The Hope Solo/Greg Ryan debacle could be the best or the worst thing that has ever happened to women’s soccer. I can’t decide. Women’s soccer has certainly gotten more ink in the last week than it has since Brandi Chastain swung her jersey over her head. Of course, the quality of that ink is debatable. In fact, I can’t recall a situation where so much has been written and said based on so little available information.

The heroes and villains in this drama seem to shift with each passing news cycle. Ryan is the villain for distracting his team with a questionable (questionable is probably the most polite thing that’s been said about it) coaching move. Hope Solo is a villain for throwing Briana Scurry under the bus (I know, the under the bus thing is getting old!) with her criticism of Ryan’s decision. Ryan is a villain for keeping Solo away from the third place match. The team is full of vengeful, spiteful, monstrous villains for supporting Ryan’s decision and not supporting Solo. Solo is a hero for having the courage to speak her mind. It goes on and on with the only constant being Ryan as villain.

In recent days, public opinion seems to have shifted to Solo as saint and the rest of the team, led by Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach, as monsters. Again, this is with very little information available to support an informed opinion.

Let’s review what we know for sure:

• Greg Ryan made a questionable coaching decision to pull his starting keeper from the semi-final match against Brazil and replace her with her back up, a world class keeper in her own right, who hadn’t seen much time in the net since the Olympics and none in this World Cup.
• Solo, the starting keeper, was very upset by this move. We can infer that at least some of her teammates were also upset, but there have been no public statements to support the inference. In fact, the only statement that has been made was that it didn’t divide the team.
• The team, collectively, put in a poor performance and was shelled by a Brazilian team playing the match of their lives.
• Hope Solo gave an emotional, post match interview against advice from her press officer, emphatically stating the coach made the wrong decision, that she would have made the saves that Scurry didn’t and inferring (unintentionally, I suspect) that Scurry was a has been, living on the accomplishments of the past.
• Solo apologized via My Space, to Briana Scurry and to her teammates for her remarks. We don’t know the details of her personal apologies. The public My Space apology reads more along the lines of “I’m sorry I was misunderstood” rather than “I’m sorry for my behavior”. I have a 13-year old son and am very familiar with this genre of apology. It doesn’t usually get him out of trouble either.
• Greg Ryan with input from “team leaders” decided that Solo would not train with the team or suit up for the third place match.
• Team leaders, Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach, characterized the decision as a team decision as the team felt Solo would be a distraction to their preparation for Norway.
• Solo did not participate in the match or the ensuing medal ceremony.
• Solo was not made available to the media during the duration of the China trip.
• Solo did not fly home with the team.
• She hasn’t spoken to media since.

What we don’t know:

• If the team decision was unanimous
• The content of her apology to Scurry and her teammates. Was it humble and sincere or more forgive me, you misunderstood?
• What has gone on behind the scenes between Solo and her teammates before, during and after this conflict.
• How Solo responded to being left off the team for the Norway match.
• Why she didn’t fly home with the team. Was it her choice or theirs?

Without answers to these questions (which may never come), I’m not prepared to sort the villains from the heroes. And, I’m certainly not prepared to vilify women whose good conduct I’ve observed up close and from afar over a period of years. That includes Hope Solo. I’ll wait for the facts to roll in before I make further judgment.

For now, I’ll enjoy the 15 minutes of fame that this story is bringing women’s soccer, while cringing that this is what it takes for this group of quality athletes and women to get noticed. At least they didn’t have to get naked to catch some attention.

Leslie Osborne credited a freedom to play and a focus on playing to their strengths for the team’s entertaining and decisive victory over Norway in the third place match of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We know that when we play and we have freedom to play, that we play a lot better, “ Osborne said after the match. “Tonight was a good example of us just playing and playing to our strengths and taking initiative ourselves to play how we can play individually and collectively. I think in this tournament we focused a lot on our opponents and tonight we focused on ourselves.

“Tonight and even against England, I think we came out focusing on ourselves. We are such a great group of individuals, when we come together and focus on our strengths; we are a really good team. I think we just focused too much on our opponents. We had such a tough group to get out of, we just took one game at a time and focused so much on the teams we were playing rather than ‘Hey, let’s play our game.’ We learned a lot.”

Many of the reporters that are here in China covering the Women’s World Cup were shocked by the announcement today that Greg Ryan and the U.S. Women’s National Team had elected to, in effect, banish Hope Solo from tomorrows third place match against Norway. I wasn’t. I don’t cover sports, I cover women’s soccer and I’ve followed this team for a long time. I understood that airing team business publicly was a big no-no for this group and expected some kind of response.

Understanding it and explaining to a bunch or reporters who regularly cover professional athletes, that publicly insult and degrade each other all the time, are entirely different things. I tried to think of someone who could help me verbalize why the team (and some of the veterans) would find Solo’s comments so offensive, and immediately thought of Shannon MacMillan. MacMillan is uniquely qualified to address the current crisis. Not only was she a long time member of the team, but she has also been smack in the middle of a coaching controversy.

