It might sound whiny, but why should we? If they want the attention/affection they got from their audience during the reign of Mia & Co., they should be accept the scrutiny from that now older audience and the valid questions from the few members of the media who will still cover them. Media being the actual journalists and not the "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream/How cute is Brad Pitt?" pseudo-writers.
Quote from November 23, 2007 from "someone" named C. :)):
"Let's not make something of the mini-camp that just doesn't need to be there. The media needs to allow the team to MOVE ON by letting the WC events go. If they do not, "we have moved on" needs to be the response from whoever is asked to comment."
Sensitive? Me? No way! Well, maybe just a little bit! :) Actually, I just think she takes a great pic!
While I agree no one player is bigger then the team, Hope at least generates some interest in the team. To many, right or wrong, she is the face of this team. There are numerous fans disgusted by the treatment she received post WC so having a picture in there certainly wouldn’t hurt the tarnished image of the team. One of Hope, Bri, Abby & Kristine (if she had blessed us with her presence) having a group hug would be great!
I was glancing at older pictures yesterday trying to figure out who a few of the players are in A.C.'s team pic and noticed the older ones do have names on them. Guess it just takes some time to add them?
"...Of course, a little bit of the World Cup is still lingering, but I think mostly it’s changed.”
One of the HS quotes reported by AC that I thought was most interesting. It is exactly this on the scene insight/impression I was hoping for with AC's article and what's been missing in this story for so long.
I think Hope's comment (which is echoed over and over by whoever AC talked to) suggests that, even if some tension remains, the "mean girl" behavior is gone.
After what happened in China and the history of prior players who got "sideways" of the prevailing views of the WNT, anything other than a "death sentence" for Hope is at least understanding, if not outright vindication.
What happened in China was unique for this team, something none of them had confronted before. Everybody made bad mistakes. They're not the first and won't be the last to screw up under emotional duress. Maybe they all learned some hard lessons and will do better going forward....that's all you can reasonably expect from anybody.
I'm rooting for Hope and for Pia and for the team to "get it right" on the field.
I think right now everyone would have to forget the milk that has been spilled and just move on. Afterall, who would want to remember bad memories like that?
With Pia now as the new coach, we should all look ahead and move on like how the team has done so.
I just want to give a shot out to the soccer gods for sending us pia. I feel better just listening to her on video, so i cannot imagine the impact she is having face to face with the players
I guess I'm one of the fans who hasn't moved on. The way Solo was treated by her teammates continues to grate on me. She has apologized, over and over. But no member of the team which shunned her, forced her to eat meals alone, denied her participation in the medal ceremony, made her fly home on a separate plane, none of those players has apologized. If you are all a team it goes both ways. You do not criticize your teammates, but you also do not mete out absurd public punishments to your teammates who are suffering.
There hasn't even been a "if anyone was offended" nonapology.
The players are aware of the public outcry over Solo's treatment. Markgraf says it right out, we need to repair our public image. Someone addressing the shunning issue would go a long way towards repairing it.
I've definitely moved on and won't be watching a USA women's soccer game, well, maybe never again...or at least until a lot of these B's leave the team.
Now I second what truth says. "If we want to be treated like adults, we have to treat others like adults as well." Kina thing and thanks meredith for the link to the photos! Would have been happier had those photos were without the watermarks or be up on cbs sportsline!
I think it might be useful (it was to me, anyway) to re-read the Gayle Bryan blog post on her Fair Game site for 10/5/07 where she talks about what was known then about what went on in China versus what wasn't. We don't know any more now, and may never.
What we do know now is that Hope is back with the team and wants to be back in goal for the Olympics. She's getting that chance from her new coach and from her teammates. I didn't get any sense from Andrea's article that there was anything ungenuine about the team's enthusiasm for moving forward together, nothing sinister festering under the surface concerning Hope. AC was face to face with these folks and I think she was taking them at their word. I think she'd have "smelled" any insincerity.
To me that means the sorority girl attitude is gone, and it's the attitude not the people that needed to go. I think Pia's hiring has already paid dividends in that regard. I'm even beginning to think Coach is right and Sudhage will get it all worked out in time. Scary thought that, optimism from me.... Pia Power indeed.
Ghostwriter, Truth is right. Until those responsible actually apologize publicly for their public mistreatment of Solo, "moving on" is nothing but a cliche designed to keep those responsible from actually being held accountable.
Markgraf is wrong. This isn't about "public image." This is about common decency to a teammate (let alone a fellow human being who might have been the biggest defensive factor in the U.S. even getting to the World Cup.
Fans should withhold their support (and their money for the junk that U.S. Soccer sells) until those public apologies are forthcoming. In fact, fans should demand those apologies before spending another dime on these overgrown adolescents!
I respect your position. But there won't ever be anything like that. Maybe in a perfect world, but this ain't that: I'm not, they're not, no one is.
If the China events had cost Hope her career, that would have truly been a tragedy. For a time it looked like they might. That's been averted. She's got a chance now that, absent Gulati's intervention and hiring of Pia Sundhage, she may not have gotten. She's got the chance to have the last/best laugh: showcase her skills on another big International stage, win some Olympic hardware, and celebrate with appreciative teammates on the field while Mr. Ryan stands in the unemployment line watching!
That's enough for me. If not for everyone...c'est le guerre. We'll agree to disagree on that part of it.
Agree with you Ghost as much as I also agree with the sentiment expressed by joe, joan, truth, impedient & others.
Since October I have personally messaged at least half the team, Gulati & others at ussoccer to nicely suggest that somebody show some leadership and apologize publicly to Hope and the fans of the WNT for their horrid behaviour.
I unfortunately have concluded that it's just not going to happen. The change they made (removal of Ryan) was their way of doing it. Hopefully some have one on one with Hope? I don't just mean teammates either. I would like to think so.
New coach, fresh start, a shot at some Oylmpic glory in the near term & Hope's still part of the WNT & Ryan isn't. That's good enough for me. Hope knows that emotional moment after the Brazil game got the best of her and she has accepted that & Lord knows has paid for her outburst.
Yes, Hope & all WNT fans deserve a public apology for there behaviour. I too still do the slow burn. It remains though that the time has come & gone to let it go.
The person who was most harmed by all this, Hope has, albeit by necessity, let it go and she's showing some class by leading the way with the move on movement. To NOT let it go continues the vindictive behaviour that has led to all this anger & emotion in the first place.
It's also the Holiday Season. As good a time as any for forgiveness!
