Regardless of anyone's opinion regarding Ryan's decision to bench Solo for the Brazil match, I think it would be hard to argue that his public reaction to the situation and his responses at the press meeting were anything but candid, classy, and right on the mark.

It's a shame that in final days of his tenure Ryan can't be honest. He screwed the pooch and can't even come close to admitting it was a poor decision. Same crap "code" speak.

I hope that the public and press rallies around Hope Solo and celebrates her honesty. She gave words to the feelings of most (my guess) of the players in the locker room. The problem with this team may be a lack of honesty and a self-delusion about their place in world football.

A poster can't talk about the effect of a goalie change on team chemistry and then condone Hope's behavior. Airing dirty laundry has a time and a place, possibly, but this was neither.

This really reminds me of the implosion/revolt of the Men's 1998 team in France.

Jamie: 'classy'? half the time all he did was talk about Solo talking about Scurry rather than talking about what caused those remarks: his stupidity. Oh and:

"A strained relationship between a coach and a keeper probably would not be workable. What needs to be done to get past this?"

Fire the incompetent coach and keep the world class goalie.

i'm sorry, but ryan's decision to switch goalkeepers completely outweighs solo's comments. we might not have won with solo, but that decision was truly inexcusable and baffling.

Say whay you want but the call was bad
You can't play your no 2 keeper who is rusty for lack of playing time. If Solo was injured it would have been a different story.
What Ryan did was amateurish, you're the number one team in the world, you go with got you there, you play your best 11,and apperantly Solo was one of them.
Pleu Ryan does not know how to coach from behind. You can tell that by his idiotic substitutions

this was a symptom of something larger. the US were playing kickball while the rest of the world learned to play soccer. why didn't ryan teach his midfield to pass and control the game? Hope was frustrated like the rest of the team. if ryan has any real class he will issue a short statement: as the coach i take responsibility for the team's performance so I resign.

Ps. Bring back tony

Brazil would have won if Buffon was in net. The call by Ryan was terrible, it destroyed team chemistry, Solo was the number one keeper for a reason, those reasons did not change over night and just because we had to play Brazil.

It's time to get a new coach

Ryan is an insecure coach - his coaching decisions prove it. He will never win anything substantial as a coach. It's the team that makes him look good in success - basically he is a lame duck.

The goalie decision was horrible - truly incompetent.

However, Ryan is a puppet of the USSF and will keep his job.

This incompetence starts with Sunil Gulati and goes all the way down. People should be calling for Gulati's resignation in addition to Ryan's.

No matter what, Hope should have kept her mouth shut. She is a professional. I didn't hear anyone criticizing her pathetic mistake in the NKorea game; not her coaches and definitely not her teammates.

For the 3rd place game, Ryan should start the 3rd string keeper, and play all the reserves (Kind of like what Germany did for the 3rd place game last summer). At least that way all the girls get on the field and can have some pride

I didn't read Ryan's comments as being evasive or dishonest, except for the part where he says he doesn't worry about losing his job. If that were true, he wouldn't speak in that sanitized politic-speak that coaches use.

I applaud him for acknowledging that he may have made the wrong decision (read between the lines) and that he needed to look back at his decision and learn. Great, Greg! Now take the train.

The simple fact of the matter is that a coach can be candid, and available to the media, and beloved by his players (which I doubt Ryan is at this point), and just not be a very good coach. He must be judged by what he's done, not what he says. And what he's done, with no exaggeration, is make one of the worst coaching decisions in sports history. Seriously, name another like it. (Maybe Tikhonov yanking Vladislav Tretiak in Lake Placid against the US.)

Solo's reaction to it is understandable, but essentially insignificant. Ryan needs to go because of what he's done, and the fact that the team will most likely never trust him again.

I've actually been around several players on this team over the past few years. Many of them are as close if not closer than their own families. I guarantee you Hope said what most of the girls were thinking. They were all in it together and for one of them to be removed for no real reason on the eve of the biggest game of their lives had to make the others question the sanity, competence, and integrity of the coach.

The rift can't be repaired, so one has to go. If it's not the coach, then it'll be some time before this team will be able to move on.

you were too easy on him.

I think its time to force Anson Dorrance to take over the program. Don't even give him a choice.

What does he gain by winning the NCAA tournament every year? Time to take on a bigger challenge.

He blew it and good for her calling him on it. It's unusual, but hey, when he was asked before the game how this decision would affect Solo's confidence he said something like "that's not my concern, all I care about is winning." How is that for team unity? If someone said that about me I sure would loose any respect I have for the guy as my coach.

Anyway, he created this mess. I finally saw the game on tape last night and there is just no way that second goal should have beat Scurry. I also, still, just can't figure out why you pull your starting goalie because your backup is a "better shot stopper." What the heck is that? Because she has been playing well in practice? Give me a break. It just smacked of panic, and it still does.

The guy blew it, destroyed any sense of team unity, and just needs to go.

And he better start Solo in the 3rd place game. He said that Scurry was more suited for brazil, so that excuse is over. If he doesn't start her in the last game it's going to seem like punishment.

He and Steve Sampson should both go to therapy together.

"What does he gain by winning the NCAA tournament every year? Time to take on a bigger challenge. " ...again.

Don't want to disregard his previous Womens WC win.

I very dissappointed in this outcome. Ryan should resign but if he doesn't I doubt Hope will continue to play. Ryan said that there are plenty of good goal keepers in the US. What does that tell you? He will look for other keepers to play. Ryan made an idiotic decision but Hope should have not aired her opinion. That was unprofessional.

"I made a commitment when I took this job that I was completely focused on doing everything I could to improve this team, to help this team do as well as they could. I've never spent five minutes trying to keep my job, but I've spent every waking minute trying to do my job."

If he really believes that, he will see that the best thing to improve the the team at this moment is for him to resign as soon as possible, so that the team can immediately begin to regroup for the Olympics.

I wonder what the ESPN share will be at 5 am on Sunday for a consolation game. I will watch, out of a mixture of morbid curiosity and a sense of duty. I'm guessing it will be thin though.

I read somewhere yesterday that Ryan was show giggling on the bench while his team was down 3-0. Coaching a team is a very tough job but come on. It's ok to get ticked off sometimes....

Link to Hope's comments?

This link was posted to an earlier thread:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3039111&categoryId=2378529&n8pe6c=2

I find this observation of Ryan's particularly interesting: "But the game is getting faster, it's requiring faster players, but you can't just get faster players; you've got to get faster soccer players. What made Brazil great was not their speed; it's the fact that they had speed combined with skill, combined with savvy, they played both directions and they did well with their set pieces. It's the whole package." Doesn't that contradict what he said just days ago, when he downplayed the importance of a midfield with good playmaking skills (which he obviously didn't have)? In fact, his earlier remarks reminded me of a record company's assessment, in an earlier era, that "guitar groups are on the way out" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decca_audition). I'm not sure what adjective is the antonym of prescient, but whatever it is, it would seem to describe Ryan.

In content, I have no issue with what Hope Solo said. Though it would have been more professional and constructive to wait until after the team had left China.

But Ryan shares blame. If he truly managed the situation, Solo would have been aware that this was a distinct possibility from the get go, and wouldn't have been upset. (Look at how Bruce arena managed both Keller and Friedel for a fine example of keeping the peace).

While alluded to, Steve, in your parity piece, other papers, such as the Chicago Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News have been stronger in their suggestions that it's time for a coaching change.

That main-line media are calling for a change in soccer coaching shows that our game is becoming a growing part of the US sports landscape.

Someday, Steve, I wish you could put down your reporter role and switch to columnist, taking on issues of US player development, coaching selection and the like. You've clearly got the knowledge and the insight.

Of course, we'd lose you as a reporter, but the soccer collective would gain a valuable voice.

