Wanted: competent head coach
By Chris Furnari
Last week, U.S. goalie Hope Solo spoke out about Head Coach Greg Ryan's decision to start veteran Briana Scurry instead of Solo in their game versus Brazil.
In an interview, Solo said, "It was the wrong decision, and I think anyone that knows anything about the game knows that."
Bold statement.
While Solo's reactive comment may have been excessively contentious -- it certainly drew criticism from many Ã-- her message was not out of line, nor was she alone in her sentiment.
When it became apparent that Solo had been replaced in the lineup, pre-game analyst Julie Foudy, a former U.S. co-captain, said that the decision to pull Solo could impact the team negatively.
Foudy noted that because Solo was reacting to the decision negatively, the team may recognize that and enter the game with a different attitude. Fellow analyst Tony DiCicco agreed, saying, "If there isn't a goalkeeper controversy, why make one?"
Sure, Briana Scurry had never lost versus Brazil -- allowing an average of less than half a goal per game in 12 starts -- but that doesn't change the fact that she had just turned 36 years old in September.
I'm not saying that Solo would have stopped all four goals scored by the Brazilian squad, but perhaps the game would have been played differently with her starting in the net.
Should the game have gone exactly the same, Solo could have legitimately stopped two of the goals scored by Brazil, giving the U.S. a fighting chance to make the championship game.
However, the real argument lies not in whether the outcome of the game would have changed if Solo was in net, but in her reaction to the decision. I'm glad someone took the initiative to call out Ryan on his decision-making skills.
In the very first game of the tournament, Ryan made the decision not to sub for an injured Abby Wambach.
The Americans, who were winning 1-0 at the time, went down 2-1 in the amount of time it took Wambach to receive treatment. The U.S. fought to tie a game they should have won easily.
This game wasn't the only example of poor decision-making skills exhibited by Ryan. Commentators also routinely criticized the lack of substitutes used throughout the tournament. The incident involving Solo is just the final straw.
We should all be thanking Solo for her outburst, not kicking her off the team. The real person that needs to be replaced is Greg Ryan.
My vote for a replacement? Santa Clara's own Jerry Smith.