The better team did not win today. “I strongly and firmly believe that”.
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“I think we showed a lot of heart”. That the US had “showed a lot of heart” and “American heart”.
What triggered Solo’s spray, you ask?
Solo likely did not endear herself to the Swedish team or her former coach Sundhage by changing her gloves in the middle of the penalty shootout.
Solo later told reporters that those comments came at a time when she was coping with the recent death of her father.
Lost in all the postgame drama was the spectacular play of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who plays club soccer for Chelsea. While Solo railed against the Swedes’ decision to sit back and pack their own half for most of Friday, Foudy complimented the Scandinavians for defending so effectively. Certainly. Did they have some divine right to win it for having played the more majestic soccer? No. It was a combative game. And, for their savvy game plan, deservedly so. They have incorporated the stupefying skill of Tobin Heath and Christen Press, and young attackers Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh. They didn’t want to open the game.
A counter-attack was finished by Stina Blackstenius to give Sweden the lead shortly after the hour only for Alex Morgan to sweep home a loose ball with 13 minutes remaining.
That was the tournament Ellis was pointing toward when she chose a roster for Rio that included just seven Olympic veterans.
Muhammad, who became the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab during competition earlier this week, won a bronze medal Saturday along with her teammates in the women’s team sabre event.
Russian Federation won the first four of the nine-bout semifinals to go ahead 20-12, but Muhammad slowed Russia’s momentum with a narrow victory over second-ranked Yana Egorian.
On Friday, she truly ventured things up.
Sweden celebrate their victory. But, that’s the way a soccer tournament goes sometimes.
Initially disqualified, Budd was cleared of any wrongdoing – but a furious Decker wanted no part of Budd’s olive branch.
“I have a bad rap”, she told CNN in 2012.
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Decker publicly maintained her stance in the aftermath, though she reconciled with Budd a year later and eventually accepted her share of the blame for the incident. She also knew that her team is limited going forward and had scored just twice in the group stage, barely squeaking through to the quarterfinals as the last team to qualify, with a 1-1-1 record and a minus-3 goal differential (courtesy of a 5-1 demolishing by Brazil). “Well, usually – especially with the Americans – a good team is when they’re winning”.