Usually I agree that a player should not make comments like Hope did right after the game and while the tournament is still going on. However, as someone who played on so many travel teams as a youth and continues playing as an adult, I assure you that what Hope said needed to be said and that the game was lost the moment Ryan named Scurry as the starter. There is an undeniable camaraderie amongst a team, particularly those who are working together closely every game - e.g. the defense and the keeper. The keeper is the director of the defense and I guarantee you that Ryan's decision ruffled feathers among the defenders, not to mention that inserting a new, rusty player completely destroys their defensive cohesiveness on the field.

I also think much needs to be made about the fact that several excellent players (like Natasha Kai) hardly played and could have made a huge difference.

Hope Solo's comments were classless. You don't attack another teammated like that in the middle of a tournament. She acted like a pouty, spoiled brat. There were a million other ways to handle the situation and answer the question asked. Ryan's bad coach for making the switch and she's a bad teammate for making those comments.

This whole situation reminds of Khan vs Lehman in WC2006. Kahnn attacked Lehman in their last game and said that he could have made those saves if he were in the game. The only difference being Klinsman certainly came out looking like a genius at the end of the tournament. Ryan on the other hand, will forever be remembered for that blunder.

Hope has every right to be pissed. but she committed a cardinal sin: "don't give an interview when you are royally PO". I also thought that she was wrong for attacking Bri. That was uncalled for.

Ryan's comment are actually level-headed unlike Hope incoherent interview. I thought he did admit to being wrong. regardless, he needs to be fired at the end of the tournament.

At the end of the day, i think the real story is being ignoed in th all this. US got their a** handed to them by a very good Brazilian team that controlled the game from beginning to end. and they have been struggling throughout this whole tournament even though they were the best team in the world. This proves that the rest of the world had caught up with them and in some instance (Brazil), surpassed them. They need to start working on how to get their program to be more competitive again. However, I am afraid that the real lessons of this tournament are being loss in this goalkeeper controversy.

On the censored NYTimes blog, Brazilians are urging the US to be humble. I hope they will take their own advice when they get humbled by Germany in the final.

Comically overblown, Brazil is simply playing at another level, thats it. Ryan had no choice but to put speed against Marta (DEFENSIVE SUB) so as to improve the chances of sending a long ball to Wambach, a one dimensional game. Tip Ur hats to Marta, its not even close comparing her to Wambach/Hamm etc. GK would not have mattered, BZ hit the post 2x and there was a clear penalty not given to them early on, so easily could have been 7-0. Get real folks.

I think its time to force Anson Dorrance to take over the program. Don't even give him a choice.

****************************

Anson Dorrance? So the US can completely ignore the lesson about relying on physical and direct play against high quality competition? Or maybe because women's soccer hasn't become isolated and incestuous enough?

How about a high quality coach that has at least some experience outside the women's game?

I don't think Solo really threw Scurry under the bus. Solo is a competitor, and thinks she could have made those saves. That is great, she should think that. Solo never really criticized Scurry. She just said she would have made those saves. Some could construe that as hidden criticism, but I don't.

That truly was a coaching blunder of epic proportions, but I don't think the US would have won that game with 2 keepers in there at the same time. Brazil was much better. Yes that red card was an awful call, but we would have lost with 11 on the pitch.

Fact: the world has caught up, if not passed us in women's soccer. Now we need to catch up.

Fire Ryan

I certainly disagreed with the goalie change, but I also lost respect for Solo when she aired her grievances right after the game. Unlike steve-o, I think saying what she did was a direct criticism of Scurry. That's like saying all of us blog posters saying we wouldn't have messed up the goalie switch decision, then saying that it isn't a criticism of Ryan.

Ryan deserves criticism for several aspects of his approach to the WWC. As stated here, he totally mishandled the change of keepers, a questionable decision made worse by his stated disregard for his #1 keeper's feelings and arguably by his refusal to include her in the prolong discussions about the possible move.

His poor use of substitutes, especially in the game against North Korea, has been mentioned ad nauseum here and elsewhere. It also pointed to his over-reliance on Abby and Lil.

Abby and Lil are great players, but he had a responsibility to produce a team that could perform at a high level even without them, whether due to injury or because opponents successfully took them out of their game. Over the past 3 years, he had plenty of chances to sit them out of friendlies and see who steps up to be a team leader and who can produce goals. He rarely did.

He also clearly did not coach the team to use a possession game to counter the speed they encountered against teams like NK. The strategy they kept using was akin to the one used by youth clubs with one or two really good players -- just get the ball to the good players.

I also believe the streak became a liability. Why not risk losing a friendly while trying a new strategy, formation, or combination on players? The difference between excellence and perfection is in the willingness to discover what does not work while trying to find what does work.

Ryan, like Bradley, is overmatched against opposition playing with purpose on some other field than in the U.S. You could see early on the US likely would not get to the championship when the team could not use skill and speed to beat the North Korean's because Ryan built a team with little speed and negligible ball skills. Seriously, how do you expect to control the midfield with a 4-3-3 formation? That's a rec league formation used when you have no true goal scorers and no real playmaking midfielders to defend against. Either there are no talented US women midfielders, something I find hard to believe, or Ryan couldn't find or develop them. Boxx is a good soldier but after knee and ankle surgeries, she is a statue and she never was noted for playmaking skills. If that was Ryan's best choice to run the middle of the field against the best in the world, either US women's soccer is bankrupt on skill or he is bankrupt on coaching talent. I would guess the latter.

As for Solo's comments, she should have just said no comment. However, since Ryan threw her under the bus before the game, he can't be shocked she returned the favor after the game.

I have no problem with Solo's comments. Have at it.

The rest of the team should thank Ryan for making himself the story of the collapse. Seems to me this team wasn't good enough in a number of areas: speed, technique, and individual player tactics. They were going to be exposed badly at some point, it seems to me.

With his serious pratfall, Ryan will end up shouldering most of the burden.

Since we haven't had a DC United topic lately (and on the topic of coaching)...just thought I would mention Chivas just fired their coach today after the loss to DC (and because of many other reasons).

Anson Dorrance? So the US can completely ignore the lesson about relying on physical and direct play against high quality competition? Or maybe because women's soccer hasn't become isolated and incestuous enough?

How about a high quality coach that has at least some experience outside the women's game?

Posted by: Matt | September 28, 2007 10:02 AM
__________________________________________

Anson Dorrance coached the men's team at UNC for many years. Further, both his 1991 WWC championship team and his many NCAA championship women's teams have featured players with a wide range of skills (Hamm and Lilly, for starters).

But this is all moot point if, as is likely, Dorrance adopts an attitude of "been there, done that" toward the WNT.

YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME

Ryan should have to buy his own ticket back to the US. I don't agree with how Solo went about voicing her complaints, but the fact is he lost this game and a chance at a World Cup title.

Hope never called out her teammate - all she ever said was "I would have saved those shots". Any goalkeeper should feel that 100% of the time or don't step in front of the net. She never said her teammates blew it - she implied that this is the 2007 US team (which it is - duh), not the 2004. Hey guess what the 1992 US Men's Dream Team wouldn't make it to a medal round now either!!!

Stick with the team that took you there!

On a banner at WNT games to come:

Restore Hope! Bring back Solo!

Solo was unprofessional in her comments, but she was spot on. Stupid decision that disrupted defensive organization on the eve of a major WC semi. What was he thinking? Not only that, his substitutions were absolutely foolish.

All that being said, the US result yesterday was years and years of ODP coaches selecting big, strong, fast players and not skillful, crafty, creative players. When you watch D1 soccer through US Women or Men's teams, its the same thing: lack of creativity that kills them. Brazil trains players to be creative, which is why they totally outclassed the US women in terms of overall football.

I think Ryan folded under the pressure of taking the #1 team through the tournament. He needs to be replaced.
US soccer fans need to take a deep breath and not despair that all is lost. A new coach, a few new players, and the team will continue to challenge for the top spot. No other country has the soccer infrastructure we have. Granted, Sunil Gulati at the top of USSF is worrisome.