Season's Greetings to A.C. & all Sideline readers!
Pic 101 is Tina DiMartino from UCLA. She was not on the roster but she, Danesha Adams and Lauren Cheney got called in after they were knocked out of the College Cup in the semis.
I'm sort of on holiday, but I've been reading the comments here as well. I can't say that I found everything at the camp all hunky-dory. There was a certain tension in the air. As I've said before, I think some players on the team have modeled their lives around being the "good girls" for the sake of team image (ie, do what you're told, don't step out of line, don't ever make the team look bad). They could very well still be upset with Hope. However, the closing ranks aspect of the situation makes it difficult to assess who these people are. Some fans, somewhat understandably, cope by disliking the whole team for how they treated Hope. Of course, the difficulty here is that Hope herself is back on the team. It doesn't support her to shun the team when she's a part of it. The younger players weren't any part of the World Cup shunning of Hope either. Should they be snubbed? Bottom line, I took away a strong sense from Pia that she expected any personal gripes, from any angle, to be put aside and for players to perform. If some players want to be catty about Hope, it may eventually undermine their own standing with the team.
Working holidays are good A.C., that would define my career/life at present!
I suspect most of the tension would be due to "new coach" & a desire to impress her. Try as she may have with her singing, etc. to relax them, there would still be some butterflies/tension until they get to know her.
Your statement "If some players want to be catty about Hope, it may eventually undermine their own standing with the team." is exactly what I meant by my comment that Pia won't stand for it. Good luck to them!
I completely agree, unless of course the name is Abby!
Sorry, anonymous, but you're dead wrong! As captain, Lilly had the responsibility not to let the situation get out of hand. She not only let it get out of hand but encouraged it, as did Wambach!
Sundhage should demand that those players involved not only make a public apology but also apologize privately to Solo face to face. That's the only way this thing won't fester. It'll also show who's in charge.
Somehow, I don't think Swedes tolerate the sort of adolescent behavior that the USWNT demonstrated.
I also agree 100% that snubbing the team because of how Hope was treated is not fair to Hope or the majority of the team, younger or older, that may not have had a say in it all.
Even if they did have input of some kind, their voice likely wasn't strong enough to do a thing about it. Public support for Hope if they truly felt bad for her treatment would have been nice but may have had negative repercussions for whoever dared offer it, as we have previously discussed.
j.d., you are likely correct that this will fester until at the very least a public acknowledgement or "non apology" occurs.
Even a statement from Gulati stronger then his words when Ryan was replaced would have gone a long way to repairing things. I still suspect Lilly is retiring due in part to all this which will help a bit?
Have you tried a message to ussoccer or Lilly to voice your opinion? Better late then never for ussoccer to get it right.
Joseph - You weren't there and you have no idea what really happened. You are judging a woman based on a tiny part of the story and have no understanding of the context.
I will grant you that Lilly will not go down in history as one of the great WNT captains but she didn't make herself captain and its not a role she relishes.
No you don't and if you really thought it through, you'd know that you don't. Do you really think Hope's comments alone created this firestorm? We don't know because we weren't there and they aren't telling.
What was the actual punishment? She was kept from the 3rd place match and medal ceremonies. Was she kept from the medal ceremony or did she choose not to come? I have no idea, do you? She benched herself for the celebration matches. I know you've all decided that it was a vast conspiracy by Greg Ryan and the US Soccer machine, but you are assuming that, when you really have no idea.
I know its a great story, poor cute, sweet, soft spoken Hope being bullied by big, bad, big mouth Abby and mean old Kristine Lilly, but unless you've trained with them for the last three years, were in China and privy to everything that was going at training, in the locker room, the hotel, etc., then there is really no basis to condemn anyone here because you don't know the whole story. You know a few sound bites from Hope, Lilly and Abby and the opinions of some journalists and bloggers and that's it.
I'd welcome any light you have to shed on this story.
If the actions of the coach and leaders were entirely on the up and up, then they should have no problem saying so. Instead they remain, at best, controversial. If they want the respect of the soccer media and the soccer-savvy fans, then they should be a little more forthcoming about what happened or honest about their intentions.
Some players feel everyone ought to move on, and that's fine, I'm sure we all will as soon as they've given us a good reason to. Otherwise, I'm rather inclined to forget the whole mess and the team along with it.
I know enough to know that I don't know everything. Joan, what if in there own way, they are protecting Hope by being silent? Would it make everyone feel better if they came out and said she was a total prima donna, thought only of herself and has been difficult to deal with for the last three years. Would everyone move on if they came out and gave the blow by blow of exactly how big of a pain she was after she got benched? They haven't done that because that's not what they do. They deal with it in house. We got a little glimpse inside when Hope spouted off and then Lilly and Wambach tried to do a bit of damage control and really Abby is not all that well suited for that. We haven't seen the big picture and I'm not really sure that it is our God given right to know the details. So since we aren't privy to the details, we just make them up attributing actions and motives to people we don't even know.
kit, given that they classified hope as "the person everyone gets along with" i find your whole prima donna argument laughable. whats more, hope probably comes from the most fincially lean backgrounds of anyone on the US womens national team, suggesting that she is some bratty prima donna is almost offensive.
Believe it or not, I have thought of similar scenarios, but it takes quite a evidence-free leap to come to that conclusion. And I still don't think it justifies their actions.
And maybe what they did does not need to be justified, since so much of what happened during the tournament was not. Perhaps they should have just said, "It is what it is." rather than tried to pass themselves off as good people with great hearts.
I still wouldn't like it, but I'd respect it, and I think a lot of others might as well.
You have said that "since we aren't privy to the details, we just make them up attributing actions and motives to people we don't even know."
Is this by chance what you just did by suggesting that Hope is "a total prima donna, thought only of herself and has been difficult to deal with for the last three years. Would everyone move on if they came out and gave the blow by blow of exactly how big of a pain she was after she got benched?"
There is no evidence to suggest this is the case. In fact, as Meredith has pointed out, the evidence points the other way. I too find your comments offensive when you look at ALL the circumstances in this sorry situation.
Even if there was some merit to this argument, their behaviour is STILL totally unacceptable & deserves an explanation, God given right or not.
Every team member on any team has a different personality. Accept that.
I have zero patience for anyone who can condone school girl retribution behaviour from adults.
"Was she kept from the medal ceremony or did she choose not to come?"
Kit: Get real!! Were you not paying attention at the time?!?
