hope solo

U.S. women's soccer coach Greg Ryan has pulled off quite a hat trick. His boneheaded decision to bench young goalkeeper Hope Solo for veteran Briana Scurry torpedoed the United States' bid for a third World Cup, ruined Scurry's legacy and created an unnecessary controversy.




AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

Will Solo reconcile with U.S. coach Greg Ryan? We'll see.
Way to go, coach. Even Grady Little is wondering what on earth you were thinking.


By now, you probably have heard Solo's extremely candid remarks following Brazil's 4-0 victory over the United States on Thursday. Solo -- an appropriate name under the circumstances -- buried her coach and Scurry about as badly as Brazil star striker Marta did.



"There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves," Solo said. "And the fact of the matter is, it's not 2004 anymore. … It's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold-medal game in the Olympics three years ago."



What I can't understand is why so many people consider Solo's remarks refreshing and brave, instead of selfish and counterproductive.



The first red flag was that Solo immediately pointed out she "would have made those saves." Translation: It's all about me.



If Solo wants to go after Ryan, fine. He deserves it. Starting Scurry -- who hadn't logged a single minute of playing time in China -- over Solo -- who hadn't given up a goal in 300 minutes -- was a mind-numbingly bad decision that should cost him at least his credibility, if not his job.



But that still doesn't give Solo the right to take the low road. She ran over Scurry like a two-ton semi. And Scurry has done a lot more for the U.S. team than Solo has.



Scurry has two gold medals and a World Cup championship. And she did not appoint herself the starting goalie against Brazil -- Ryan did. It's his job to know the strengths and weaknesses of his players. It's his job to make tactical moves that put the U.S. in the best position to win. And he failed on both of those accounts, even though it could be argued Brazil would have been the stronger team no matter who was in goal.



I must say, I can't help but wonder if we would view Solo's postgame tirade differently if she were a man. Or if she were less attractive. If a male athlete said what Solo said -- no matter if it were true or not -- I doubt so many people would be so understanding.



Look at the flak Terrell Owens caught when he accused Donovan McNabb of not being ready to play in the Super Bowl. Even though McNabb reportedly vomited in the huddle -- which some characterized as a sign of being frightened by the big stage -- few dared admit Owens might have been right.



When Alex Rodriguez finally admitted this spring that he and Derek Jeter were not exactly bosom buddies anymore, many criticized Rodriguez for bringing an unnecessary distraction to the Yankees clubhouse, even though he also was being truthful.



And look at how many people took shots at Tiki Barber for his provocative remarks about Eli Manning, for claiming Manning wasn't a leader? Given Manning's play the past couple of seasons, that was a legitimate assessment. As an NFL analyst, Barber is paid to give his honest opinion, but this insight into Manning's weaknesses was treated like treachery.



If Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is considered unprofessional for the way he blistered Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson, why isn't Solo? Remember, a lot of people think Gundy was telling the truth, too.



We all can agree Ryan failed his team. But Solo's attacking her teammate was cheap, not brave. We can only imagine what kind of emotional state the Americans are in heading into their third-place game against Norway on Sunday. After such a crushing loss to Brazil, the last thing the U.S. needed was a potentially combustible locker room situation. Who knows what kind of chill this will bring to Solo's relationship with Scurry (if there was one) or how this might impact the other members of the national team?



Solo's act just proves you can be right, and wrong, at the same time.

And good for her. Our Ann Killion wrote about this ― at 8:32 a.m., Ann weren't you working last night?!?! Greg Ryan, after the U.S.'s 4-0 loss to Brazil in the Women's World Cup, really ought to go down as one of the dumber coaches in history, and if he doesn't, it will only be because of the profile of his sport. Solo thinks so too, and amid the caterwauling that she's betraying the team and speaking out of turn, does it even matter that she's 1,000 percent right?


"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is, it's not 2004 anymore. It's not 2004. And it's 2007 and I think you have to live in the
present and you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold-medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters."

I'm not going to pretend to know enough about the relative merits of each player. But if Briana Scurry was the better player, she should have been in there the entire tournament. It's so, so simple. Any coach of 7-year-olds knows it. DO NOT MESS WITH THE ROUTINE, especially when it's working. Usually coaches don't even like to mess with the routine when it isn't working, but that's another story. You don't show the team you're worried, don't create unnecessary headaches, don't don't don't.

Before we let the event fade from memory, I would like to congratulate Greg Ryan for working his way onto the esteemed list of coaches who just outsmarted themselves and ― which is exactly what they're supposed to teach their players against.

Or have you forgotten about …

Avery Johnson. The most recent example of a coach out-thinking himself. With the best regular-season record in basketball, he decides to A) shield his Mavericks starters from the Warriors in the last week of the regular season, thereby paving the Warriors' way to the playoffs; and B) change his season-long starting lineup so he could better play Nellieball. It was like Mike Tyson shedding 50 pounds to fight Oscar de la Hoya.
Marty Schottenheimer. When Elvis Grbac was hurt in 1997, Rich Gannon only led the Chiefs to the best record in football ― which meant nothing when it came time to name a playoff starter. As silly as that decision looked at the time, just think about how silly it looked five years later.
Wade Phillips. After Doug Flutie spent 14 weeks leading the Bills into playoff position in 1999, Rob Johnson got the final two starts ― and the playoff game in Tennessee, which the Bills lost on the Music City Miracle. That probably worked out for the best for Phillips, who got to rail against the injustice of Home Run Throwback instead of explaining why he fixed it when it wasn't broken.
John McNamara. During the 1986 season, Dave Stapleton was often Bill Buckner's late-inning defensive replacement at first base. But not on one fateful night in October. (Honorable mention to Grady Little for leaving Pedro in.)
Anatoly TarassovViktor Tikhonov. The Soviet Union entered the 1980 Olympic semifinal with Vladislav Tretiak, who's considered by many to be the best goalie in the history of hockey. After Mark Johnson scored for the U.S. to make it 2-2, the coach pulled Tretiak with one second left in the first period. Not much happened next, right? Only the Miracle On Ice.
Dusty Baker. Livan Hernandez over Kirk Rueter in Game 7? (Honorable mention to Roger Craig: Atlee Hammaker over Mike Krukow in Game 7?)
Art Howe. Jeremy Giambi didn't score, but you think Eric Byrnes might have?
Butch van Breda Kolff: Things were going well with Mel Counts, so why would the Lakers want Wilt Chamberlain on the floor in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the NBA finals? Why?
So if that's the lasting legacy of this World Cup, bravo, Mr. Ryan. No relation. Not that I would claim it right now if there were one.

CHINA - After being unexpectedly benched and having to watch the U.S. Team lose 4-0 to Brazil in the World Cup Semifinal Thursday, Richland native Hope Solo could not hold back. She let her feelings known about Coach Greg Ryan and his decision to start veteran Brianna Scurry in goal instead of Solo, who had not allowed a goal in her last 300 minutes of play.

"It was the wrong decision," said Solo. "Anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. The fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's 2007 and you have to live in the present and you can't live by big names. It doesn't matter what somebody did in the Olympics three years ago."

Her comments have caused controversy and left the team unsure of who will be goalie for the third-place game Sunday.