Greg, YOU'RE FIRED!

Ryan: Fire him. Many bad personnel moves before and during the Brazil match. It's like he was trying to lose the game. You don't insert a rusty keeper at that point. Complete idiocy...

Solo: I can feel for her, but she needs to grow up and be a professional. You don't slam Scurry. If she took the high road here she would so many more fans rallying around her while Ryan gets skewered.

Hope Solo made a juvenile mistake to call our Scurry publicly, but Ryan's comments about the depth of the keeper pool should get him fired immediately. If Hope Solo wasn't the best American goalie--why did he have her start for so long?

For Ryan to suggest that there is a third goalie he will play shows that he doesn't know anything about building loyalty or team chemistry.

Goffinho:

Any comment by FIFA or the ref on the controversial calls: the non-penalty early in the 1st half and the send-off of Boxx?

Looking back:
1 - Ryan made a huge mistake with the goalie change. Was symptomatic of other problems with his approach.

2- Solo would probably have better served had she not blown up.

Going forward:
3- Ryan should be fired NOW, should not coach Sunday, certainly should not coach the Olympics

4- 3rd string keeper and other reserves should play on Sunday.

Dorrance's experience with the men's game is hardly significant...part time head coach of a collegiate team when the game was not taken seriously at almost any level.

But his accomplishment's can't be denied. Though I'd contend that his style depends primarily on athleticism and lining up 10 better athletes then throwing in a few more as subs...and as the competition can match the athleticims and bring similar or superior skill to the table that style shows it's limitations. Just like with the women's national team, dominance at UNC is on the wane. The team faile to win the title 2 times in it's first 15 years, and has now won 2 of the past 6...still impressive but cracks are forming, despite still essentially getting the pick of the litter in recruiting.

Bill Irwin (Portland, U-21 WNT) seems the logical choice.

Think many posts miss the point. We need big, strong, fast AND skillful, crafty, creative players. Neither the Germans or the US are going to beat the Brazilians by throwing their programs overboard and taking samba lessons. We have the tools and the players, but the system Ryan asked them to play within has been exposed as inadequate to keep up with the development of the womens game.

Related to the press question about the US finding faster players -

Would it be a good thing for Cat Whitehill to lose 30 pounds so that she wouldn't embarass herself trying to keep up with Cristiane, or would that have a negative impact on her ability to boom the ball 60 yds?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Brazil was awesome and maybe the US would have lost anyway but I think the US would have had a better chance with Solo's ability to keep the ball in the opponents side of the pitch on goal kicks and clears. The defense did not have the usual time to regroup and form up that they usually have with the big foot of Solo. I don't understand why the coach did not think this a significant factor?

I don't agree at all with Ryan's decision to bench Solo, but coming out in an interview like that against your coach and against your team is pathetic. Hey Hope, leave being a prick in the media to Terrell Owens and show some class and keep it behind closed doors.

I've lost a ton of respect for her at this point. She can and should be frustrated, but what she did is terrible.

Dear Coach Ryan,

We accept your resignation.

USWNT supporters

Anyone who knows anything about soccer and watched the game with an objective eye will tell you that the US was dominated from start to finish by an excellent Brazzilian team. No goalkeeper could have stopped those goals.
I played soccer all my life in Africa, Europe and the US and I can tell you that Hope's remarks were so unprofessional and defy an unwritten rule about what soccer playrs are all about.
Are we upset because Scurry, the best woman goalkeeper in the world replaced a white, blonde girl? I hope not.

First, Solo should have waited to speak to the press until her emotions were under control. Her comments, while honest I'm sure, are not good for her or the team at that moment.

Second, has anyone asked Ryan directly to walk through his thought process for the GK change? It seems to me that he needs to explain, on some level what he based such a radical move upon - and I haven't seen that even asked.

Third, as some have stated, the lost story here is the US getting their butts handed to them by a more creative, more athletic side in Brazil. The US better start to look at their approach at all levels are they will be a has-been soon as these other countries continue to improve. But with Sunil in charge, I have no confidence that will happen.

Thing is, this game has already been played. We will never truly know whether putting Hope in as GK would have made any difference.

Besides, even with Hope in as GK in the previous games, most knowledgable observers (of whom I know I'm not) were pretty critical of the WNT's play despite their winning their games.

Of COURSE Hope is gonna say that she coulda stopped those shots. I'd be more worried if she thought the opposite. Besides, Bri probably thought the same thing of Hope during the North Korea game.

If it ain't broke...

Way to go, Mike! You've taken a discussion that was about the coach's ineptitude and turned it into a discussion of race! Just what we needed! While you're at it, why not suggest that the reason that all of us American fans (of all races) are pissed off about this loss is not because we support our team and country, but really because a team of all-white girls was beaten by a team of all-black girls. Just like how we all screamed when Brazil beat Australia. Get a clue.

DING DING DING
Thanks for finding that race card Mike!

Even if it has absolutely nothing to do with this matter, it's always welcome everywhere...it's like the new black....woops, I mean it's always in style.

For Ryan to suggest that there is a third goalie he will play shows that he doesn't know anything about building loyalty or team chemistry.

Posted by: Sean | September 28, 2007 10:48 AM
__________________________________________

The third-string keeper (in this case, Nicole Barnhart) is as much a part of the team as anyone else. Besides, as I pointed out in another thread yesterday, trying to choose between Scurry and Solo at this point would only rub salt into the wounds, in all likelihood.

Love the Bill Irwin suggestion. As a former goal keeper, you can be sure that he wouldn't have thrown his starting keeper under the bus.

Amid all of this ruckus I have only seen the "background story" of the 25-second Hope Solo interview written down in one place, in the blog of the interviewer.

He works for CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Co.) and he happened to be standing in the press-athlete "MixZone" just after the game, with his cameraman, hoping to get snippets from players. Hope Solo came stalking by on her way to the locker room, accompanied by some press officer for the US team, a Mr. Heifetz. I guess the reporter could tell that she was royally p***ed off, so he asked her if she had any comment. This Mr. Heifetz said something like: "She's not speaking to the press today," like Big Daddy, and that's when she went off. She brushed off the press officer, and let it rip with her now-famous words, the clip that ESPN etc. ran so many times. Then she kept right on walking. The Canadian reporter said he heard her blowing up at Heifetz a few seconds later after they'd moved away, like "Don't ever tell me who I'm not going to talk to!" or words to that effect.

So it can be said in her favor that she didn't seek out the press to complain, but was caught at a very, very raw moment just after the game in a kind of ambush interview. Clearly she's a very passionate, competitive young lady (24?) and maybe lost her judgment in her rage. They aren't machines.

I don't see her as criticizing Brianna Scurry directly, only saying she would have done a better job in goal. Brianna Scurry is closer to 40 than 30, and was way out of practice. I agree with Solo.

As for the 51-game streak, it was a joke that ended up being on us: a reminder that there's a reason that 'friendlies' are called that. WC, Olympics = whole 'nother ball game.

I don't know if a goalie change could have saved us, because the REST of the play on our side after years of steady and well-funded "development" was so haphazard and unimpressive. THAT'S why I think Ryan should be fired, not because of his gamble on Brianna. It's not like the rest of the team was going great! The team was lucky just to get through the first round and the quarters: put back on their heels by NK, held to a 1-0 (?) score by Nigeria whom they used to own, depended largely on British mistakes in one short span to win that game.

Mike,
We've been questioning Ryan from game 1 on Sept. 11. His formations, player selections, and substitutions have eroded our confidence in his coaching abilities. The way he handled the GK switch was just another self-inflicted wound.

Absolutely no problem with Hope Solo's comments. Greg Ryan absolutely blew it. An indefensible decision to change keepers like that. Maybe Brazil was better, but it wouldn't have been an embarrassment if Solo was in goal. Now, that referee should voluntarily resign from officiating immediately or be fired unceremoniously. Boxx's 2nd yellow was the worst call I have ever seen in a soccer game I think.