"Ryan made the decision in consultation with his team, sighting the disruption caused by Solo's comments to the press following a loss to Brazil in the tournament semifinals on Thursday evening in Hangzhou.
"We did not have Hope attend practice today," said Ryan to a press gathering in the team hotel. "She will not be attending the game tomorrow (Sunday)"
Of course no one here was at the WC, but to suggest it was Hope's choice seems ludicrous to me. It's hard to take anything else you said seriously.
jd - forcing an apology is not going to help if it is not sincere. That would only deepen the rift (if it still exists) between Hope and the 'haters'. I should hope they are all mature enough to get beyond this for the good of the team. I'd be shocked if Pia didn't make Hope the #1 goalie, simply because she is clearly the best we have. If others choose to hold grudges that affect the play of the team, it will be to their own detriment.
i wonder how many posts this thing can hold, lol. I have added a few when i should have been writing the 20 page paper i have due tommorow. and alas, im sure ill post at least one more, in a late night procrastination session.
RT - Doesn't say anything about the medal ceremony. I've never heard it reported. Even if they kept her from the medal ceremony, it certainly does not qualify as a war crime as the hysteria around here suggests.
BTW, the press conference you quoted from is about the only solid info out there other than a few sound bites.
Coach - that's exactly was I was doing. It's easier for me to connect the dots that one engaged in petulant behavior as opposed to twenty. I can't condone or condemn the punishment when I don't know what happened. My point is we don't know ALL the circumstances.
Also, wouldn't count fluff from Nike as proof of anything. Remember they sold Mia as the sweet girl next door and anyone that has been around her for 5 minutes knows she is moody as hell.
Also don't know what Hope's financial background has to do with anything. Are all poor people super nice and always right?
Joan - I hear what you are saying. I think you are talking about Abby's remarks and I would say she is probably not the best spokesman. She wants to be out there and people want to hear her because she's a great player, but she's really not all that coherent if you look at her remarks in general.
Seriously, has there been any hint in the last 20 years that Lilly was inclined towards petty, vindictive behavior and capable of coercing 20 others to engage in it with her? Cat has a spine and is friendly with Hope, do you really think she was brow beaten into going along with the scheme if there wasn't a little more to it.
What we know doesn't add up so its pretty obvious there is some crucial data missing.
It's times like these where I really miss the ol' WUSA. Instead of just focusing on a pool of 30 to 35 players, we could examine eight teams.
We could focus on clubs with different styles & dynamics instead of just this one team. We could watch some big name players look quite ordinary and see some lesser recognized players develop into key players for their teams. Ah, those were the days ...
"The next few days are still a blur for Solo. She was banished by Ryan and her teammates, not allowed to sit on the bench with them during the third-place game against Norway, not allowed to receive her bronze medal with them, not allowed to eat meals with them, not allowed to fly home with them"
and i wonder why she got so upset in the first place.prima donna?
no this sounds more likely
"The World Cup instantly became her solace, her mission, her way of soothing the pain.
“It was my way of honoring his death, honoring his life,” says Solo, who scattered his ashes in the goal before every match in China. “It was all he ever wanted for me, and all I ever wanted for him. I've never been so focused and passionate about something in my whole life. It was the only thing that kept me together after he passed away.” ....“In a blink of an eye, it was all taken away from me,” Solo says. “I never saw it coming. The moment I couldn't get that gold medal any more, my world was shattered. I didn't care about the silver medal. I didn't care about the bronze medal.”
Then someone asked for an interview."
kit we will now all graciously accept your apology :) thanks
No hysteria here, just some fans who don't really like the way one of their players was treated for saying a few words in an emotional moment that got the best of her. She has apologized. A few times. Nobody else has. Some fans believe they are owed one. Some think Hope is owed one. Or at least an explanation. This isn’t about being “super nice and always right”. This is about treating a person with respect & dignity.
The change in coach was enough for me personally as from my perspective, all responsibility for the WC fiasco was his and his alone. Trying to hide behind “team leaders” was cowardly at best.
Re. “team leaders”, do you actually believe the other 18 had a say? Do you actually believe there was a democratic vote? Ryan simply got Lilly & Wambach on side & ran with it. No “crucial data” is missing here, other then why Ryan would make the Keeper change in the first place? We just have to accept his crazy logic on that one. He made a coaching decision, as flawed as that was. Lilly & Wambach went along with him because he WAS the coach and that’s what bothers people. What we know DOES add up & fans don’t like the stench. But the main stench is gone and the remaining will dissipate with time. ;)
People who are o.k. with the ostrasization & public humiliation of other people don’t likely see this logic. So be it, as unfortunate as that may be.
"No hysteria here, just some fans who don't really like the way one of their players was treated for saying a few words in an emotional moment that got the best of her."
If that was the only moment and all to the story, I would absolutely agree with you.
Yes, I do believe the other 18 had a say. They might not have had a vote (don't know, I wasn't in the room) but they were all upset with her. You are assuming facts not in evidence by suggesting that 18 were bullied by 2. Again, I would ask you what you have observed from Kristine Lilly in the last 20 years that would indicate that she had that nature and power.
Ryan was clear about why he made the keeper change. We might not agree with it and the team might not have agreed with it but it was his decision to make. You are basically saying that Wambach and Lilly owe her an apology for supporting a coaches decisions. That's what they are supposed to do. He's the coach. Should the have staged an insurrection in the middle of World Cup?
Her father dying is sad, but doesn't mean that the World Cup was only about her. It didn't guarantee her a starting spot. She plays on a team. The coach of that team decided she was going to sit against Brazil. As part of a team, her job was to put her personal disappointment aside and do what was best for them at that point.
Not taking meals with the team and being forced to eat alone are two different things. Solo had a large group of family and friends in China, probably the largest of any of the team. I'm sure she had plenty of company at meal time.
That IS the only moment we are dealing with here. Anything else falls under the category of normal team dynamics.
The only person "bullied" here was Hope & I repeat the responsibility for that lies with Ryan. He's gone. You know for a fact that they were "all" upset with her, do you?
The closest thing to an apology or explanation came from Gulati himself when Ryan was fired when he indicated "there are a few that wish they had handled things a little differently in this siuation" or something along those lines.
The removal of Ryan & this explanation from Gulati was enough for me but not others.
Repeat, the fans here don't like the way a team member was publicly humiliated, ostrasized & shunned. They want an explanation for it more then was sort of given by Gulati before "they" move on.
Amazing...75+ posts. I guess this story still has legs.
