Solo will never be back as a starting goalie for this team. Ryan will carry her as a backup into early next year, wait until things are quiet, and look for an opportunity to push her out, or wait until her frustration builds up to another incident where he can jettison her.
Ok when does Ryan accept responsibility for his actions? Especially the way he handled the aftermath of Hope's statements.
I'll give it to BS posters to spout more inane statements like what we are reading on this post. Obviously , Hope was given a choice, and if certain actions weren't taken then she wouldn't be alowed back. So, it looks like Hope still wants to play, I wouldn't read too much into these statements reflecting how she really feels. If she says what she really feels we already know what the consequences are, so she's decided to play the game with them. Good for her! Now as to the blubbering fools here asserting that the Hope supporters thought what she did was right please take head out of ass. Most of us were saying what she said was wrong but understandable given the circumstances and we thought she should be punished. ( just not to the vindictive and petty level the "team leaders" took it too) Also the main problem I have with this sordid affair is that Ryan looks like he's going to walk and is the most culpable for all the shit that went down in China. Dumb coaching decisions , cowardly actions and throwing one of his charges to the dogs (bitches) , said actions deflecting criticism form the major ********-up he caused, never taking responsibility for his actions, implying publicly that Bri was better than Solo, (then why the ******** was Bri on the bench for so long?), the list goes on and on.... Like I said before I will never watch another game that this man coaches ever. He is a black mark on everything it means to be an American. If they ever come near Florida I'm going and definitely getting kicked out of the game with the verbal abuse this loser deserves...
Bingo. Hope spouting off after the game was probably the best thing that could have happened to Ryan after the 4-0 beat down against Brazil.
Please qualify that with "The Best team that Ryan put on the field lost the game to VASTLY superior Brazil team" There is no way he fielded the Best 11 players on the WWC Roster, nor made any responcible subs during that game I myself think that Hope Solo should have stood her ground on the critism of ryan, he cost her the oportunity to play. the equivelent being if the Patriots bench Tom Brady in the conference championship because they just brought in a quaterback that beat the other team last year in a playoff ( I am not going back further than one year) I agreed with Hope Solo and her My Space apology to Scurry, because what she said was not PC and spelt out for everyone, they assume she was slamming Scurry. this apology was written for her and She showed a lack of a BACKBONE in not standing up for herself. She caved in to the people that cast her out from the team and did not talk to her. I really guess that you don't have to have any principles as long as you drink the kool-aid to be on the team. Yes, the leaders do have power over who is on the team or not... Christie Welch anyone? that is a nice juicy story they are trying to keep behind closed dorors I for one, need to have some respect for players and coaches.. I have neither for most of the ones on this BFF squad
The fastest way to put this to an end is to bombard the Federation with communications asking for Ryan to resign. That wuold almost be better than firing him. It is the closest we will come to hearing him take responsiblity for his colossal incompetence. We just be talking on the various blogs and but must go directly to the source if we hope to affect any change or convey our passion for the team and the sport. We are angry because a bone-headed idiot screwed up a team that deserves better and it has been agonizing to watch the team melt down. It wasn't so much that they didn't win the cup...it was how things can fall apart without clear, steady, competent, and fearless leadership. I would not use any of those words to describe Greg Ryan. Call them: U.S. Soccer Federation1801 S. Prairie Ave.Chicago, IL 60616Phone: (312) 808-1300Fax: (312) 808-1301 email them: ussoccer.com
Now it's time for Ryan to make a public apology to US fans and his players for failing them, for screwing up on the biggest stage of the competition. The world champion is the defining moment, not the freaking third place according to the spinnings of those two "team leaders". Who is ranked number 1, then? Hope's public comment is the biggest gift to Ryan so far. It draws all the attention to her, not to him. He should thank Hope for that. But I got the gut feeling that he'll keep his job until the Olympics and beyond...