The media's biased against a black keeper, I mean QB...

Thanks mike! You caught us.

Very interesting in light of yesterday's thread . . . the audio of the Ryan press conference I couldn't hear the question but in the answer he talks about how in 2003 he was charged with scouting the Brazilians, and he met with the Brazilian guy who identifies talent. The Brazilian guy said he could only find a few hundred players (so apparently there are not "a thousand Martas") and Ryan asked where he found them since there is no formal development system. The answer is men's amateur leagues, playing in the street, the parking lot, wherever they can play, but the main theme was "their commitment to constantly play." And the other thing Ryan touched on was their culture of being raised in and watching the game.

Also interesting to me -- the most direct questions came from Foudy (Was it a mistake to change keepers?) and (I believe) from Insider (Are you worried about your job security?) These would be the 2 obvious questions, but didn't get asked until halfway through.

Hope was way out of line. The switch in Keepers was the coach's decision.
As for the game. Brazil completely out played the US. Time of possesion was almost 2 to 1. Shots on goal was 18 to 7.
The Brazilian Keeper was seldom tested. Plus The US played the second Half with 10 players.
Lets focus on the real issue. Brazil was BETTER that day.
The other team comes to play too.
Even if Hope was in goal they would have still lost. thats just the way the ball bounces.

Just caught this on Goffinho's article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092700756.html

"We are not where we were 10 years ago," U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said. "It's not because we are not better; it's because everyone else is rapidly investing in the game. Am I concerned? No. We lost in the World Cup semifinals. That's very disappointing, but we'll keep going."

In case you missed it:
"Am I concerned? No."

The opposite of prescient, to answer your question Section 410, is "head up your a**"

Was that Jim Mike Heifetz with Hope?

Solo spoke the truth. Ryan made an abysmal mistake, and should lose his job forthwith. He is now the Steve Sampson of the US Women's National Team. Generations will speak his name with contempt.

Anthony - thanks for the background.

Here's a link to the blog

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifawomens/blog-paul/2007/09/ryans_goalkeeper_switch_backfi.html

I think Hope had every right to say what she said. Ryan was absolutely wrong and she voiced her frustration. Think about it. If you worked your entire life to play in games like this and the coach benches you, you should be a bit angry. Hope is the best women's GK today and the coach should start the best GK. It would have served her no good if she kept this to herself. She made the right decision to come out in public to voice her displeasure with Ryan. Ryan made the wrong choice at the wrong time. He should be fired!

Thanks, emanon, the blog itself is of course superior to my own fading memory. It seems that Solo had already even walked past the reporter until she heard Aaron Heifetz being the boss-man, and it was the last straw.

Goffer,

something to look into when you get back. Mercedes Benz has just announced it is getting out of sponsoring tennis (ATP) and looking at other sport sponsorships, including SOCCER.

Goten Lieb, we have arrived!

"Threw her under the bus" ??? Please. He's the coach, deal with it.
His decision didn't work out? Wrong, the game was lost in the midfield and to a better team . . . although it will be pinned on Ryan.
Let's hope this is a learning experience for Solo. Understandable emotion (and, of course, a goalie will believe she'd have made every save), understandable mistake (talking to the media while still angry), and a lamentable outcome that tarnishes her rep.

We must admit one thing: Bazil was way better than us. No matter who the goalie was, we still would have lost the game. This team struggled throughout the tournment.
With all this talk Scurry/Hope, I can help but htink of the Iraq war: No matter who the General in charge is we are still getting our behind kicked despites the HEROIC and unselfish sacrifices of our MEN and WOMEN.

Stop b&tching about the gk change.. yes it made unnecessary extra talk in the locker room, but lets face it, Brasil was a thousand times better than the US, much better control, better team chemistry.. they showed that since day one. Everyone just like me is just upset about our winning "record", but sorry.. US shouldve lost the first and third game for all I know. Brasil is a much better team all around and so is Germany. wake up people, Its time to rebuild. too many oldies on our team who didnt contribute much but get to play because of their "seniority status" . and to Hope Solo.. what you said was classless, youre a good keeper but even the best of keepers wouldve not done a much better job than what scurry did. you finished destroying the little harmony there was on this team. I Hope you never come back to team USA.

Greg Ryan, nice knowing you....but Happy trails because there is no way that you remain the WNT coach after pulling of, what many are calling, the worse decision in US Soccer history (Yes you have now valuted past the hiring of Steve Sampson as MNT coach)

I think had Hope started, we would have played with more confidence, possessed the ball more, and won the game. I think, the mind games that Gre Ryan played with his own team was shocking. As a USSF "B" license coach, I understand that working with girls is so different, than with the boys.

You just cant play these mind games with your own team. Basically, Hope was spot on, that in this situation, you can't analyze it like baseball and just bring in your "closer".

I always subscribe to picking players who are in form, and leaving those who are out. I think she was spot on with her remarks. And I just don't think that we get into all these problems with her starting. I think the move just really shook the team to the core, because it was now planted in the teams head, that ......basically Brazil would be attacking and scoring....and our girls would not be doing that.

And the fact that Greg Ryan doesnt admit his mistake is pure "USSF talk" that everything we do is correct.

chivas fired their coach today

Brazil KILLED this team. anyone who saw it knows the reason we lost is they were the MUCH better team, despite eric wynalda's comments last night on espn2, which were pretty much "fire the coach, he lost the game for us."

Yes, I was definatley upset that he pulled Solo because Scurry is black.

Even with all your incredible travels and soccer experience (is that supposed to be impressive? You're in Washington, DC.. everyone has traveled and folks here are pretty enlightened...) I guess you didn't learn how not to be an idiot.

Stay focused on the issue at hand and spare us the race baloney.

"Are we upset because Scurry, the best woman goalkeeper in the world replaced a white, blonde girl? I hope not."

I will try to stay this side of the "personal attack" guideline for this blog. Mike that's an outrageous idiotic statement. Scurry may well be the best GK in the HISTORY of the game (I would say so), but right now she's not even the best keeper on the US team ("It's not 2004."). Not even Ryan would argue that she is the best on the US team now, or else why would he have started Solo for 2 years? And the best GK in the tournament is not the American (NK game) but the German, who was one of the biggest question marks coming in. Of course, she will face her sternest test Sunday.

I don't think US fans dislike Scurry for any reason, certainly not her race. I think most US fans love Scurry and always will. As low as yesterday was, 99 was much higher, and those who remember that will agree with Foudy that clearly in retrospect what Ryan did was just as devastating to Scurry as it was to Solo. Who gives a crap about Ryan's legacy, but I think EVERYONE (including Solo I bet) cares about Scurry's legacy, and it was very hard to watch her go out that way.

Posted by: Mike
Anyone who knows anything about soccer and watched the game with an objective eye will tell you that the US was dominated from start to finish by an excellent Brazzilian team. No goalkeeper could have stopped those goals.
I played soccer all my life in Africa, Europe and the US and I can tell you that Hope's remarks were so unprofessional and defy an unwritten rule about what soccer playrs are all about.
Are we upset because Scurry, the best woman goalkeeper in the world replaced a white, blonde girl? I hope not.

Mike, I agree 100% . eventually this might go down as a racial issue. I dont see it another way.

What has been lost in all the muddle about Hope Solo, Brianna Scurry and Greg Ryan is that the present crop of players are just not that good. They are young, inexperienced, not terribly skillful, and lacking imagination. Add the fact that Greg Ryan has no confidence in their abilities (check the lack of possession soccer)this team was doomed from the start. The writing was on the wall from the North Korea game. But because of earlier US dominance by a truly gifted and skilled bunch of performers, we made excuses for their poor showing with each game. Let's get real, England outplayed the US. The problem for US soccer and its supporters is that we are expecting to see the US of old. Forget about it. Ain't going to happen. For one thing, while the Mia Hamm team was exceptional, part of their success can be laid at the feet of mediocrity by their opponents. Even that team's record in big tournaments against the like of Germany and Norway weren't all that great.