The Zeigler article is nicely done. He has been sympathetic toward Hope in most of what I've seen him write on this story and this article is also.
One of the main things we haven't known about China is what, if any, choices Hope was given. In past situations players running this far afoul of their coach/team have been sent straight home. If that had happened she would have traveled alone, not practiced with the team, not eaten or slept in the same place, not gone to either the third place game or medal ceremony. If much of her normal support group was in China, the "shunning" may actually have been preferable. I thought it possible (if unlikely) that she was given the choice to stay with complete separation or leave. Ziegler's story seems to indicate that was not the case. Still, she did have a support group there and maybe not so much at home. If she was getting kicked off the team, maybe staying was better than going home immediately, despite what it looked like. And separating her from the team was a coach's decision. Mr. Ryan, whether he hid behind the "team" or not, was responsible for that in its entirety.
I will always blame Lilly as captain (I don't care if she sought the job or not, she accepted the responsibility) for not seeing how the keeper change would devastate Solo. Players on a quest like that need to be honored by their mates. There had to be ways of embracing Hope without demeaning Scurry before Brazil. If that had been done, maybe none of this would have happened.
In any event, Solo had no reputation as a bad apple before this. She maybe was a bit of a loner, and that can be an issue with teammates, but the handling of the situation then was bad and seemed to get worse after.
Still, Hope wants to move forward, not live in the past. She doesn't want to relive any of China. She has appologized and is now done with that. She trashed her coach and seemingly from the team leaders perspective (who all cut their soccer teeth with Scurry) trashed her teammate. There will be no appologies from those who thought that. They may privately find a way to deal reasonably with each other and publicly work together for a common goal, but bridges were burned here that will not be rebuilt.
Still, Pia Sundhage with her enourmous love of the game, her positive spirit, and her ability to ask for and get the best from all around her, may succeed in getting them all on the same track again and enjoying it together.
As I've said over and over (I'll stop now) that's good enough for me.
PS Coach: if Meredith's suggestion doesn't work, just google Hope Solo under news it's the first entry.
Meredith, I appreciate your effort, but Zeigler deserves hits for his article, so I've posted a link in the latest USWNT post "Hope thinks about it" and I'm deleting the article here in the comments.
Joseph - You weren't there and you have no idea what really happened. You are judging a woman based on a tiny part of the story and have no understanding of the context.
Bovine excrement! Does anybody have to "be there" to understand what happened and how cruel the WNT sorority and its wuss of a house mother, Ryan, was? This was perhaps the most publicized story regarding women's soccer in the U.S. since the 1999 Women's World Cup; the facts are everywhere if people care to look and not make excuses.
I will grant you that Lilly will not go down in history as one of the great WNT captains but she didn't make herself captain and its not a role she relishes.
More bovine excrement! How many of us have roles that we don't relish and never wanted? Does that mean we wimp out and not assume the responsibilities associated with those roles? If that were true, then humanity would be far worse off now that it already is (and that's pretty bad).
Been looking for this one, AC. Nice. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the world will move on when the old guard sorority queens move on. It's that simple. Their behavior was inexcusable.
ReplyDeleteF the b's (except Solo). Yawn. Let me know when the next World Cup is so I can think about paying attention.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the second comment on this post. Unless Sundhage breaks up the "sorority" (aka, junior high school), her hiring will have been in vain.
ReplyDeleteLove your article A.C.
ReplyDeleteEverything WILL be good!
Thank you.
Take your own advice and MOVE ON! The Hope Solo stuff is really, really old.
ReplyDeleteIt might sound whiny, but why should we? If they want the attention/affection they got from their audience during the reign of Mia & Co., they should be accept the scrutiny from that now older audience and the valid questions from the few members of the media who will still cover them. Media being the actual journalists and not the "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream/How cute is Brad Pitt?" pseudo-writers.
ReplyDeleteQuote from November 23, 2007 from "someone" named C. :)):
ReplyDelete"Let's not make something of the mini-camp that just doesn't need to be there. The media needs to allow the team to MOVE ON by letting the WC events go. If they do not, "we have moved on" needs to be the response from whoever is asked to comment."
Someone has a solo-mate, haha, crack me up!
You go Hope!
:))
Sensitive? Me? No way! Well, maybe just a little bit! :) Actually, I just think she takes a great pic!
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree no one player is bigger then the team, Hope at least generates some interest in the team. To many, right or wrong, she is the face of this team. There are numerous fans disgusted by the treatment she received post WC so having a picture in there certainly wouldn’t hurt the tarnished image of the team. One of Hope, Bri, Abby & Kristine (if she had blessed us with her presence) having a group hug would be great!
I was glancing at older pictures yesterday trying to figure out who a few of the players are in A.C.'s team pic and noticed the older ones do have names on them. Guess it just takes some time to add them?
Most of the rest of the world has moved on.
ReplyDeleteIt's the "non most" of the rest of the world that really matters. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're still reading & posting? Interesting.
"...Of course, a little bit of the World Cup is still lingering, but I think mostly it’s changed.”
ReplyDeleteOne of the HS quotes reported by AC that I thought was most interesting. It is exactly this on the scene insight/impression I was hoping for with AC's article and what's been missing in this story for so long.
I think Hope's comment (which is echoed over and over by whoever AC talked to) suggests that, even if some tension remains, the "mean girl" behavior is gone.
After what happened in China and the history of prior players who got "sideways" of the prevailing views of the WNT, anything other than a "death sentence" for Hope is at least understanding, if not outright vindication.
What happened in China was unique for this team, something none of them had confronted before. Everybody made bad mistakes. They're not the first and won't be the last to screw up under emotional duress. Maybe they all learned some hard lessons and will do better going forward....that's all you can reasonably expect from anybody.
I'm rooting for Hope and for Pia and for the team to "get it right" on the field.
I think right now everyone would have to forget the milk that has been spilled and just move on. Afterall, who would want to remember bad memories like that?
ReplyDeleteWith Pia now as the new coach, we should all look ahead and move on like how the team has done so.
Lots of photos from the practice.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.photoshelter.com/gallery-show?G_ID=G0000iSDzVgrcZpE&P_ID=&start=100&pagtotal=118
Warning the pres officer interjects hiimself throughout the photos.
here is great video of first practice.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ussoccer.com/sights/showVideo.jsp_454-0.html
I just want to give a shot out to the soccer gods for sending us pia. I feel better just listening to her on video, so i cannot imagine the impact she is having face to face with the players
I guess I'm one of the fans who hasn't moved on. The way Solo was treated by her teammates continues to grate on me. She has apologized, over and over. But no member of the team which shunned her, forced her to eat meals alone, denied her participation in the medal ceremony, made her fly home on a separate plane, none of those players has apologized. If you are all a team it goes both ways. You do not criticize your teammates, but you also do not mete out absurd public punishments to your teammates who are suffering.
