do believe Coach Ryan was wrong in his decision to replace Solo with Scurry especially since Solo had demonstrated much improved play during the Nigeria and China games.
He also made the mistake of not replacing defense with offense when they were down 2 goals.

However, I disagree with the open comments she made. A player (especially a goalie) needs to think of the team first, the good of the team over their own bruised egos. And even if she had a beef with Coach Ryan, she did not need to comment on Scurry's play.

She needs to make peace with Coach Ryan and especially Brianna Scurry. She owes Brianna a HUGE apology. YOU NEVER THROW YOUR TEAMATES UNDER THE BUS !
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I'll be posting soon Solo's apology to Scurry.
-- Bill O.

bring back the us soccer teams now!

I believe the hallmark of most great teams is how they lose respectfully and with class and to support teammates who might have had a bad game. Hope Solo, sounds like spoilt, arrogant, unprofessional cry baby who has been handed everything whenever she wanted. It's about time someone put her in her place. What a way to create animosity within the team. If I were the coach she would not be playing against Norway.

This Ryan guy should be fired right away. Switching goalies is of course a terrible decision. But he showed his lack of understanding of the game completely when he yanked the offensive players and subed all defenders into the field when we were down 3-0. His action would have been a good one IF we were leading 3-0 instead of behind.

FIRE HIM NOW, Sunil!!!!!!

Ryan should be fired. To destroy a teams chemistry days before a huge game is unacceptable.

Solo made a huge mistake by saying she would have made those saves. Bottom line, we will never know. Solo should have just ripped the coach only... Scurry has enough to worry about.

Put yourself in Hope's shoes and at her age. If you ever played a team sport, knowing that you are a better player and got benched for no reason. Or if you didn't get a promotion or take on an important project knowing that you are much more capable and have been repeatedly, then the decision maker "tactically" made a move that the entire company is surprised...then everything blows up. Hope could've say to herself...haha...I told you so. Team sport or not, she spoke her mind. If you talk about team...she just took one for it and was just speaking everyone's mind...and probably YOUR mind too. Private comments are meaningless on such a level of coaching error, public comments are much more effective. Perhaps, she should not have claimed that she "could've saved" all those goals, but imagine the bitterness and disappointment. She is human, an emotional human, an emotional female human.

Imagine if she didn't say anything, you would now say how big of a chicken she is not to speak up and condemn the coaching decision. Get off your "classy" high horse, play for a world cup class team when you turn 26, get benched by the most erroneous decision EVER and then talk.

Oh...and how come no one says ANYTHING about the gutless comment Ryan made, taking NO blame whatsoever for the decision that he made. He wasn't even man enough to admit that he made a mistake. To make it worse, he still hasn't decided who is going to start in the next game, the first step to admittance. Talk about classless and not facing your own mistake and letting your player and the rest of the world point it out to you. He is taking it personal now if he starts Scrurry.

Brazil's team outclassed the US in speed, flair, movement on the ball -- let's not think for a moment that Solo would have changed all that. If Ryan made a mistake in starting Scurry in this game, did he also make a mistake in having Solo in goal for the earlier lackluster performances?

mb I think the Coach Ryan should be fired for three reasons, all related to his decisions on players during the World Cup.

1) He did not put in a sub for Abby Wamback in the game with North Korea. Granted, Abby is a great player, but anytime your game plan is totally dependent on one player, you are in trouble.

2) He has hardly put in any offensive players as subs during the games. For the last year, it was repeatedly stated that the US team was so deep in every position. We get to the World Cup, and only a few chosen are "good enough" to play. Either Coach Ryan should have put in more players, or he did not do a competent job of identifying and developing players able to play in a World Cup.

3) By putting Brianna Scurry in as goal keeper for the semi-final, he again showed his propensity to focus on one player as being the "Key" to a game. His decision caused bad feelings and added anxiety for the rest of the team. The US may very well not have won the game against Brazil, but his decision did not help the situation.

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_950282.html

In June 2007, when the US beat Brasil 2-0, Briana Scurry was the goal-keeper and made four crucial saves.

In this Word Cup semi-final, in front of a mostly partisan Chinese crowd that was barracking for Brasil, and because of a few unexpected and unfortunate events that went against the US (own goal, questionable send-off), the US were uncharacteristically unsettled and never found their rhythm.

Hope Solo MAY have saved the second goal but it's highly unlikely that she would have done better than Briana in the case of the other goals, including the own goal.

By saving the second goal, it's possible that the US would have been less panicky.

Bottom line: too many ifs, maybes.

Brasil was technically far superior and deserved to win. In the quarter-final, Australia played better than the US against Brasil (the score was 3-2).

At the beginning of the US-Brasil game, the US were throwing their weight around and
fouling Brasil. The first goal could have come from a penalty against the US. The US relied on their usual physical and not very skillful style.

Hope Solo should have kept quiet.

When the TV camera focused on her several times during the match, her face and body language spoke volumes.

She did not have to say anything. Playing the part of the scorned goal-keeper would have been the much smarter decision.

Gee, the fabulous-in-every-way Brazilian women beat the extraordinary but extremely dull U. S. women, and all we can talk about is goalie decisions and catfights. Looks like the U. S. team should be grateful to Hope Solo for her outburst and Greg Ryan for his bone-headed coaching since they've taken the focus off of the poor team play. And sucking the life out of the Brazilian win--do I smell gamesmanship? In any event, Yes! the coach has to go, but everyone involved with the U. S. women's team needs to acknowledge some hard truths and get in touch with their soccer souls.