I think everyone saying we would have lost anyway are missing the importance of momentum and (gag, can't believe I'm about to say this, but it's true) 'intangibles'. Yes USWNT were outplayed from start to finish, but I'm not convinced it was b/c they were incapable of competing w/ Brazil. The combination of the goalie weirdness (arguable what the effect was but I think to say it didn't matter at all is just silly) and the bogus sending-off (undeniably had a complete deflating effect) knocked them off their game irreparably. Up until Boxx's second card the possibility of a 2nd half resurgence was very real.
In any case, we will never know if a sharper keeper and a game unmarred by a major controversy would have turned out completely differently.
That said, the final is gonna be fantastic!

"Are we upset because Scurry, the best woman goalkeeper in the world replaced a white, blonde girl? I hope not.

Mike, I agree 100% . eventually this might go down as a racial issue. I dont see it another way. "

Please. Ridiculous comments like that do nothing but undermine the ability to discuss REAL racial issues. You must be sore from that incredible stretch.

Piotr Nowak for WNT coach!

This morning I read some newspapers from Brazil, and what did they say about yesterdays game? " Brazil controlled the game from start to finish" "US played like robots" "no imagination or skills" and you know what? its true.. team USA never went into this game thinking they were going to beat Brazil, lackluster play from the start , just looking for the long ball to Wammbach which never worked, never will. The lost has nothing to do with the goalkeeper change, this was a group fault! no one stepped up to the challenge.

Whoever "Mike" is...congratulations for the worst post of the day. Hahahaha, gimme a friggin break dude, honestly...gotta love that race card!! Hilarious.

I will coach the WNT very soon.

When you mess with your goalkeeper, you mess with the backbone of your team. Your goalkeeper is your quarterback. She's the last line of defense and the first line of offense. When a goalkeeper has had success on the worlds largest stage in four matches you do not replace her with a backup keeper just because they have a "winning" record vs Brazil. Look at the times Scurry beat Brazil. Who did she have playing in front of her? The likes of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandy Chastain...the true heart of US Womens Soccer. The program is now going through a rebuilding phase and has found a goalkeeper, who by the way didn't become a goalkeeper until a late age, that has no fear and can control her box with the best of them. Allowing only 2 goals in four matches is impressive, especially at the World Cup. Hope Solo got screwed by this so called "Coach". If Greg Ryan was going to pull this stunt of playing a veteran because of their PRIOR record vs a team, then he should have called Mia, Julie, Brandy, Michelle Akers and the rest of the gang out of retirement and asked them to play in China. Hope Solo is the face and future of the US Women's goalkeeping and should not have been dealt a low blow like this. If the USSF does not take action against Greg Ryan upon his return to the states it will be plain to see that the USSF is not willing to do what it takes to get better. I agree, shove the US program down Anson's throat and bring DiCicco on as his assistant.

Just to stir the pot a little bit more in response to grotus' comment that "a team of all-white girls was beaten by a team of all-black girls".....from all outward appearances, Brazil's goalie Andreia is white.

Give it a break Mike. This has nothing to do with race.

Just for poops (anyone remember Billy Madison?) and giggles, is it possible to oust Gulati?

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to this one incident. I have not been happy with his leadership since the get go. It seems decision making has been questionable, at best, at many levels at the US Soccer Fed. recently.

While I truly am thrilled and excited that it seems soccer has gone up a level in respect and general consciousness, I can't help but feeling that the powers that be are just content with recent results displayed from our teams. Furthermore, even if this wasn't the case, at what point do we inject new blood and new ideas?

I read a good article a while back about how Brazil's domestic league was not fulfilling its potential because the same coaches were always being recycled. I realize this happens everywhere in the world, no matter the sport, but soccer in the US, especially in regards to the US Soccer Fed, seems to have adopted a "Friends & Family" approach to changing things up. Things don't seem well and don't seem to be getting better anytime soom.

In regards to race, YAY!, to Mike and anyone else that feels this is the reason for the fervent backlash against the coach, I know in this crazy, mixed-up world it might not seem like a possibility, but there are people who are able to see past skin tones and stereotypes. It's real cool! :)

The recent issues facing the women's world cup team are indicative of bigger problems. If you look at both the men's 2006 and women's 2007 disappointing showings one thing shines through. Niether team prepared for success leading up to the most important sporting event(s) in the world. The men, who glaringly have a terrible record against European teams on European soil, spent the months leading up to Germany by playing small fish teams from central america, africa, etc. in their own back yards, instead of going over to europe for 6 weeks and playing european squads who didn't make the wc. All the talk about the women's team leading up to China was about a 50 game winning streak. A 50 game (3 year) winning streak is NOT A GOOD THING: no adversity, no improvement,no REAL competition, no raising the level of play...we saw that in nearly every match the u.s. women played at the WC, they struggled to put passes together, they struggled to score goals...the world has caught up and we simply sat around and watched, perhaps relying on our legacy as the world power of women's soccer. The USSF needs to take a good look at how it is preparing it's teams. Nike needs to be less of an influence on the programs as well: seeking to promote sales for US national team jerseys (red, white, blue, royal blue, pink, gold...) and shoes. Instead of having the teams play in front of home fans to earn a buck, get the teams out on the road, out of their comfort zones and in adverse situations so we can get back to winning rather than hoping for victory by default/reputation...fire Ryan, he screwed up royally! Three years in the making. Solo, although what she said had merritt, was done the wrong way, she needs to be disciplined too, but also needs to be kept in the mix for the future. As for the Norway game, I say play all the Bench players, including the 3rd string keeper...it's a meaningless game so why not let some of the players (who haven't played yet) who earned the right to play get a shot!

Mitch:
If Greg Ryan was going to pull this stunt of playing a veteran because of their PRIOR record vs a team, then he should have called Mia, Julie, Brandy, Michelle Akers and the rest of the gang out of retirement and asked them to play in China.

I would have loved to see that! And it would have made a hell of a concept for a feel-good movie, like "Space Cowboys".

While what Hope Solo said may not have been directed at Scurry, the bottom line is that it was putting down her teammate whether directly or indirectly. I don't care at all whether she went after Ryan, but she should have kept it at that. Scurry has given too much to the game to have to listen to that especially since the decision to play was not hers. (Unless someone thinks she should have refused the start).

Todd.. Excellent post! but your opinion about Solo getting disciplined is not going to happen to the dislike of every true soccer fan out there... ESPN.com reports that Ryan is looking to reconcile with Solo.

Dangit people! I have work to do. If this rate of posting continues, I'm gonna need a podcast of the blog.

Again, though I think it will get lost in the shuffle, from Tarik's Caps blog -

Also, I'm told that people who have a DC United ticket from this season, used or not, can redeem it at Verizon Center for a free ticket to Sunday's preseason game against the Sens. You don't actually have to hand over the ticket if you collect them for some reason. Just present it at the F Street box office and you'll be given a ticket for the game.

See the entry here
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2007/09/odds_and_ends.html#comments

I saw the US team play Japan in the warm-up to the WC and was let down at that time by the quality of play. The Japanese, although beat fairly easily, were far more creative in the midfield and controlled most of the game. I watched the WC games on TV and saw the same style of play, serve the ball forward, hope Abby gets it, maybe she will score. No build up, no passing, a total lack of creativity. I was surprised we got as far as we did. Fire Ryan.

Hope Solo let Greg Ryan off the hook with her comments. If she had just kept her mouth shut all of the conversation would have been about how bad Ryan's decisions were and how he has to go. By saying anything Solo has allowed the general chatter to center on a Solo vs. Ryan and whether she should apologize vs. whether he should go.

From a tactical standpoint she should have allowed commentators / writers to make her points for her - I'm pretty sure that 99% of soccer people would have agreed with her.