ReplyDeleteThere hasn't even been a "if anyone was offended" nonapology.
The players are aware of the public outcry over Solo's treatment. Markgraf says it right out, we need to repair our public image. Someone addressing the shunning issue would go a long way towards repairing it.
Oh, and meant to add, Pia rocks. Great choice. Thanks Mia!
ReplyDeleteWell said Truth!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more.
Oh, and thanks for the Video & photo heads up Meredith. You really have to dig for this stuff sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI've definitely moved on and won't be watching a USA women's soccer game, well, maybe never again...or at least until a lot of these B's leave the team.
ReplyDeleteNow I second what truth says. "If we want to be treated like adults, we have to treat others like adults as well." Kina thing and thanks meredith for the link to the photos! Would have been happier had those photos were without the watermarks or be up on cbs sportsline!
ReplyDeleteTruth, Joe, and several anons re team blame:
ReplyDeleteI think it might be useful (it was to me, anyway) to re-read the Gayle Bryan blog post on her Fair Game site for 10/5/07 where she talks about what was known then about what went on in China versus what wasn't. We don't know any more now, and may never.
What we do know now is that Hope is back with the team and wants to be back in goal for the Olympics. She's getting that chance from her new coach and from her teammates. I didn't get any sense from Andrea's article that there was anything ungenuine about the team's enthusiasm for moving forward together, nothing sinister festering under the surface concerning Hope. AC was face to face with these folks and I think she was taking them at their word. I think she'd have "smelled" any insincerity.
To me that means the sorority girl attitude is gone, and it's the attitude not the people that needed to go. I think Pia's hiring has already paid dividends in that regard. I'm even beginning to think Coach is right and Sudhage will get it all worked out in time. Scary thought that, optimism from me.... Pia Power indeed.
Ghostwriter, Truth is right. Until those responsible actually apologize publicly for their public mistreatment of Solo, "moving on" is nothing but a cliche designed to keep those responsible from actually being held accountable.
ReplyDeleteMarkgraf is wrong. This isn't about "public image." This is about common decency to a teammate (let alone a fellow human being who might have been the biggest defensive factor in the U.S. even getting to the World Cup.
Fans should withhold their support (and their money for the junk that U.S. Soccer sells) until those public apologies are forthcoming. In fact, fans should demand those apologies before spending another dime on these overgrown adolescents!
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI respect your position. But there won't ever be anything like that. Maybe in a perfect world, but this ain't that: I'm not, they're not, no one is.
If the China events had cost Hope her career, that would have truly been a tragedy. For a time it looked like they might. That's been averted. She's got a chance now that, absent Gulati's intervention and hiring of Pia Sundhage, she may not have gotten. She's got the chance to have the last/best laugh: showcase her skills on another big International stage, win some Olympic hardware, and celebrate with appreciative teammates on the field while Mr. Ryan stands in the unemployment line watching!
That's enough for me. If not for everyone...c'est le guerre. We'll agree to disagree on that part of it.
ghost
Agree with you Ghost as much as I also agree with the sentiment expressed by joe, joan, truth, impedient & others.
ReplyDeleteSince October I have personally messaged at least half the team, Gulati & others at ussoccer to nicely suggest that somebody show some leadership and apologize publicly to Hope and the fans of the WNT for their horrid behaviour.
I unfortunately have concluded that it's just not going to happen. The change they made (removal of Ryan) was their way of doing it. Hopefully some have one on one with Hope? I don't just mean teammates either. I would like to think so.
New coach, fresh start, a shot at some Oylmpic glory in the near term & Hope's still part of the WNT & Ryan isn't. That's good enough for me. Hope knows that emotional moment after the Brazil game got the best of her and she has accepted that & Lord knows has paid for her outburst.
Yes, Hope & all WNT fans deserve a public apology for there behaviour. I too still do the slow burn. It remains though that the time has come & gone to let it go.
The person who was most harmed by all this, Hope has, albeit by necessity, let it go and she's showing some class by leading the way with the move on movement. To NOT let it go continues the vindictive behaviour that has led to all this anger & emotion in the first place.
It's also the Holiday Season. As good a time as any for forgiveness!
Season's Greetings to A.C. & all Sideline readers!
I'm putting it all behind and cheering on the team. To many other things in life to be concerned about.
ReplyDeleteA little help please - in that Photoshelter picture collection, who is picture #101? Woznuk?
Thanks; and Happy Holidays to all!
rtt,
ReplyDeleteThat would be a reasonable guess but it doesn't look like Angie from AC's team pic? lol
I am SO BAD at looking at pics & trying to figure out who they are so I guess I'm not much help.
There are many on that photoshelter site that I'm not sure of, maybe Craig could label them for us! lol
I loved the quotes from Mitts. She can make anybody's day; it really made the article.
ReplyDeleteTo the anon whoc said, "Take your own advice and MOVE ON! The Hope Solo stuff is really, really old."
ReplyDeleteWe will Lilly, just apologize first.
lol C.H., too funny.
ReplyDeletertt, Tobin Heath maybe? Like I said, I'm not much help.
Help peoples! I can say for sure it's not Hope! :)
Pic 101 is Tina DiMartino from UCLA. She was not on the roster but she, Danesha Adams and Lauren Cheney got called in after they were knocked out of the College Cup in the semis.
ReplyDeleteBTW Lilly doesn't have anything to apologize for.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the pic I.D., players not on roster but at the camp might help explain my ineptitude at ID'ing pics but not completely. lol
We'll just agree to disagree on Lilly & others.
Oh wait, you might be Kristine again! :)
Well well well, look who is on the front page of Nike.com.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nike.com/
And she is included in the "hear it from the pros" on nike womens site
http://www.nike.com/index.jhtml#l=nikestore,nikewomen,athlete&re=US&co=US&la=EN
kat, tash, and abby are on this page too.
If Nike were smart, they would have some fun with this and capitalize on Hope's 15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAnon (12/17/07 4:54 PM),
ReplyDeleteJim Mike is working on it.
A reliable poster at a forum I visit wrote that the situation hasn't been defused yet.
