Abby Wambach gave a workshop in New York and was asked if the team not allowing Hope Solo to claim her third-place medal in the official ceremony was too harsh a punishment.
"We're losing sight of the reasons why our coach and our team decided not to have her around. There is a bigger picture. We all are responsible for our actions. We all have to look at these situations differently. It's easy to look on and say I feel bad for her, but it was what was best for the team," Wambach said.
Funny that Wambach doesn't specify what the reasons for not having Solo around were. "was best for the team" is rather vague. Does she mean, "It made us feel better to not look at her while we collected the award she helped us earn"?
Unfortunately, I think the actions and words of Wambach continue to disillusion those who hoped Solo's own teammates were not behind her banishment, that it was somehow all orchestrated by Greg Ryan. Ryan no doubt supported it, but it seems quite clear that he was aided and abetted by at least some key team members.
12 comments:
There was a lot of talk about Hope needing to win back the trust of her teammates, after her comments.
Looks like the reverse is more likely to be the case.
I'm a long time supporter of the US Women's National Team.
This is it for me. The way Hope is betting treated is pathetic. I can no longer support this crap so long as Ryan is around.
We seem to be forgetting that if not for the biggest bonehead move in all of sports on the world stage, she would not have even been in this situation.
I think Ryan and Lil were behind this - Ryan for obvious reasons, and Lil due to being too sentimental regarding Bri - with a strong dose of Julie shouting in her ear.
As far as I'm concerned I 'hope' they go to the olympics with Bri and not make it out of group play.
If they truly did not allow her to get a medal, this will go down as the single most 'catty' performance by any American team EVER!!!
Preventing Hope from attending the medal ceremony, after she had contributed to winning it, was outrageous. But how can the team keep her from receiving the award itself? Isn't it given by FIFA? If someone misses the medal ceremony because they're injured, or the car breaks down, they still get one for the mantel. Did Ryan really have the power to prevent Hope from getting one at all? Yikes.
No, the article just says that Hope was prevented from picking up her medal at the official ceremony, not that the medal itself was actually denied her. I suppose someone from FIFA dropped it by in a little box or something. Probably not the moment she had dreamed of and worked for.
By the way, oficially, Hope Solo is still on an unbeaten streak of over fifty matches. The only match her team lost was the one without her.
The conduct of the team is way beyond the pale and is not an example for the little girls they seek to inspire.
Hope should have been benched-yes-but chucked off the team, shunned from meals, not allowed to accept her medal, and made to fly home alone-that's way beyond the pale.
I will be no where near this bunch until Hope, Ryan and Lilly are retired....
If it's any consolation, Sunil Gulati was at the US Open Cup final in Texas, and once people in the stands realized who he was, they started shouting "fire Ryan!" This scene played out several times, to the point that he headed for the exit after the trophy was presented. He smiled and nodded but refused to comment outright on the Ryan/Solo/USWNT debacle.
At least people are trying to bend his hear. That's something I guess.
I would imagine that the crowd for the USWNT's next match on Saturday will be in the 7,000 to 10,000 range (at most). It would be interesting to see how ESPN would handle a visual or vocal protest against Ryan and HIS team. I wonder how an orchestrated chorus of continuous boos directed at the US squad would be reported.
Not that it would ever happen.
jt: I dunno...at this point, if they played in DC (where I live), I'd probably pay just to show up and voice my displeasure.
Maybe "what was best for the team" means that the team could prepare for the 3rd place game and a chance to salvage their World Cup with a Bronze medal without having to deal with the media circus that this whole controversy has caused. And as much as people want to bash the team for their actions, the fact is that the team played it's best and most attractive soccer in that 3rd place game.
Abby's right in that we are all responsible for our actions. Hope made some conrtoversal comments, probably out of frustration, but she was instructed not to talk to the media after the Brazil game, but decided to anyway. Then she preceeded to critize Ryan and Scurry. So if the team, as a group, decides to suspend her for the 3rd place game, that's their right. No one player is bigger than the team.
I'm sure the team leaders had something to do with the suspension, and maybe if Hope hadn't brought Scurry into her comments, she wouldn't have been suspended.
It seems to me that the blogosphere and professional writers are overwhelmingly against Ryan and how the team ostracized Solo. The main reason, I believe, is the way team played against Brazil - mediocre is a way too charitable. It was not Solo who lost that game. Her team-mates should be ashamed to look her into the eyes, not wise-versa.
They indeed played an inspiring and quality soccer against Norway. I can probably believe that they were needing an imaginable "enemy" in the form of Solo to get united (terrible as it sounds), but good people would forgive and embrace all around them in time of a victory (even its 3rd place). Them maintaining the grudge against an outspoken teammate is low. (they don't really want a goalkeeper who'd say "no play her, she is better then I am!!"). Maybe all public around them can finally come back to earth and see them for what they are - not the role models, but soccer players of different talent - all human beings, some better and some worse.
For the mental health of this group, Ryan got to go, and Wambach has to have a good look into herself. Solo apologized enough already.
It seems to me that the blogosphere and professional writers are overwhelmingly against Ryan and how the team ostracized Solo. The main reason, I believe, is the way team played against Brazil - mediocre is a way too charitable. It was not Solo who lost that game. Her team-mates should be ashamed to look her into the eyes, not wise-versa.
They indeed played an inspiring and quality soccer against Norway. I can probably believe that they were needing an imaginable "enemy" in the form of Solo to get united (terrible as it sounds), but good people would forgive and embrace all around them in time of a victory (even its 3rd place). Them maintaining the grudge against an outspoken teammate is low. (they don't really want a goalkeeper who'd say "no play her, she is better then I am!!"). Maybe all public around them can finally come back to earth and see them for what they are - not the role models, but soccer players of different talent - all human beings, some better and some worse.
For the mental health of this group, Ryan got to go, and Wambach has to have a good look into herself. Solo apologized enough already.
I'm way late on weighing in on this, but I hope that someone puts hard questions to the group of women ostracizing Miss Solo. The original question was great, but a follow up question or two regarding what that meant would be nice. I dount it would overpower the koolaid Ryan and Lilly have been giving her, but it might make her think a bit.
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