Anyways, Ryan has got to go

There is no question that Coach Ryan made the wrong decision. I say this not in hindsight but simply from common sense. Goalkeepers keep goal regardless of the opponent or the style of a particular team, therefore her lack of experience against Brazil is a non-issue.
Hope Solo's reaction nonetheless is totally selfish and unprofessional. It lays blame on Scurry and trashes and disrespects her performance, when Scurry did not make the decision. Though she didn't deserve to be benched, Solo's performance despite the shutouts was spotty at best, in particular against North Korea.
The real issue is the world has surpassed the US in the women's game, and the result would have been no different if Solo was in goal. Grow up Hope.

Lost in all this jingoist banter about Ryan and Solo is the simple fact that Brasil worked us over. It seems no one gives them credit.

The goalie issue is a joke.

I watched 15 minutes of that game and can tell you it didn't matter who was in goal. Brasil was all over the slower, foul happy U.S. side. In the little I watched, there were three US yellows (one could have been red) and two Brasil goals.

Va Brasil! Jugo Bonito!

This game may be far more significant to American women's soccer than the 1999 world championship final,but not because of Ryan, Solo, et al. Has anyone thought what all the future women soccer players in this country (ages 7-12yrs) will think when they see this game on TV? I can guarantee you that they will not want to be like Wambach, Boxx, and the other lumbering behemoths we watched yesterday, they will want to be like Marta. Hopefully, the leaders of women's soccer in this country will get message too, although I am sure it will take them longer. The future players are out there, but we need a soccer program run by people who understand and know what the beautiful game is about.

I think Ryan used the seminfinal to get the rust off Scurry, and she is ready for the third place game.

Interesting comments by Neid in the attached.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20070928/tsp-as-spt-soc-wwcup-germany-732c0cd.html

Germany coach Silvia Neid was more disappointed in the U.S. than impressed by Brazil, saying her team would not give the flamboyant South Americans the space afforded by the below-par Americans.

"I was surprised by the United States," Neid said. "I have never seen them play like that before. They were never in the game, and when they went behind they just couldn't pick themselves up."

"You could see the Brazilian players were dancing around the ball in front of the Americans, who were standing off them. If it was one of my defenders, I would have told her to go in for the ball."

Translation from German: Try that against us and we'll break your leg.

as in physics, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Ryan acted (foolishly I might add) and Hope reacted (also foolishly but from sheer emotion).

how do you justify changing the dynamics, chemistry and tactical reference point (e.g., team's confidence in the keeper position) before the most important game in years by switching keepers at such a an inopportune time. Scurry is a great keeper, without question. She is not to blame for the loss. On a "team first level" though, the team had been riding the shoulders of Hope all the way to the semi's- why change horses?? In science if you mix the wrong chemicals, something is likely to explode. BOOM!! this coaching decision clearly exploded!!

It is time to appease Steinbog with the token rugby entry: The USA was edged by Samoa on Wednesday, their last chance to avoid returning from France emptyhanded, given that they don't have a prayer against South Africa in their one remaining match.

If you will excuse the reference to a competitor's blog, here is another take on what really gave the Canarinhas their edge; it is yet another strike against Ryan (and secondarily, BSPN's coverage):

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/what-greg-ryan-said-that-fired-up-the-brazilians/

Marta is certainly amazing. The US was unable to contain her at all. Can we get her to play in the MLS? I think that would be interesting and perhaps fun.

I've been surprised by the overall play of the US in WC07. Is this not the best batch of players we have or has the overall coaching made us worse? I don't think a single decision makes or breaks a team.

The second yellow against Boxx was a travesty. Is there any news about the ref?

What will happen versus Norway?

1. Ryan made big mistakes when it counted most. Yes, let's go with Dorrance.
2. Hope needs to apologize to Bri.
3. Ryan's mistakes and red card notwithstanding, we wouldn't have won that game. Brazil is a much better team. We have a ways to go to reach that level.

Keep blaming the coach and Solo and close your eyes to the fact that the rest of the world has caught up and results like this will become the norm.

Reminds me of when the mens Russian Hockey coach benched his best goalie against the Amercans at Lake Placid in the 1980 Olympics.

Surri looked like she didn't know what a soccer ball looked like.

Horrible decision.......Solo has a right to complain publicly.

I don't know. I just can't help but appreciate Solo's honesty in this. Right or wrong, you just don't get much of that from athletes these days. She basically said what everybody in the world knew she had to be thinking. Good for her.

After the umteenth post, just can't help but comment on this... On this blog and the NYT soccer blog, every few posts there is a comment to the effect of "Shut up about all this stuff - Brazil would have won no matter what."

Yes, Brazil played brilliantly. Yes, the US would have been hard pressed with the Brazil team we saw Thursday regardless of playing, coaching, and officiating variables. Is this a new age of dominance in soccer - quite probably (though after watching almost every USWNT game for the past two years I think the US is better than what we saw this Cup).

However, to state that the possibly superiority of another team negates looking at your own mistakes just doesn't make sense.

The USWNT will continue to play (under a coach, with a general strategy and style, with a lead goalkeeper, with or without team cohesion) in the future. Learning from what went right and wrong in the Cup and over the past few years is the only way any team can hope to compete at a top level.

So yesterday's problems are absolutely relevant -- whether or not they would have changed the win to a loss. Plus, there is a valid sense of frustration. Especially given the strength of the Brazil team -- you make damn sure to play your best team at the best strength that you can.

It is also relevant because one loss does not equal another - the team you've counted on should be able to come up big, or short, on their own accord. And I tend to believe the play would not have been so lopsided if Ryan had preserved the defensive core (I've been a fan of Brianna for years, but it was a dumb move for many reasons).

Better check Ryan's bank account(s)...I'm sure there was a large deposit made after the US lost against Brazil.

I think it's amusing that the answer to "It's Ryan's fault for benching Solo" is "the game was lost in the midfield."

Does team unity, cohesiveness, and psychology mean nothing? Is ti not possible that the decision was morale draining?

Hope Solo should have kept her mouth shut. No one was crying about her subpar play against NKorea. I say give her a reason to whine and sit her out AGAIN for the 3rd place game. Support your teammates no matter what, you're representing YOUR COUNTRY! No class at all.

And "the game was lost in the midfield" does not absolve Ryan it condemns him.

I have to say I disagree with the general sentiment on this blog. Solo is not keeper for life and she acted like a spoiled child when she was benched. Being on a team means that the team is more important than the individual. Ryan knows this but Solo doesn't get it apparently.

Ryan screwed up but was there anyone on the USWNT who hasd a perfect tournament? Not that I saw. The US team is not as good as Brazil or Germany. I'm surprised that no one else thinks this is worth discussing, but instead wants to beat this stupid GK controversy to death.

This article on yahoo sports tells of some former players reactions:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ms-gregryan092807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

When Foudy, Chastain, and Hamm speak, we should listen. The blame lies squarely on Ryan's shoulders, and Solo had no business trashing Brianna. Those of us who've been fans of the team and the game from the beginning - in the 90's - are well aware of Scurry's prowess in the net, and Hope's got a way to go to come close to her. It's unforunate that the situation she was put in would've been tough for any keeper in the same context, and it's real easy to claim you would have done a better job when you weren't out there. Hope's got no class dissing Scurry.
Besides, the team as a whole looks terrible. The keeper didn't lose this game for them. The program needs to be revamped, and the first thing to go is the coach. Drop the keeper thing already - it's just one thing in a LONG line of screw-ups that this coach and his predecesser have committed to seriously damage what used to be the best team in the world.

There's no reason to change a goalie in the middle of the world cup for anything other than bad play or an injury. Solo had neither and she was benched. The U.S. coach made a horrible decision not trusting his players to play well. Though I must admit U.S. was thoroughly outplayed the entire game.

Here is another take on the situation.

http://www.barefootballer.com/blog/

Longtime fan, that is a great post and a great article. Foudy says it all, even if you discount Chastain because she has an axe to grind.