ReplyDeleteThe poster wrote, in regard to Solo, that "Many of her teammates still want nothing to do with her."
The poster usually has accurate sources of information about the team.
Sighs...
ReplyDeleteJT all i can say is I hope this is not the case.
Meaning they don't get all warm & cozy off the field & go out for espressos? If that's the case, who cares? On the field, Pia won't stand for it.
ReplyDeleteIs there such a thing as a reliable poster on those forums? :)
A.C.,
ReplyDeleteYou on holidays?
If so, have a great one!
I'm sort of on holiday, but I've been reading the comments here as well.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I found everything at the camp all hunky-dory. There was a certain tension in the air. As I've said before, I think some players on the team have modeled their lives around being the "good girls" for the sake of team image (ie, do what you're told, don't step out of line, don't ever make the team look bad). They could very well still be upset with Hope.
However, the closing ranks aspect of the situation makes it difficult to assess who these people are. Some fans, somewhat understandably, cope by disliking the whole team for how they treated Hope. Of course, the difficulty here is that Hope herself is back on the team. It doesn't support her to shun the team when she's a part of it. The younger players weren't any part of the World Cup shunning of Hope either. Should they be snubbed? Bottom line, I took away a strong sense from Pia that she expected any personal gripes, from any angle, to be put aside and for players to perform. If some players want to be catty about Hope, it may eventually undermine their own standing with the team.
Working holidays are good A.C., that would define my career/life at present!
ReplyDeleteI suspect most of the tension would be due to "new coach" & a desire to impress her. Try as she may have with her singing, etc. to relax them, there would still be some butterflies/tension until they get to know her.
Your statement "If some players want to be catty about Hope, it may eventually undermine their own standing with the team." is exactly what I meant by my comment that Pia won't stand for it. Good luck to them!
I completely agree, unless of course the name is Abby!
:)
BTW Lilly doesn't have anything to apologize for.
ReplyDeleteSorry, anonymous, but you're dead wrong! As captain, Lilly had the responsibility not to let the situation get out of hand. She not only let it get out of hand but encouraged it, as did Wambach!
Sundhage should demand that those players involved not only make a public apology but also apologize privately to Solo face to face. That's the only way this thing won't fester. It'll also show who's in charge.
Somehow, I don't think Swedes tolerate the sort of adolescent behavior that the USWNT demonstrated.
I also agree 100% that snubbing the team because of how Hope was treated is not fair to Hope or the majority of the team, younger or older, that may not have had a say in it all.
ReplyDeleteEven if they did have input of some kind, their voice likely wasn't strong enough to do a thing about it. Public support for Hope if they truly felt bad for her treatment would have been nice but may have had negative repercussions for whoever dared offer it, as we have previously discussed.
j.d., you are likely correct that this will fester until at the very least a public acknowledgement or "non apology" occurs.
Even a statement from Gulati stronger then his words when Ryan was replaced would have gone a long way to repairing things. I still suspect Lilly is retiring due in part to all this which will help a bit?
Have you tried a message to ussoccer or Lilly to voice your opinion? Better late then never for ussoccer to get it right.
Joseph -
ReplyDeleteYou weren't there and you have no idea what really happened. You are judging a woman based on a tiny part of the story and have no understanding of the context.
I will grant you that Lilly will not go down in history as one of the great WNT captains but she didn't make herself captain and its not a role she relishes.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteWhile I've been in the "move-on" camp since the removal of Ryan, are you serious?
"Tiny part of the story"?
"No understanding of the context"?
Do you actually condone the punishment meted out in this situation?
Even if we don't have the entire story, I'd say we have 99% of it!
Whether she relished the role of being Captain or not, she accepted it and the responsibility that goes with it.
This isn't Kristine again, is it?
:)
No Hope, it's not Kristine. ;-0
ReplyDeleteYou don't have any where close to 99% of the story.
lol, yep, Coach Hope! :P
ReplyDeleteSure we do!
No you don't and if you really thought it through, you'd know that you don't. Do you really think Hope's comments alone created this firestorm? We don't know because we weren't there and they aren't telling.
ReplyDeleteThink it through?
ReplyDeleteWhatever you think we know & don't know, back to my original response.
Do you actually condone the punishment meted out in this situation?
hmm, did solo ask lilly to go read her aarp newsletter, or ask abby to take her silver shoe and shove it where the sun dont shine?
ReplyDeleteplease anon, give us insight into the huge behind the scenes hubub.
WOW A.C.! 50 comments! lol
ReplyDeleteWould this be a record?
:)
51 now!
What was the actual punishment? She was kept from the 3rd place match and medal ceremonies. Was she kept from the medal ceremony or did she choose not to come? I have no idea, do you? She benched herself for the celebration matches. I know you've all decided that it was a vast conspiracy by Greg Ryan and the US Soccer machine, but you are assuming that, when you really have no idea.
ReplyDeleteI know its a great story, poor cute, sweet, soft spoken Hope being bullied by big, bad, big mouth Abby and mean old Kristine Lilly, but unless you've trained with them for the last three years, were in China and privy to everything that was going at training, in the locker room, the hotel, etc., then there is really no basis to condemn anyone here because you don't know the whole story. You know a few sound bites from Hope, Lilly and Abby and the opinions of some journalists and bloggers and that's it.
@kit
ReplyDeleteI'd welcome any light you have to shed on this story.
If the actions of the coach and leaders were entirely on the up and up, then they should have no problem saying so. Instead they remain, at best, controversial. If they want the respect of the soccer media and the soccer-savvy fans, then they should be a little more forthcoming about what happened or honest about their intentions.
Some players feel everyone ought to move on, and that's fine, I'm sure we all will as soon as they've given us a good reason to. Otherwise, I'm rather inclined to forget the whole mess and the team along with it.
Kristine, I mean Kit, (I've never seen it shortened like that but it works!):
ReplyDeleteSo you actually condone the behaviour of some members of the WNT in this situation as well or are you also Anon from the previous posts?
:)
I know enough to know that I don't know everything. Joan, what if in there own way, they are protecting Hope by being silent? Would it make everyone feel better if they came out and said she was a total prima donna, thought only of herself and has been difficult to deal with for the last three years. Would everyone move on if they came out and gave the blow by blow of exactly how big of a pain she was after she got benched? They haven't done that because that's not what they do. They deal with it in house. We got a little glimpse inside when Hope spouted off and then Lilly and Wambach tried to do a bit of damage control and really Abby is not all that well suited for that. We haven't seen the big picture and I'm not really sure that it is our God given right to know the details. So since we aren't privy to the details, we just make them up attributing actions and motives to people we don't even know.
