The document discusses the controversy surrounding US women's soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo being benched for Brianna Scurry for the semifinal match against Brazil at the 2007 Women's World Cup. Solo publicly criticized the coach's decision, saying she felt she could have made saves that Scurry didn't, and was subsequently dropped from the third place match and isolated from the team. The document contains both positive and negative opinions on Solo's comments and the coach's decision.

1. No Hope for Solo Michael Vincent, mvincen2@uiuc.edu

2. “ This is the wrong decision. Hey, I love Brianna Scurry, I coached her for many years, and she is a great goalkeeper, but if there isn't a goalkeeper controversy, why make one? It’s not just those two players, other players are affected.” “ USA Goal keeper Hope solo was so upset with the decision of the coach to bench her against Brazil! I thinks she was right...she's better!” “ She trashed her, she trashed her coach. I got less problem with her going after coach, teammates, you just don’t want to go there if you're unprovoked, unless provoked. All this woman [Scurry] did was go into the game because the coach told her to go into the game.” Google Video “ So she [Solo] blasted her coach and her teammates in the aftermath of the match, so what? You think the 1977 Yankees didn't have a few personal issues among themselves? You think Billy Martin didn't get in Reggie Jackson's face and visa-versa?” “ I mean, on name choice alone you have to go with Hope Solo. I don't know if she comes with her own Millennium Falcon, but she certainly moves as fast. Plus, she had gone 300 World Cup minutes without giving up a goal.” “ Well, that's just pathetic. First, she thinks she could've made those stops. Second, who the hell wants a teammate like that? Yo, Hope, women's soccer ain't the NFL. If you wanna be all Terrell Owens, knock yourself out. But in a few days, you can go back to obscurity, safe in the knowledge that when you had a chance to show some class you utterly failed to do so. “ Google Blog Search “ 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.” “ U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, benched by American coach Greg Ryan ahead of the USA's 4-0 semifinal loss to Brazil at the Women's World Cup on Thursday, let her emotions get the best of her. And she was right to do it.” “ On the tradition-laden U.S. Women's National Team, Solo's outburst was unacceptable, and her peers, led by the older players she indirectly denigrated, decided she should not play in Sunday's third-place game against Norway, and she was forced into isolation from her team at the swank Westin Hotel.” Google News Neutral Quotes Positive Quotes Negative Quotes

3. “ U.S. Women's National Team head coach Greg Ryan, team captain Kristine Lilly and forward Abby Wambach confirmed Saturday in a press conference in Shanghai, China, that goalkeeper Hope Solo would not be a part of the team's preparation in advance of the USA's third-place match with Norway on Sunday.” “ Lets face it: U.S. Women's National Team head coach Greg Ryan fucked up. Multiple times.He took Hope Solo, coming off of three consecutive shutouts, and replaced her with 36 year-old Brianna Scurry against a fast and agile Brazilian team and the end result was the US team getting their ass handed to them. And when Solo pointed out what everyone was thinking he canned her.” "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). We have moved forward with 20 players who have stood by each other, who have battled for each other, and when the hard times came and the Brazil game was a hard time they stood strong. Now it is the 20 that have stuck together that will be ready to go out and compete against Norway. That ’ s our whole focus, and that’ s what we ’ r e going to do." BlogPulse “ Yahoo news - the current top 20 jersey sales for all sports has Beckham #1 and two other soccer stars in the top 20, but you won't find them dribbling alongside Beckham. Outspoken U.S. Women's team goalie Hope Solo came in at #8 and retired superstar Mia Hamm ranked #20 both scored with jersey searchers this week.” “ So a s the resident writer about good looking female athletes, I feel compelled to step up and attack U .S. Women ’ s s occer c oach Greg Ryan about his spectacularly idiotic d ecision in benching Hope S olo, and her 3 game shutout streak in goal, f or the U.S. v . Brazil Semifinal in the Women ﾕ s World Cup. Brazil went on to win the game 4-0, sending the United States to the third place game against Norway this weekend. Ryan elected to play 36 year old backup goalkeeper B rianna Scurry in lieu of S olo, because he felt she m atched up better against the Brazilians and their athleticism.” “ With this being said, what Solo said was wrong. Yes, she was upset with good reason. She got pulled from the biggest game of her life and her replacement lost the game. But it is always wrong to blame a teammate for a lost in the media.” Technorati “ US women's goalie Hope Solo needs a little love right now. After her rant at US Women's coach Greg Ryan , who had benched her in favor of Brianna Scurry for the World Cup semi final against Brazil (which the US lost 3-0), she was cast out by Ryan and ostracized by team-mates.” “ So Hope, if you ever read this, THANK YOU. You're going to pay dearly for being the first to be your own woman and a competitor to the bone in public. You're going to take a lot of heat for being brash and honest and not towing the party line. You will never in your life manage to get rid of those 28 seconds on TV, and no one can say that it will ever go away enough for you to get back to normal. The first always takes it the worst. But, because of your 28 seconds, the next generation won't have to be so perfect.” “ Let's cut Hope some slack here. She was pissed off and said some dumb things in the heat of the moment, most of all that she could have saved some of the goals Scurry conceded. But then she's a young dumb athlete - what do you expect? Like most young dumb athletes, she hates to lose.” Ask.com Blog Search Neutral Quotes Positive Quotes Negative Quotes

4. “ 3 goals did it for Team USA while Hope Solo was voluntarily sidelined. Abby Wambach, Player of the match Lori Chalupny and Heather O'Reilly scored one each as the U.S.A soccer team beat the Norwegians 3-1.” “ Team America coach Greg Ryan is looking to patch things up with goalkeeper Hope Solo, which is nice but perhaps a bit late.” “ For a team that has always been far removed from controversy, the loss on the field and the heated Hope Solo debate off the field made it the most regrettable day in the history of the United States women's national team.” Digg “ Wilmer Cabrera has compared the Hope Solo situation to that of the Colombian national team in the 1998 World Cup.” “ She had 3 shutouts in a row coming into a quarterfinal match up against Brazil in the World Cup when her dim coach, Greg Ryan, made one of the worst coaching decisions in the history of professional sports sparking a raging controversy.” “ Solo violated one of sport's biggest unwritten rules: Thou shalt not publicly criticize your coach or teammates.” Icerocket Neutral Quotes Positive Quotes Negative Quotes