Hope never called out her teammate - all she ever said was "I would have saved those shots".

Um, no. Go listen again.

Perhaps Hope should have remained quiet and supportive of the team, at least until the tournament is over, but any competitor would be angry about being benched, especially for the semi-finals of the World Cup. However, the root of the entire issue is Ryan's poor decision making. There is no room to question Hope's choice to speak out without first questioning Ryan's choice to upset the apple cart.

If Soccer Insider gets this many comments (and untold silent readers) during WWC, I can't wait until South Africa 2010 for the men's version!

Was Soccer Insider up and running for Germany '06? I wasn't a reader then. Any loyal readers know how many postings it got?
Thanks.

"I think had Hope started, we would have played with more confidence, possessed the ball more, and won the game."

You're dreaming. Brazil outplayed the US all over the field - except in goal, since we never got a shot on except for Lilly's - and the credit goes to them.
Ryan should be fired not just for this one game but for his abysmal and inept coaching that has really caused the US team to deteriorate - in skill, speed, creativity, you name it.

Hope Solo's comments on her comments:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=119877178&blogID=314148328

If link doesn't work it's her myspace page (look up by her name).

While it's clear that Brazil played better than the US, without the goalie change, Brazil may not have scored either of the first half goals. Without the red card, the US may have been able to come back. The combination of the US women not playing at their best, the Brazilians playing at their best, the goalie change and the poor officiating caused the lopsided result. Never in their wildest dreams did Brazil expect to win 4-0.

If Soccer Insider gets this many comments (and untold silent readers) during WWC, I can't wait until South Africa 2010 for the men's version!

Was Soccer Insider up and running for Germany '06? I wasn't a reader then. Any loyal readers know how many postings it got?
Thanks.
------------------------
David - yes it was, and it was manditory reading for those of us not in Germany. Thousands of posts. Great stuff!

I think had Hope started, we would have played with more confidence, possessed the ball more, and won the game.

And if you have a defender that knows better than to go that low in a diving header that close to your own goal in front of your own keeper, you don't get that first goal. Not even Hope stops that blunder.

I'm sorry, but for all of you who still think Scurry is still world class, she got beat near post. That's inexcusable for a keeper. Whether it was due to her being rusty from not playing, or simply slower reactions doesn't really matter. If the WNT can't find a keeper that can make that save consistently, they don't deserve to be in the World Cup Quarters. If they can't find a coach willing to put said keeper in...ditto.

I believe it was a BAD decision to put Brianna in goal instead of Hope Solo. Hope has played well over the past year and deserved the chance to play against Brazil. Nothing against Scurry... I was happy to have her in goal through the years, but Hope should have played and the coach should admit his mistake. In regards to Hope's comments, while I typically believe those thoughts should be shared in private with the team, this decision was SO BAD that i can understand Hope's inability to keep her feelings to herself.

People,
Irrespective of who kept goal, how does that affect our 7 shots on goal. While Brazil is competent defensively, they are hardly dominant. How exactly did Ryan's decision prevent our attacking players from showing up. The focus is in the wrong place and if Hope Solo believes she is that good (and she is NOT) to impact that game, she is fooling herself. Unless she could turn into Mia Hamm of 1999, we had no hope. Brasil totally outclassed us.

"Soccer Insider," as we know it, started in January 2007. During WC06, Post writers (IIRC: Goffinho, Camille Powell, Jon DeNunzio, and Jason LaCanfora) blogged about soccer, the ambience in Germany, and sausages. It was, indeed, mandatory reading and proved that there are several sportswriters at the Post who are conversant in soccer.

If Hope Solo violated an "unwritten rule" about critizing the coaches decision, then why do care about ANY sports interview? Why do we care about what any athlete has to say in any interview when they can only be honest when they have something nice to say. I think it was refreshing to see an interview of a passionate athelete who was heart-sick and angry at the coaches decision -- it was real.

I've heard enough, "I just want to do my part to help the team" and "the coach must have had good reasons." All of that is just noise.

The comments don't effect team cohesion because the next World Cup is now 4 years away and the Olympics is still a year away -- it won't even be a memory by then.

If she gets punished for honesty then I am through with Women's Soccer.

On a side note, what's with the "BSPN" instead of ESPN? I truly don't know, but if it's what I think, well, that's bad.

Positive news from Brazil regarding the women's game.

Just hours after Sepp Blatter plead for the creation of a women's league in Brazil, the Brazilian federation unveiled plans for a cup tournament to start at the end of October (yep, this year).

The Women's Brazil Cup will follow the same format as the men's equivalent tournament (with roughly two teams from each of Brazil's 28 states expected to compete).

The Brazilian federation also announced that the ultimate goal is to establish a national league championship in the next year or so.

Certainly they're riding the current wave of support from people back in Brazil. The level of play of the women's game has for the first time touched the imagination of male soccer fans in the country (which is needed for long term survival of the women's game in Brazil).

Several Brazilian men skipped work to watch the women play on national TV against the USA (an unusual, unprecedented fact that drew attention and coverage from national news stations)

Hopefully, the Brazilian federation will continue to improve its support of the women's game after this world cup. This should be good news not only for Brazil but for women's soccer all over the world.

No, it's not what you're thinking of, its "B as in Beckham"

By the way, speaking of brazilian "class", the brazilian player who intentionally drew the bogus foul on Boxx makes me sick. Watched it again last night and the way she immediately puts up her fingers to indicate a second yellow and jumps up clapping for joy is despicable. Great sportsmanship.

That being said, they do play a great game that our women would do well to learn from (minus the diving).

Given the bad ref call (and sorry, a missed PK in US favor does not equalize a man-down yellow card issuing) I've checked the blog for the US contingent of officiators. They don't address Thursday directly but there is an entry:

"Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes. They are much appreciated. . Unfortunately there was a delay in announcing appointment and we will not know final appointments until Saturday afternoon (Shanghai time). Please check back often on Saturday for the latest news. Until then keep your positive vibes coming."

Not too illuminating but the delay in announcing officials for the final suggests they are at least taking things seriously and looking for quality calls for final.

No, it's not what you're thinking of, its "B as in Beckham"

Posted by: ChelseaFC | September 28, 2007 03:39 PM
_________________________________________

To elaborate, I believe Goff himself first used the term "BSPN" to make fun of the excessive focus on Beckham, even when he was on the bench and there was a game in progress on the pitch that was being virtually ignored. If the term is a double entendre that also comments on ESPN's overall competence, all the better.

Many thoughts.

1. Ryan screwed up by benching Solo. It probably did mess with team chemistry. Solo was blindsided--had no idea that was coming (unlike telling GKs before the WC "I'm not sticking with the same player all tournament--expect tactical switches."

2. Solo screwed up big-time with her comments. Yes, she did blast Scurry (though not by name) with her comments about how this isn't 1999. Even Keller-Friedel in it's worst moments never got that bad.

3. And that's all pretty much irrelevant b/c the USA got schooled by Brazil. Now I do think you can make a case for how Solo stops the first goal b/c she calls for the ball (and a rusty Scurry who isn't strong in the air doesn't) and a rusty Scurry gets beat near post on a good but not great shot. And maybe the CCR wipes the sweat from her eyes a second earlier and doesn't eject Boxx. But that's about it folks. Maybe instead of a 4-0 smacking it's only 2-0. And if you look at the entire tournament, the USA never owned midfield, never looked comfortable and looked like the lesser team against NK and Brazil.

4. Yeah, fire Ryan. But those who think it's all about the coach didn't watch the whole tournament and are wearing blinders. NK was unknown to us b/c they don't compete for 4 years. Brazil's program was on hiatus until just before the WC. Other teams that have been ranked in the past like Canada shut down their programs at various times. We beat up on teams in off-years and benefit from our organization. What this WC tells us is that when other countries get a chance to get organized, we struggle big time. Forget that we made semis, if we get a bad break and Wambach breaks a foot before the WC, does anyone think we make it out of our group?

