U.S.'s Solo Out to Beat Brazil, Not Her Past (From the front page of the Washington Post sports section - registration required (I think), but free.)
From the same article: "I feel great with my teammates," Solo said. "I've never been that player who is overly close to my teammates. But yes now we are and it's not just winning. It's living in a foreign country, living in an athletes village." Let's win on the final!
U-T article by Mark Zeigler Goalie is Solo, but it's a team effort http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/olympics/20080819-9999-1s19olysoc.html
Re: U-T article by Mark Zeigler Can any of you please post any articles about Germany's shocking loss to Brazil? I can't find any. I'd like an article with reaction from the team since they had won 11 games in row and hadn't allowed a goal since 2004!! I'd like to hear what the coach and team has to say and analysis about the game.
New York Times report on final http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/sports/olympics/22soccer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
They all got SOLO'd .. watched the meatch she was really solid, didn't make any spectacular saves, but llok very comfortable, and not nervous at all, she transmitted that to the players, u could count on her today.... good for her
When the final whistle blew, Solo threw the ball into the air and ran into a throng of teammates, who hugged her where they had once snubbed her. Great quote
US beats Brazil 1-0 for gold medal http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/olympics/20080821-1032-oly-soc-us-brazil.html
I too disagree on the first line of this AP article (which sadly is what most papers are using right now) I don't think we looked overwhelmed; the team knew what they were facing, I can bet in the other hand, that Brazil didn't expect this kind of resistance from our defense. Good surprise
Anybody can download a few videos from nbcolympic especially from the final? This page works only IN USA
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082102650_2.html And so by the end of regulation, the Americans appeared to be the more confident side. "We got this," reserve Lauren Cheney yelled to her teammates, as the entire Brazilian team collapsed to the ground, with their trainers rubbing legs and massaging backs and waving towels. A few yards away, the Americans stood in a group and smiled. "I was not tired one bit," captain Christie Rampone said later. "For them to look over and see that, that has to be exhausting," Heather Mitts added.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0821_hd_fbw_au_l1128 Well, what a dream of an ending. But, Mr. Douchee still looks nervous when Hope is on camera
AP article on Gold Medal match I hope that the U-T has an article from Mark Zeigler in tomorrow's online edition.
And so she sprinted away from her teammates, toward the goalkeeper's box to her left. There was a fake gold medal around her neck — the real one was to come — and another in her hand. She shot her arms into the air once more. And then she dialed her cell phone to talk to her brother Marcus. "We just won the damn gold medal," she said. "We won the bleep-bleep-bleep gold medal." classic
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/brea...1_Delrans_Carli_Lloyd_scores_golden_goal.html Interesting on Lloyd n Sol ... Hmmmmm Solo's play also goes in the sport's history books, and not just for her saves. Solo spoke her mind after being benched for last year's World Cup game with Brazil, saying she would have made the saves that Briana Scurry did not. Because of those remarks, the team, players and coach, had banished her. Solo wasn't allowed on the bench for the bronze-medal game and had to fly home on her own. Nobody on the team said much to her for the rest of the year. Except for Lloyd. Lloyd and Solo came up through youth national teams together. Lloyd said she hates drama. She'd eat with Solo, just the two of them. She'd ride with her on the bus. No sorority-girl stuff for her. "I told her a number of times that she's by far the best goalkeeper in the world," Lloyd said of Solo.
http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2008/08/carli_lloyd_prepares_herself_t.html I heard something about this happening after the wwc defeat agaisnt Brazil last year... Mookie found it for me. The kid from Delran, a world away from home, was angry, frustrated and disheartened. She and her teammates needed some time and space to process it all - to hug each other, cry a little bit and somehow get over the crushing loss. But now these obnoxious cameras were in their faces as they walked through the lobby, and the people behind the lenses were laughing and smiling and enjoying in their pain. That's because the camera operators were members of the Brazilian team, who were staying at the same hotel. They ambushed the Americans and recorded their puffy-eyed reactions to the devastating defeat. This is not a cultural thing -like Carly thinks- this are mean-spirited souls.... and to think that I felt bad -for a tiny second though- about the Brazilians today.... silly me..
U-T article Mark Zeigler on the game http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/olympics/20080821-1930-bn21olysoccer.html
Steve Szaban on Hope Solo http://czabe.com/the_daily_czabe/olympics/hey-greg-ryan-how-does-my-ass/ I think that the title of his piece is self explanatory...
Lloyd the unlikely hero for the U.S http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=565069&sec=us&root=us&&cc=5901