Al; of this prooves that Hope Solo is THE GREATEST WOMEN IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN SPORTS Lets hope she will have some playtime in one of the 2 next games if i was him (i would do that also if there was never been an incident) i would let de 3 keepers each play one game it are friendly interlands sow they all habve some time on the field
Are you kidding me? Do you really hope this whole thing will just blow over and be forgotten? Are you actually a fan of this team? If the USSF continues its mismanagement of this team, then I couldn't care less whether Hope Solo ever suits up for the USWNT again. The last thing I want for this team is for this issue just to blow over and be forgotten. Big picture time: Forget Hope Solo. Forget Greg Ryan. This is about the USWNT, the whole damn program and its future. If Gulati either keeps Ryan or fires him and hires someone equally inept, then the USWNT will continue the downward trend that started 8 years ago. The team is getting worse, and it will continue to do so until the USSF hires a coach worthy of the program. I am not willing to let the "sorry affair" end. Not until the USSF does right by the WNT. Even if you're just talking about whether Hope's outburst was right or wrong, what Hope did was a symptom of the disease and the disease is the USSF.
"Good" as in done by a professional? Because, to me, good PR would have had the team saying, "What happens in China stays in China" and putting Hope Solo's rant behind them -- oh -- a week or 2 ago. And then putting out press releases about how they're working on becoming a better team -- not one that's performing at a level a distant 3rd behind Brazil and Germany. Funny that that's not been discussed at all -- well, not so funny, since none of the people involved have any reason to go there.
Yeah,I meant done by a real PR person. Someone needs to talk to Ryan and the team about their continued answering of questions in this matter. Boxx and Scurry are the only two who've "no commented" that I've seen
Brady to his team = Hope Solo to her team? Are you drunk? Solo is a big Clown compared to Brady. The ugly US team were not winning all those games because of Solo. She's very replacable. They can keep winning ugly without her. You wear down the other team physically and then get your ugly goals late. Brazil was better that day. Favorites lose all the time. Let's not ignore that reality. Ryan sucks bigtime and he should be canned. Hope Solo is a clown and should go work in a Circus.
You'd fire which guy? The one who blew up the plant or Greg Ryan? Anyway, at the top levels of soccer, coaches get dropped after a single mistake. Who got fired after the men's WC? Argentina coach, England coach, US coach, Mexico coach? I can't remember beyond that....Brazil? Anyway, if teams care about winning, they show it. Maybe firing the coach doesn't really help in some cases....but at least it sends the message that winning is important. What does this show? Basically that this isn't important -- 'this' being women's soccer. Results don't matter. Performance doesn't matter. Manners? Now THAT'S what's important! ....and, btw, anyone who has to blow up a plant before he realizes that he has to be careful, should never be in charge of a plant. He should be instantly fired.
It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. Unfortunately, the US wasn't playing the game all that well, and is certainly abusing the slogan with their treatment of Solo.
I'd prefer to take her at her word (now that she has had a chance to calm down and take a sober look at her actions) instead of creating more fantasy to conveniently make her comments fit into my world view. People often say things when emotional they later regret, this seems to be the case with Solo. I don't see petty and vindictive, she made the comments at the world cup, was suspended from all team activities for the remainder of the world cup and brought back immediately after the world cup. Only the drama squad on this board who were upset about her dining arrangements and receiving a "worthless" third place medal made it more. Edit: The punishment may have been harsh but they were logical (suspension from all team functions during the tournament you made the mistake) if you accepted the idea that she was wrong in her actions, which she has. Then you really should be upset with Solo. Anyone who really cared about the WNT was ready to skin Ryan after the tournament but Solo decided to intercede. Instead of explaining his coaching decisions Solo's petulant rant put him in the position of accepting apologies. Ryan should make sure Solo is on his Christmas card list. There is only one person to blame for Ryan's change of fortunes, pointing fingers at people here is just a denial of the circumstances. So what did Solo's comments really accomplish other than taking the focus off Ryan and putting it on her?
You know it is a shame that someone in the USA would get in trouble for speaking her mind, when she said nothing racist. She was suspended and shunned. She was under contract for these games. Of which she isn't playing becasue she doesn't feel right playing them. It is sad that Ryan who should have been left in china, has used this situation to deflect his lack of ability. I have said it before, I will never watch this team till everyone is gone. Players coaches PR morons. this whole situation is a joke. and the sheep have played into it, and in 2007 it is truely sad that this would happen in america. the USSF could have stopped this, but they are enjoying it as well. Sunil must go over this debacle.