5. And no, Dorrance ain't the answer either. What's happening now is that our program (fed off of college soccer and residency camps) provides organization and a big advantage in the off-tournament years. But it's now proven it's just not enough. A USSF staff coach (without competitive pro experience) is probably at a disadvantage. And college soccer has it's limitations as well (where if you have great rep and can recruit, you'll have a strong program). I'm not arguing that Dorrance is all about recruiting only that it's not clear to me that he's going to produce our equivalent of Marta.

Here's the case in point: Scurry hadn't played a competitive match since early June. Scurry said she was sharp. Ryan felt the same. What planet do two people live on that they think a GK who is just in camp and intra-squad scrimmages is game sharp? MLS teams (not Premiership teams, just MLS) tell you that after 10 days without a game they're not sharp and you see it on the field. Someone who has coached in a competitive professional league for a couple of years could tell you the same thing as well. And that doesn't mean that the final result is Ryan's fault.

Right now, the WNT program will produce a solid team with a lot of depth that will steamroll most sides in offyears and be a serious contender for the #3, #4, #5, #6 or #7 slot in the world and if the planets align or the team gets a few breaks, win the WC. But right now, Brazil and Germany aren't just better than the USA, they're significantly better.

5. Let me respond to the racism angle. I think Ryan's point about Scurry being the best GK in women's history is hyperbole. She was a great athlete. But Solo beat her out for the #1 spot. And I'm not even sure I'd say Solo is the best GK in women's soccer. Finally, for a GK, decision-making and timing are critical. Scurry was of the NT for 2 years and hasn't played a lot since then and her last game until the semis was in June. Probably the most comparable position I can think of in another sport would be a QB. If you had your QB retire for 2 years and then sit on the bench without playing and then play 1 match 3 months ago, you'd expect their timing to be off, their reads to be off, their decisions to be poor. The argument about Scurry and racism is baiting. Did you notice that Ryan took out a superior player (who was white) to put in Tina Ellerton (who was black)? Was there a racial angle on that as well?

Bottomline: the WNT has struggled this WC. They've worked hard. They've played well defensively and they've showed a lot of courage and fortitude. But they haven't shown creativity. They've worn opponents down and rarely did anyone say that they were the most skilled team on the field. All objective observers would say that there were at least 3 and perhaps 6 teams in the WC who played better soccer than the USA in the tournament. I don't begrudge the semis-appearance, after all I'm a fan of the German NT and the joke a Dutch fan once told me is that definition of a foot ball is that 2 teams gather, play for 90 minutes and then the Germans win. The point is, you have to admire a team who grinds out results. And that's the USWNT. But this tournament, grinding wasn't good enough and it's likely to be inadequate in the future unless we catch a break or two (which happens sometimes).

Good discussion but now it's time to move on. We have been truly humbled by a superior opponent.

Action Items:

1) Fire Greg Ryan.
2) Get rid of Scurry (past her prime)
3) Get rid of Solo (too imature)
4) Revamp the USSF leadership
5) Revamp the USSF development program
6) Stop selecting players based on mainly physical attributes and add more weight to ball skills and field awareness
7) What else?

OFF TOPIC

Goff,

Can you comment on Chivas Coach José Manuel de la Torre being canned after the UNited game??????

Thanks, we miss you!

Mighty!

BSPN = Beckham Soccer Promotional Network.
Comes from the Beckham promotional tour, and the much-hated Beckham cam.

All the talk about our team being strong minded...

Exhibiting no emotions and making no mistakes is lifeless, not mentally tough.

We crumbled under pressure.

Responding to Move On:

I think that getting rid of BOTH of our top two keepers is a great way to improve our quality of play.

Great points Move On.

My brainstorm:

- Let girls and boys play together in pick up games and tournaments (in case they HAVE to wear their shinguards, you know, for safety)
- Don't allow youth coaches who never played soccer before OR cannot juggle at least 20 times in a row with each leg.
- Sit down your girls youth teams and have them watch Barcelona, Arsenal, Milan and a host of other good MEN'S teams play.

"But those who think it's all about the coach didn't watch the whole tournament and are wearing blinders."

But it is - the coach directs the style of play. If what Foudy said in the yahoo sports article is accurate (and why wouldn't it be) - he had the players practicing separate from each other? Midfielders with one coach, defenders with another, etc?? No cohesion? Are you kidding me? That, and the reliance of long ball "get it to Abby" is right out of bad youth soccer, where the whole purpose is to get the ball to one player, who, sorry guys, she's just a big bruiser who has a lot of goals by sheer force against lesser opponents. She's not "the next Mia" by a long shot.
We need a REAL coach, who understands the game.

On a bright note, Chalupny is the player to watch. She shows the promise.

I'll add:

- Play futsal and NEVER allow them to use walls (i.e. - indoor soccer)
- Praise skill and individuality.
- Get rid of whiny girls and parents (they'll never amount to much in soccer)

Just out of curiosity, do people out there have any thoughts about players who were left off the 21-player roster, but whom you thought should have been included? People who weren't getting called up for friendlies at the pre-WWC stage? Perhaps Ryan's feet should have been held to the fire at a much earlier stage.

Also:
-Only allow poor people onto the team. Only by emerging from poverty can any player hope to have creativity in their game.

"BSPN" is "Beckham Sports Programming Network". Goff coined the term during the run-up to Goldenballs' arrival Stateside. It's not what you're thinking, truly wondering.

What about?

- Teach your girls to embarass their oppornents with fakes, dribbles, step over, nut meggs and the like. That's not disrespect for the opponnentss but love for the game. It's disrespectful to the game to be paralyzed while someone dances with the ball in front of you.
- If you have little girls and parents telling you that "their needs are not being met", just tell them to "drop some of their needs."

I'm loving this discussion! Can a transcript be sent to the USSF?

-Do not just eliminate whiny players. Eliminate all emotion (unless it can be properly marketed for a BSPN special interest story)

re: "- Don't allow youth coaches who never played soccer before OR cannot juggle at least 20 times in a row with each leg."

Jeff,

I'm one of those youth coaches who never played the game and can't juggle a ball 20 times. (5 times is my best.)

I won't bother challenging your point that coaches like me are the problem. I just want to point out that without us, many kids would have no coaches. Despite my limitations, I have actually produced a few decent soccer players and several winning teams.

I truly doubt that players on any of the national teams (junior teams also) are coming from coaches like me, but even if they are, who selected them?

On the other hand, the next generation of youth soccer will have a much larger pool of game-experienced adults to coach them. It just reflects where we are as a soccer nation.

- Have the girls come out to practice every so often and REMOVE their shoes, socks and shin guards. Run the entire practice barefooted. (ok, don't start crying about it, they'll get used to it after a while).

If the parents threaten to sue you because Angie's foot is getting a little rough, drop Angie and everybody who looks like Angie from the team.

Poverty is a lot easier to be copied than affluence.

Note: I am NOT kidding.

ho, I think your missing the joke here

Ho, without trying to hurt your feelings, but the discussion is around creating INTERNATIONAL caliber women players for the US.

Your community duty is appreciated but your players will probably never reach that level. You will add to the volume of players and people interested in the game in the US, and that is a good thing.

- Another important point: the only good thing about English youth coaches is that they speak English.

Since they've been doing this for a long time, if their style was successful, it would have shown internationally by now.

I would like to add to the list:

- If you are under the age of 70 and coach youth soccer, you MUST play at least once a week in a pick up game or league.

Some enjoyable reading in this thread today.

I think these last few posts are very insightful. We should think differently about our issues.

Great discussion!

Just for the record, I did not take anything personally or miss the levity. (I did miss some of the additions while I drafted my post.)

My point was that not allowing certain people to coach youth will not improve the quality of International caliber players. We just need to find more coaches who can juggle a ball and direct players with potential towards them.

""Does team unity, cohesiveness, and psychology mean nothing? Is it not possible that the decision was moral