In spite the turnover in the USA team’s personnel, core members of the squad remain, such as Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Solo. The game originally ended 1-1 until penalty kicks when Sweden took the upper hand.
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“Sweden dropped off. They did not want open play”. “I thought we played a gallant diversion”. “I said. I don’t know, let’s look it up, so we got on the Internet”. I think we showed a lot of heart.
Sweden are coached by Pia Sundhage, who led the U.S. team to gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics. “The best team did not win today, I strongly, firmly believe that”, Solo said.
“We played a bunch of cowards”, Solo told Sports Illustrated.
“I’m going to Rio, and she’s going home”. “I think it’s something that happens automatically, you get really inspired and focused”. “Although it was unspoken, there were times we could feel there were some uncomfortable levels around you”. “I’m going to Rio, she’s going home”.
Sundhage coached the USA team for five years and led the squad to gold medals in Beijing and London. Throughout the Olympics, crowds in Brazil booed her because of several posts she made to social media about Zika.
The fans who were there continued to jeer Solo with shouts of “Zika!” every time she touched the ball. “Zika!” almost every time she touched the ball in the opening match against New Zealand.
The 2-2 tie against Colombia in the group stage also found Solo in the headlines after she made two uncharacteristic errors. Solo called for time, waved to the referee, peeled off her gloves and asked an assistant coach for another pair. Marta scored twice in that game, but more defensive tactics could be coming from Sweden.
Solo has regularly courted controversy and Friday’s incident was not even her first in these Olympics.
But the firebrand has nevertheless disgraced her team, spat in the face of the Olympic spirit, and solidified a reputation Team USA has tried so long to shake. It was not to be. It was the Americans’ to play blithely into the trap that had obviously been set for them.
The U.S. came out early with intent and in the 4th minute, they fired a warning signal, Carli Lloyd with a lovely pass that doesn’t quite reach the wings but comes out for a corner.
“They played more attacking football then we did. It was a combative game, a physical game”.
“They executed her game plan very well”. Sundhage was a player on the Sweden team that fell 2-1 to the Americans.
“I think it was very cowardly”, Solo repeated of Sweden’s effort, which seemed quite the opposite. Because it’s a coach’s job to optimize her team’s chances of winning.
“And they’re winning all the time”. In an illuminating few moments about 600 miles apart Friday, the world saw America at its best and worst.
The Americans won their 48th consecutive worldwide tournament game, but it was anything but easy. “We played against the world champions, so that’s one reason we chose to play the way we did”.
“If those were the comments it is disappointing but we can only keep talking about how we hope athletes will treat each other, and the Olympic values”, Adams said. And the fact that … it went to penalty kicks says something about our defending.
Hungary, Greece, Spain and defending champion Croatia also won on the fourth day of the competition, sharpening the picture for the next round. But U.S. Soccer needed her to win last summer’s World Cup, and now it is paying the price for needing her again.
The Americans went down, 1-0, when Stina Blackstenius scored in the 61st minute.
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The United States tied with a shot from Morgan that bounced off a defender. It came down to penalty kicks, and Morgan’s opening shot was blocked by Swedish keeper Hedvig Lindahl. Things don’t generally go the way you need them to.