They are making Solo kiss ass now how sad. Her situation reminds me of David Beckham's they both have the heart to play for there national team something most player do not have and particular circumstances do not allow them to play...
Meh-I've actually enjoyed seeing the myth shattered. Foudy will probably blame MLS for our upcoming failure in Beijing
I believe Brazil would have still won the game, and you can really blame Ryan for that. The NY Times had an article on what he said that fired them up. Would it have been 4-0? Well, we will never know. What I am really upset about are all the lemmings leaping over the PR cliff of Greg Ryan, US Soccer and the USWNT to believe Solo was such a big distraction she deserved to be ostracized. The media believes the Ryan/US Soccer spin that Solo's comments were the reason they lost and didn't bother to go back and beat Ryan into submission over his pre-match Brazil comments, lousy tactics and player management decisions. Instead, the media types have brainwashed the lemmings to believe the player "threw a teammate under the bus and you don't do that." Well, what about the unwritten coaching rule of not pulling a hot goalkeeper or benching a starter when they aren't sick, injured or dead? What a joke. Her coach made a horrible decision and instead of being a man and taking responsibility for his horrendous coaching decision, the next day he trots out the lame "unwritten rules" and then proceeds to blame Hope and conspires with other players to get her booted out. That's petty and vindictive. It's not the mature response of a "world class" coach. When we heard Solo apologized after the Brazil match (prior to this apology), that should have been it. But many parsed her apology and said it wasn't enough. If it were me coaching, I would have pulled Hope aside, tell her what she did was wrong, she needs to apologize and tell her she is sitting out the Norway game. I then would have told the team my decision and left it at that. Ryan is the head coach for pete's sake, those decisions are up to him and not the team. But instead the "inmates" ran the asylum, suspended her from the team and kicked Solo to the curb. That's not what mature, professional athletes should do (Hope's comments weren't the smartest or most mature, but given the situation, I can understand them). They should forgive and forget. But no, Ryan, Lilly and others act like a bunch of spoiled children and voted to keep her off the team. That's not manufactured drama by those who support Hope, it's what happened. If Hope's response wasn't professional, then these actions were just as unprofessional. Professionals don't behave in such a churlish manner. This went too far. Hope has now given everyone the standard PR apology and all those who said she was the problem are starting a rousing chorus of "Kumbaya" with the usual dose of "we told you so" instead of looking at the real issue: Ryan and his lack of leadership. If US Soccer really gave a rat's fanny, Ryan would have been fired right after China. But they showed their true colors by allowing Ryan to remain with the team. Gulati, like Ryan has no spine.
Ryan is a nice guy, but the pressure of the World Cup certainly "changed" him a bit. His coaching problems started to show in the first game against North Korea. He was flipping out on the sidelines at a time when his team needed him to show them how to relax. "Take a deep breath ladies, relax, we have this. Don't press. Your regular game is plenty to get this done." Coaching is about much more than personell and x' & o's. Then the sub thing vs. Brazil was simply inexcusable... IMO, lose your job inexcusable. Sink or swim with your best club... period. As for Hope. She was noticable floored by the decision prior to the match, then she has to watch the match, then she ignors advise and gives an interview in a "blow off steam" state of mind. Nothing she said was inaccurate. This entire mess would have been over the next day if an exceptional coach had handled the situation. Fall on the grenade for your player. Here's a sample Greg Ryan statement that ends the entire "controversy". "Hope plays with a lot of heart. She's an emotional player. It's part of what makes her so successful. Obviously, she made a few comments she wish she could have back. We're going to handle it internally to try and prevent this type of distraction from happening again. Hope has already apologized to Brianna and myself. I understand her frustration and accepted her apology. As coaches, we're going to review film and decide who our starting keeper will be against Norway." This whole situation became big because of the poor coach's response. As for her current apology. It became necessary. The USWNT is better with her as a part. She'll continue to do the work to get back. Hope will end up with Gold around her neck in China.
You're dead on. Sad state of the women's team. I am truly disappointed in their actions... they went overboard. Solo should have been benched for Norway, not ostracized. Ryan should thank her and kiss her a$$ for deflecting the crap that should have covered him after his bad coaching decisions. I hope for Solo's sake, your prediction for her back in China is dead on!!! WAR HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kick some ASS girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!