ReplyDeletekit,
ReplyDeletegiven that they classified hope as "the person everyone gets along with" i find your whole prima donna argument laughable. whats more, hope probably comes from the most fincially lean backgrounds of anyone on the US womens national team, suggesting that she is some bratty prima donna is almost offensive.
@kit
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I have thought of similar scenarios, but it takes quite a evidence-free leap to come to that conclusion. And I still don't think it justifies their actions.
And maybe what they did does not need to be justified, since so much of what happened during the tournament was not. Perhaps they should have just said, "It is what it is." rather than tried to pass themselves off as good people with great hearts.
I still wouldn't like it, but I'd respect it, and I think a lot of others might as well.
Kit,
ReplyDeleteYou have said that "since we aren't privy to the details, we just make them up attributing actions and motives to people we don't even know."
Is this by chance what you just did by suggesting that Hope is "a total prima donna, thought only of herself and has been difficult to deal with for the last three years. Would everyone move on if they came out and gave the blow by blow of exactly how big of a pain she was after she got benched?"
There is no evidence to suggest this is the case. In fact, as Meredith has pointed out, the evidence points the other way. I too find your comments offensive when you look at ALL the circumstances in this sorry situation.
Even if there was some merit to this argument, their behaviour is STILL totally unacceptable & deserves an explanation, God given right or not.
Every team member on any team has a different personality. Accept that.
I have zero patience for anyone who can condone school girl retribution behaviour from adults.
Enough said.
"Was she kept from the medal ceremony or did she choose not to come?"
ReplyDeleteKit: Get real!! Were you not paying attention at the time?!?
"Ryan made the decision in consultation with his team, sighting the disruption caused by Solo's comments to the press following a loss to Brazil in the tournament semifinals on Thursday evening in Hangzhou.
"We did not have Hope attend practice today," said Ryan to a press gathering in the team hotel. "She will not be attending the game tomorrow (Sunday)"
Of course no one here was at the WC, but to suggest it was Hope's choice seems ludicrous to me. It's hard to take anything else you said seriously.
jd - forcing an apology is not going to help if it is not sincere. That would only deepen the rift (if it still exists) between Hope and the 'haters'. I should hope they are all mature enough to get beyond this for the good of the team. I'd be shocked if Pia didn't make Hope the #1 goalie, simply because she is clearly the best we have. If others choose to hold grudges that affect the play of the team, it will be to their own detriment.
Ghost, where are you?
ReplyDeleteYou're missing all this fun! :O
#60!
i wonder how many posts this thing can hold, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have added a few when i should have been writing the 20 page paper i have due tommorow. and alas, im sure ill post at least one more, in a late night procrastination session.
Heres to coke zero and zero sleep :|
RT - Doesn't say anything about the medal ceremony. I've never heard it reported. Even if they kept her from the medal ceremony, it certainly does not qualify as a war crime as the hysteria around here suggests.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the press conference you quoted from is about the only solid info out there other than a few sound bites.
Coach - that's exactly was I was doing. It's easier for me to connect the dots that one engaged in petulant behavior as opposed to twenty. I can't condone or condemn the punishment when I don't know what happened. My point is we don't know ALL the circumstances.
Also, wouldn't count fluff from Nike as proof of anything. Remember they sold Mia as the sweet girl next door and anyone that has been around her for 5 minutes knows she is moody as hell.
Also don't know what Hope's financial background has to do with anything. Are all poor people super nice and always right?
Joan - I hear what you are saying. I think you are talking about Abby's remarks and I would say she is probably not the best spokesman. She wants to be out there and people want to hear her because she's a great player, but she's really not all that coherent if you look at her remarks in general.
Seriously, has there been any hint in the last 20 years that Lilly was inclined towards petty, vindictive behavior and capable of coercing 20 others to engage in it with her? Cat has a spine and is friendly with Hope, do you really think she was brow beaten into going along with the scheme if there wasn't a little more to it.
What we know doesn't add up so its pretty obvious there is some crucial data missing.
It's times like these where I really miss the ol' WUSA. Instead of just focusing on a pool of 30 to 35 players, we could examine eight teams.
ReplyDeleteWe could focus on clubs with different styles & dynamics instead of just this one team. We could watch some big name players look quite ordinary and see some lesser recognized players develop into key players for their teams. Ah, those were the days ...
well lookie here kit you got you wish.
ReplyDeleteziegler interviewed solo last week
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071219/news_1s19soccer.html
"The next few days are still a blur for Solo. She was banished by Ryan and her teammates, not allowed to sit on the bench with them during the third-place game against Norway, not allowed to receive her bronze medal with them, not allowed to eat meals with them, not allowed to fly home with them"
and i wonder why she got so upset in the first place.prima donna?
no this sounds more likely
"The World Cup instantly became her solace, her mission, her way of soothing the pain.
“It was my way of honoring his death, honoring his life,” says Solo, who scattered his ashes in the goal before every match in China. “It was all he ever wanted for me, and all I ever wanted for him. I've never been so focused and passionate about something in my whole life. It was the only thing that kept me together after he passed away.” ....“In a blink of an eye, it was all taken away from me,” Solo says. “I never saw it coming. The moment I couldn't get that gold medal any more, my world was shattered. I didn't care about the silver medal. I didn't care about the bronze medal.”
Then someone asked for an interview."
kit we will now all graciously accept your apology :) thanks
whoops lost the link
ReplyDeletetrying again
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071219/news_1s19soccer.html
KrIsT...;), jk
ReplyDeleteNo hysteria here, just some fans who don't really like the way one of their players was treated for saying a few words in an emotional moment that got the best of her. She has apologized. A few times. Nobody else has. Some fans believe they are owed one. Some think Hope is owed one. Or at least an explanation. This isn’t about being “super nice and always right”. This is about treating a person with respect & dignity.
The change in coach was enough for me personally as from my perspective, all responsibility for the WC fiasco was his and his alone. Trying to hide behind “team leaders” was cowardly at best.
Re. “team leaders”, do you actually believe the other 18 had a say? Do you actually believe there was a democratic vote? Ryan simply got Lilly & Wambach on side & ran with it. No “crucial data” is missing here, other then why Ryan would make the Keeper change in the first place? We just have to accept his crazy logic on that one. He made a coaching decision, as flawed as that was. Lilly & Wambach went along with him because he WAS the coach and that’s what bothers people. What we know DOES add up & fans don’t like the stench. But the main stench is gone and the remaining will dissipate with time. ;)
People who are o.k. with the ostrasization & public humiliation of other people don’t likely see this logic. So be it, as unfortunate as that may be.
