Moments after the USA women’s soccer team were ousted by Sweden in the Olympic quarterfinals Friday, controversial goalkeeper Hope Solo lashed out at her victorious opponents.
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Both sides had goals chalked off for marginal decisions deep into extra-time and the game went to a penalty shoot-out.
Tied after three rounds in the shootout, Sweden captain Caroline Seger shot past Solo.
It would be hard to eliminate the United States without courage.
They lost in the quarterfinals to Sweden in a penalty shootout.
Also, Michael Phelps looks to add to his gold medal haul in the men’s 100 meter butterfly finals 24 hours after winning the 200 individual medley final for his fourth gold of 2016.
Pia Sundhage’s response to Hope Solo’s cowards comment: I don’t give a crap.
“We lost to a bunch of cowards”, Solo said following the USA defeat in a penalty shootout against Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Substitute Stina Blackstenius gave Sweden a shock lead at half time before Alex Morgan levelled the game at 1-1.
“I was really optimistic”.
“The best teams in the world have to deal with inferior opposition that bunkers in and defends”, former USA men’s captain Alexei Lalas said in a tweet. “But it just wasn’t our day today”.
They will be joined in the semi-finals by Germany, who beat China 1-0, and Canada, who overcame France by the same margin. Then again, Brazil also needed a shootout to advance past Australia.
As Sweden celebrated, US captain Carli Lloyd crouched on the field at Mane Garrincha Stadium in disbelief.
Solo would have been far better off if she’d led with that second part, and never bothered with the first. “I thought we had many opportunities on goal”.
Perhaps the greatest example of not being able to accept defeat came from the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. “I think it was very cowardly”, – Solo went out swinging on Friday.
“I thought that we played a courageous game”, Solo reportedly said.
The league seems to be, more or less, on break at the moment thanks to the Rio Olympics and the associated women’s football tournament, which is where we find Chelsea goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, the hero of Sweden.
“I’m going to Rio, she’s going home”.
As a high school freshman, she said, she even wanted the exact same uniform as her. Goalkeepers like Solo motivate Brown to make herself a better player in the net, and even on the basketball court. They didn’t want to open the game and they tried to counter with long balls.
“Sweden played a really defensive game and from what I understand the USA outshot them”.
The Sweden coach, Pia Sundhage, who led the United States to gold and the 2008 and 2012 Olympics was dismissive of Solo’s outburst. “I’m really bad at it”.
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The U.S. women are heading home without an Olympic medal for the first time. The U.S. hadn’t lost in the Games since 2008.