It all comes down to race and no one wants to admit it. There was probably pressure from above because the women's team has been hit by the press in a roundabout way as being "too white". So, bring in an old star to blunt the criticism and hope that the "magic" can be rekindled. Nope. If the races of the goalies were reversed, the press would have been in outrage over the switch, and would congratulate Scurry for having the courage to speak her mind.

Yes I was shocked as well at coach Ryan decision. I'm equally dissapointed in Hope's comments after the game - if we had won would she have come out and congatulated the coach on his decision? Based on her behavior I think we all know the answer. But let's not place all our focus on that one decision. If you had watched the tournament from the beginng, across all matches, I think you woud agree we were not one of the two best teams on the pitch. TOOOOO many long 50/50 balls out of midfield. Our players were clearly not confident possesing the ball the womens game is passing us by. Brasil played a 2-5-3 with a sweeper, dominated midfield and with a sweeper easily controlled any long ball over the defense. Coach Ryan made no adjustment our players were out skilled. Yes we were out coached and out played. Lets focus on the real issue.

I must admit - this was very frustrating to watch. It's very easy for us all to criticize coaches and players when they make mistakes. Yes, I too think it was a terrible decision switching keepers and not opting for offense when you're clearly being out played and out hustled.

Let's also remember that there are 11 players on the field as well. No one single player is ever the reason for winning or losing a team sport. Abby was MIA - she looked totally lackluster to me and at times made no effort to press the attack. This is not a criticism - just an observation.

I am still one of the biggest fans of our women's soccer team. Now that the rest of the world is catching up - we'll be in for some Great matches in the future - regardless who is on the other side of the pitch.

Clarence D.

The coach's decision to bench Solo was pretty stupid. Scurry is a great goal-keeper, but she haven't been playing in "real" games lately. You can practice all you want but when playing in a real game, it's different. The coach should be fire for his stupidity.

As for Hope Solo's comment, I have to agreed with her. If you're in her shoes, you have the right to be angry. I'd be so (angry).

Also, throwing her off the team doesn't benefit the team. Solo is a great goal keeper and doesn't deserve to be (thrown off) because of her criticism.

What U.S soccer team needs is talent.

Solo had ever right to say what she did and having waited until after the game to do so probably took a great deal of restraint. She only stated what everyone else was saying and had to say it on her own behalf as not one of her team mates seemed to stand up for her. She was betrayed as much by them as by the coach and from this stand point owes them nothing. She didn't create the controversy, the coach did and he alone is responsible for the team's loss. Solo has every right to speak her mind and if fact did so with extreme restraint under the circumstances with a fair amount of controlled dignity.

Bill "O", you want to blast Hope Solo, fine. But, do a little research and tell the complete story. Remember the following:
Someone should remind Greg Ryan about some of the statements that Briana Scurry made in 2004. Here is a segment from a 2004 Associated Press article from Greece:

“IRAKLION, Greece (AP) _ There’s no doubt in Briana Scurry’s mind. If she had been the starting goalkeeper four years ago in Sydney, the U.S. women’s soccer team would have won the gold medal.

“I put myself into that entire game,” she said. “And I’ve always felt — and I still feel — that if I were playing, we would have won.”

Instead, one of the heroes of the 1999 World Cup was an out-of-shape bench-warmer, having enjoyed too much the fruits of sudden fame. The torch had passed to Siri Mullinix, who played every minute of the 2000 Olympic tournament, and whose left hand couldn’t quite get all of Dagny Mellgren’s shot in sudden death overtime of the gold-medal game against Norway.”
Greg Ryan made a foolish call by putting in Briana, but was not man enough to admit it. Instead he turns the spot light on someone who had the guts to call him on it. Sacking is just what he needs.
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Bob,
The Solo situation has sparked spirited discussion here and thanks for your contribution to the discussion. But just to set the record straight, I have not blasted Solo. I've been a neutral bystander through much of it.
-- Bill O.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I’ve read a LOT of these blogs over the past few days and NO WHERE did anyone understand exactly what happened on the first Brazilian goal. It came off a badly-performed corner kick. The replays clearly gave us a perfect view of Scurry’s incredibly poor play on this kick.

The moment the ball left the corner, it was obvious that it was a mis-kick that was going to bounce toward the near post deep into the goal box. Yet Scurry never moved. She just stood there, her mouth wide open but not a sound came out of her. The result was Osbourne was REQUIRED to go for the ball; she had no communication from Scurry behind her to do otherwise.

Solo would have instantly screamed “Keeper!!!” or “Leave!!!”, as she would have been rushing forward to capture the ball herself.

On this first goal, Solo was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT with her public post-game statement: she would have made the save that the slower aging Scurry could not. In fact, many younger talented well-trained keepers would have also made the play correctly.

And it was THAT goal that started the emotional downward spiral for the U.S. team for the rest of the game. Scurry demonstrated with that one play she no longer belongs on the national team.

Any coach who makes such a stupid decision deserves to be criticized publically. Go Hope! Just another example of the "overcoaching" done in US soccer circles. Let the players play and quit dictating every move. If that is what these coaches want, then have them coach a different sport.

Ryan, Wambach and Lilly also broke the rule against criticizing players in public. In so doing they scapegoated Solo and behaved like an adolescent clique.

Scapegoating one member of a team does not unify it. Their remarks ("I like to think I would forgive", "I am a forgiving person" etc) were unprofessional, actually sickening.