Hey Meredith, posted mine before I saw yours. Must go read that ziegler article. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on that 20 page essay! Triple space it! lol Hope you got some sleep.
Oh, I've noticed links don't copy & paste too well on this blog these days for some reason.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why? A.C.?
Speaking of this amazing coaching decision, a good summary of it all can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttp://soccer2008.maxblog.eu/?p=617
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCan't get in to read that ziegler article! Site must have crashed from all the hits! lol
ReplyDelete#70! New record! :)
Nope that link just doesn't post well - but thanks for pointing it out Meredith.
ReplyDeleteGood interview.
new here. love the blog.
ReplyDeletethanks for posting those articles, they were a great read.
"No hysteria here, just some fans who don't really like the way one of their players was treated for saying a few words in an emotional moment that got the best of her."
ReplyDeleteIf that was the only moment and all to the story, I would absolutely agree with you.
Yes, I do believe the other 18 had a say. They might not have had a vote (don't know, I wasn't in the room) but they were all upset with her. You are assuming facts not in evidence by suggesting that 18 were bullied by 2. Again, I would ask you what you have observed from Kristine Lilly in the last 20 years that would indicate that she had that nature and power.
Ryan was clear about why he made the keeper change. We might not agree with it and the team might not have agreed with it but it was his decision to make. You are basically saying that Wambach and Lilly owe her an apology for supporting a coaches decisions. That's what they are supposed to do. He's the coach. Should the have staged an insurrection in the middle of World Cup?
Her father dying is sad, but doesn't mean that the World Cup was only about her. It didn't guarantee her a starting spot. She plays on a team. The coach of that team decided she was going to sit against Brazil. As part of a team, her job was to put her personal disappointment aside and do what was best for them at that point.
Not taking meals with the team and being forced to eat alone are two different things. Solo had a large group of family and friends in China, probably the largest of any of the team. I'm sure she had plenty of company at meal time.
KIT,
ReplyDeleteThat IS the only moment we are dealing with here. Anything else falls under the category of normal team dynamics.
The only person "bullied" here was Hope & I repeat the responsibility for that lies with Ryan. He's gone. You know for a fact that they were "all" upset with her, do you?
The closest thing to an apology or explanation came from Gulati himself when Ryan was fired when he indicated "there are a few that wish they had handled things a little differently in this siuation" or something along those lines.
The removal of Ryan & this explanation from Gulati was enough for me but not others.
Repeat, the fans here don't like the way a team member was publicly humiliated, ostrasized & shunned. They want an explanation for it more then was sort of given by Gulati before "they" move on.
Really doesn't go any deeper then that.
I STILL can't get into that Ziegler article.
ReplyDeleteAnybody else having the same problem?
6 more days till Christmas.
Woot! :)
coach try here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ooosasoccer.com/
Thanks Meredith,
ReplyDeleteI have, same result, also same result when I google it and click on that link?
:(
Amazing...75+ posts. I guess this story still has legs.
ReplyDeleteThe Zeigler article is nicely done. He has been sympathetic toward Hope in most of what I've seen him write on this story and this article is also.
One of the main things we haven't known about China is what, if any, choices Hope was given. In past situations players running this far afoul of their coach/team have been sent straight home. If that had happened she would have traveled alone, not practiced with the team, not eaten or slept in the same place, not gone to either the third place game or medal ceremony. If much of her normal support group was in China, the "shunning" may actually have been preferable. I thought it possible (if unlikely) that she was given the choice to stay with complete separation or leave. Ziegler's story seems to indicate that was not the case. Still, she did have a support group there and maybe not so much at home. If she was getting kicked off the team, maybe staying was better than going home immediately, despite what it looked like. And separating her from the team was a coach's decision. Mr. Ryan, whether he hid behind the "team" or not, was responsible for that in its entirety.
I will always blame Lilly as captain (I don't care if she sought the job or not, she accepted the responsibility) for not seeing how the keeper change would devastate Solo. Players on a quest like that need to be honored by their mates. There had to be ways of embracing Hope without demeaning Scurry before Brazil. If that had been done, maybe none of this would have happened.
In any event, Solo had no reputation as a bad apple before this. She maybe was a bit of a loner, and that can be an issue with teammates, but the handling of the situation then was bad and seemed to get worse after.
Still, Hope wants to move forward, not live in the past. She doesn't want to relive any of China. She has appologized and is now done with that. She trashed her coach and seemingly from the team leaders perspective (who all cut their soccer teeth with Scurry) trashed her teammate. There will be no appologies from those who thought that. They may privately find a way to deal reasonably with each other and publicly work together for a common goal, but bridges were burned here that will not be rebuilt.
Still, Pia Sundhage with her enourmous love of the game, her positive spirit, and her ability to ask for and get the best from all around her, may succeed in getting them all on the same track again and enjoying it together.
As I've said over and over (I'll stop now) that's good enough for me.
PS Coach: if Meredith's suggestion doesn't work, just google Hope Solo under news it's the first entry.
Meredith, I appreciate your effort, but Zeigler deserves hits for his article, so I've posted a link in the latest USWNT post "Hope thinks about it" and I'm deleting the article here in the comments.
ReplyDeleteo good A.C., thank you.
ReplyDeletereading the whole thing on here can make ones eyes very unhappy lol
Welcome back Ghost! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I've done that, can't seem to get into san diego trib at all from where I sit! lol
Later, I "Hope"!
Joseph -
ReplyDeleteYou weren't there and you have no idea what really happened. You are judging a woman based on a tiny part of the story and have no understanding of the context.
Bovine excrement! Does anybody have to "be there" to understand what happened and how cruel the WNT sorority and its wuss of a house mother, Ryan, was? This was perhaps the most publicized story regarding women's soccer in the U.S. since the 1999 Women's World Cup; the facts are everywhere if people care to look and not make excuses.
I will grant you that Lilly will not go down in history as one of the great WNT captains but she didn't make herself captain and its not a role she relishes.
More bovine excrement! How many of us have roles that we don't relish and never wanted? Does that mean we wimp out and not assume the responsibilities associated with those roles? If that were true, then humanity would be far worse off now that it already is (and that's pretty bad).