Pia Sundhage’s response to Hope Solo’s cowards comment: I don’t give a crap.
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It wasn’t politically correct.
“Sweden dropped off”, Solo fumed.
The United States entered these games as the heavy favorite in this event, and the quartet of Maurice Greene, Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and Coby Miller were expected to add another notch to the country’s longstanding tradition of excellence in sprinting.
The United States got the equalizer with a shot from Morgan that bounced off a Sweden defender.
Before this year, the USA had won four of the five Olympic gold medals and had never failed to reach the final.
The closing stages of that tournament were a seamless romp for the U.S.
The online community has slammed the goalkeeper for her lack of sportsmanship.
“I thought we played a courageous game”, said Solo.
“I’m so happy”, she said, words that will linger as the Americans go home.
“The game is the game, so I think tactically that’s the coach’s prerogative, the coach’s choice”, USA coach Jill Ellis said about Sweden’s defensive approach.
Solo, the USA goalkeeper, was angered by Sweden’s defensive style and branded the team a “bunch of cowards”. I think it was very cowardly.
Solo followed her comments with a statement to SI’s Grant Wahl.
“Unfortunately the better team didn’t win”.
US coach Jill Ellis tried to diffuse the row. Her comments instantly caused controversy, and sparked a response from Sweden coach Pia Sundhage, who coached the USA from 2008-2012. The onus was on the United States to crack the unbending resistance and open up the match. We had that style of play when Pia (Sundhage, Sweden’s coach) was our coach. Dahlkvist stepped up and scored to knock the Americans out. But it and its coach are also not novices ready to run pell-mell into the breach. They endured that forgettable 2-2 draw and having to travel to the capital of Brazil, while Sweden played its group finale in Brasilia and did not have to travel. “They had to sit back”. They weren’t confident in their abilities to open up because they opened up against Brazil, and the score sheet was not so great. This was not one of them.
“They executed her game plan very well”.
Following the goal, the US brought on both Crystal Dunn and Megan Rapinoe as the team shifted to a more attacking formation as it looked for the equalizer. The best team did not win [Friday]. Soaking up possession and hitting back with a lightning bolt is all the rage. Sweden did what it needed to do to advance, and America didn’t. A game is won by playing better and making winning plays. But the United States moved the ball.
“And finally the most important thing is the result, not how to play”. “We tried to play”. They had previously won gold at London 2012, Beijing 2008, Athens 2004, silver at Sydney 2000 and gold in Atlanta in 1996 when women’s soccer was first included at the Olympics.
Phelps was seeking his 23rd Olympic gold medal and his fourth straight in the 100-meter butterfly, but he was denied by Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, who got off to a blistering start and built a lead that even Phelps couldn’t overcome.
Frustrated as federation officials might have been with her, they also managed to forgive her, her skills in goal outweighing the damage of her boorish behavior. A goal, by any means, would accomplish that, but as the second half proceeded, Sweden kept its nerve. However, both teams had only recorded one shot on goal. “We won”, she said.
It’s a really bad look for Solo.
“Honestly, I don’t even know. But it just wasn’t our day today”. But the Americans found the net only twice in 120 minutes – and one of those didn’t count, after Lloyd’s header in overtime was erased by a phantom offside call.
“She’s a piece of work”, Sundhage said of Solo. “They’re moving on and we’re going home”. Sundhage was a player on the Sweden team that fell 2-1 to the Americans. “Did I think [the breakthrough] would come? You have to let them process it, but teenage girls are pretty resilient and it doesn’t take them that long to recover”.
“So I guess you can say it’s smart, but I don’t think it’s respectful to the game”.
Solo’s words were a reflection of the frustration inherent in that.
Alex Morgan had the opening kick of penalties saved by Hedvig Lindahl, but Solo brought the Americans back into contention by spectacularly stopping Sweden’s third kick from Linda Sembrant.
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It would be hard to eliminate the United States without courage.
