On the stupidity of Greg Ryan…. Hope sinks.
So as the resident writer about good looking female athletes, I feel compelled to step up and attack U.S. Women’s soccer coach Greg Ryan about his spectacularly idiotic decision in benching Hope Solo, and her 3 game shutout streak in goal, for the U.S. v. Brazil Semifinal in the Women’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 Brianna Scurry in lieu of Solo, because he felt she matched up better against the Brazilians and their athleticism.
After the game, Solo had this to say: ”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 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, and that’s what I think.”
Solo’s comments are ballsy on several levels, as they (1) essentially call out Scurry as having blown the game, and (2) actually call out Ryan as knowing nothing about the game of soccer. Whether the first point is accurate or not is debatable. Scurry was in a tough spot and really should not be blamed for Ryan’s stupidity. By all accounts the Brazilians kicked the crap out of the U.S. and it was going to be their day regardless of who the U.S. netminder was. However, as to the second point, Solo may be on to something.
I will grant you that I have not had a ton of coaching experience in my life. I have some, but not enough to deserve a whistle and a clipboard for any meaningful competition in any sport. What I do know, however, is that there are certain rules that are etched in stone, which should be followed at all times regardless of which sport you are coaching.
The first rule is, of course, play your best damn players. This seems obvious enough, but must be mentioned since Ryan chose in this case to sit his #1 goalkeeper, who had a lengthy shutout streak going, in order to play the #2 goalkeeper, whom he believed to be a ‘better matchup.’ What Greg Ryan did going into the Brazil game was essentially concede that he was leaving his best goalie on the bench, under the rationale that Scurry had the potential to have a better game due to her physical prowess and previous success against Brazil (some of which happened years ago). If this was true, and Scurry does have better reflexes and more athleticism than Solo, then Scurry should have been in net all tournament, not just against Brazil. The decision also reeks of arrogance as Ryan was willing to pit his ‘gut feeling’ against the results that Solo had already produced in the Tournament.
The second rule of sports is that you NEVER mess with focus and team chemistry. The U.S. women’s soccer team had not conceded a goal in the World Cup in three straight games. They were riding a 51 game unbeaten streak and poised to take on Brazil, in a matchup of world powers. Instead of properly focusing his team and preparing them for the game, Ryan chose to put his team in a blender and juggle his lineup. The media circus that followed had to be a distraction for the team and was exactly the kind of attention that a coach does not want to bring on his team when they are trying to prepare for a big game.
Rule 3 is pretty simple: Don’t bet the longshot in the biggest games. Coaches will always be second guessed for their decisions, especially when they end up like this game did for the Americans. However, a coach who waits until the Semi-final of the premier tournament in the sport to take such a monumental gamble, is truly clueless. Dance with the date that brought you (especially if that date is as good looking as Solo is). Ryan threw up the proverbial hail mary at the beginning of this game, rather than allow the lineup that had competed throughout the tournament (and made it to the semi-finals) take the field and play their game. Maybe they would have still lost, but they would have done so as a cohesive unit, rather than the current situation in which Solo is justifiably furious and running her mouth.
Finally, I believe any coach would agree that when you become a bigger story than your team, you have erred. Nobody will remember this game for anything other than the game where Ryan made this disastrous decision. Scurry will forever be marred by this incident and Solo may very well come to regret lashing out at Ryan and Scurry after the game. Personally I respect her for speaking her mind, but at the same time, he’s still her coach and has to make the decisions concerning her playing time in the future. That could get dicey.
Loading ...
I agree with your points about messing with team chemistry and that any kind of goalie rotation is a horrible idea (in all sports) and all that, but if Solo wants to wonder why she got benched, maybe she should have looked at those WEAK ass goals she let in against the North Koreans. If she hadn’t stunk that game up I find it hard to believe this stupid idea ever would have been have floated in the first place.
In better news, the guys I knew from the Tri-Cities were always quick to point out that Solo was sexin’ in high school. So you know… in case you thought she might not at least be able to drown her sorrows in orgasms, that won’t be an issue.
You beat me to this column. We have a lot of the same thoughts.
I got to know Hope when she was playing at the University of Washington and I knew she would not stand for this. If I was at the World Cup, I would have told Greg Ryan to hire a bodyguard because Hope was going to kill him with her bare, manicured hands.
It’s a ludicrous decision, of course, and it was based on the fact that he thought Scurry’s lateral movement would be better at blocking direct shots, especially low ones. There’s something to this line of thinking, as it was often cited as the reason our high school team juggled goalies, but it involves a fatal assumption: namely, that Scurry is better at blocking shots than Solo. This is clearly untrue – watch the first goal Scurry allowed. She got beaten near-post by a poorly struck worm-burner. That’s inexcusable at any level.
In addition, you miss out on Solo’s superior ability to pluck balls out of the air and all of the continuity with the back line that’s been ruined by taking her out. You could argue that the own goal was the result of a lack of communication.
And again – it’s not Scurry’s fault. She’s thirty-frickin-six years old, for Chrissake! Her best years are behind her (although I hear women reach their sexual prime at age 40 so those best years are just starting.) Men apparently reach theirs at 19.
So in summation I would point that this will likely come back to bite Solo in her beautiful backside, just because the US Soccer Federation led by Sunil Gulati is ludicrously slow at, you know, doing things. This means that this Ryan character may be in the same role for the next several years, which is a truly frightening thought. There’s no way the US should keep him after this showing.
Another thought: Solo was culpable for a dreadful error against North Korea, so it’s not like she’s infallible. But since she is hot and likes to party you can give her the benefit of the doubt.
Solo’s the best goalkeeper in the United States and I hope she retains her role as the country’s No. 1. Brianna Scurry may go down as the best female keeper ever, and I hope after she retires she doesn’t think too much about this game and thinks more about flexing her sexual muscles. And I hope we don’t see Hope in a Chinese court on charges of manslaughter.
And a couple more additions:
1) What a horrible day for University of Washington women’s soccer! That no. 8 shirt that Marta’s abusing on two separate occasion – yep, that’s UW product Tina Ellertson (Frimpong), the other Husky on the roster.
2) Marta’s good.
well according to Ryan he thought about this months ago and even talked to Scurry about it. Just didn’t mention to Solo… or anyone else.
I agree on the goals in the North Korea game but didn’t they happen while Waumbach was hurt and the U.S. was shorthanded. That aside, it was the first game of the Cup and she had since had 3 consecutive shutouts, so it’s still a baffling move.
This tournament would have totally flown under my radar if it wasn’t for this scandal. They were even yelling about it on Around the Horn today. I wonder if US Women’s soccer ends up with more exposure through this rather than if they had won.