The coach was Tony DiCicco and the controversy was during the infamous 1999 Women’s World Cup. MacMillan was playing extremely well, having an impact every time she took the field, but she wasn’t starting. DiCicco was taking a lot of heat from the press about his decision to keep her on the bench and MacMillan was fielding questions about it daily. Her response was to go to DiCicco and discuss it. She responded to the media by saying, "I told him I understood that the media was after him to start me, and they're asking me about all the time, too. I know the heat's on him, but I wanted him to know I'm ready to do whatever he wants me to do. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep the heat on him."

I spoke with MacMillan, who is in her first year as Assistant Coach at UCLA, today and asked her thoughts on the current controversy. Here’s what she had to say:

“The foundation of our team has been built on the fact that we are one unit. We’re friends and family within the team and issues like this are handled internally. This isn’t the first disagreement with a coach, a coach’s decision, or between teammates, but when something like this happens, you have to keep it in house. You don’t air it out in the media. I think that part of the reason people have fallen in love with our team over the years is because we have a respect for each other. Many times, fans have told us that they love that we’re not bashing each other, we’re not out there for the big dollars, we’re not out there getting in trouble. This just goes against the character and the fiber of this team and what it stood for.

I think that your coach is your coach. When you have a roster like this going into the World Cup, you need to have faith in your whole team. Coaches aren’t perfect and when they make a mistake I don’t think it’s your right to go out and blast them in the media. That’s something that you handle in a one on one meeting. Enough people were already blasting Greg. I don’t think Hope needed to chime in her two cents worth.

It’s sad to see something like this happen because when the cards are stacked against you, that’s when true character is revealed. I know that Hope is a very emotional person, but you need to keep that in check. You had to know that nothing good was going to come of that interview.

I’m actually really proud of Greg and the team for the way they’ve handled this. This isn’t supposed to happen and it’s not right. I have to be honest, like Foudy, when I heard Hope’s interview it kind of made me sick.”

After spending an evening commiserating with our English friends, the Fair Game crew stuck around to watch the Brazil vs. Norway quarterfinal and then took a couple of days off to see Beijing.

The quarterfinal was my first chance to see Marta in person and I was not disappointed. In fact, I probably was able to enjoy her play more since I was not emotionally invested in the match. The first time Brazil served a long ball toward the end line and Marta took off after it, I was reminded of the often-used Anson Dorrance expression, "she looked like she was just shot out of a canon." She was that fast. Formiga was also as impressive as ever. As to Brazil in general, they showed moments of brilliance and were astounding at times, but looked somewhat sloppy and undisciplined in the back, just like they usually do. I like our chances tomorrow.

On our first day off, we took a train into Beijing and visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is massive and a little bit difficult to appreciate as a result. I'm a lousy tourist anyway and found myself feeling a little like Clark Griswold; nodding my head a few times and ready to move on to the next thing.

The next thing for me was a shopping excursion at the Silk Market, a massive shopping center filled with booths packed to the rim with designer shoes, bags, clothes, electronics and who knows what else. I gave up after two floors. The whole shopping experience in the markets in China is really exciting at first. It is all about salesmanship and negotiating. Every time you pass a stall, a sales person yells out, "Heylady, heylady, heylady. I make you bargain. You want shoes? You buy t-shirt?" The sales people are very aggressive at getting you to look at their merchandise. It is all very amusing for about 15 minutes, but after about the 20th time of getting grabbed and pulled into someone’s stall, it wears a little thin.

Once you eye something you're interested in, the real fun begins. My friends and family will attest to the fact that I'm a little contrary, so I love to bargain. Once I even hinted that I was interested in something by making eye contact or asking a question, the first response was always "How many pieces you buy?" Once that was settled, the salesperson would pull out a calculator and show their "best, special friend, just for you price" which would be ridiculously high by Chinese standards (probably would not be so bad if in the states). My response would be to shrug it of and make a face as if it were the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard, followed by a wave of my hand and an attempt to walk off. Then the salesperson would give me the calculator for me to type in my "best price" which was usually about 10% of their asking. They would hold their chest and act like I had insulted their mother and then take the calculator and make their next offer, usually while telling me about the "high quality" of the merchandise. This would go on for a while and usually ended with me walking off as if we were done and being chased for several stalls (one time a city block) and finally settling on a price between 10% and 25% of the original asking price. I took some victory in each successful negotiation, but somehow still feel that there are several Chinese merchants still laughing at the "stupid American" that over paid.

Our second day off (and probably the last of our trip) was spent on an excursion to The Great Wall. The trip was spectacular and one that I'm glad I made time for. We took a ski lift up. There was an anxious moment or two mid ways through the ride as we wondered how we would get off, as we weren't wearing skis. We got off without incident and proceeded to climb up. The view was amazing. The mountainous scenery would be worth the hike, but the combination of what God had made with the wall that man built was awe inspiring. We hiked until we had had enough and then headed back to where we started and enjoyed a moderately thrilling ride down on a toboggan. I have to confess that I was little bit surprised that you could ride down the Great Wall in a toboggan, as it seems a bit commercial, but you can and it's an experience I highly recommend.

Speaking of commercialism, I was quite amused to find a sign at the Forbidden City emblazoned with the American Express logo. I have no idea what the sign said as it was in Chinese, but it did give me a chuckle.

Sightseeing is over and we're back to soccer. I am watching Germany and Norway live at this very moment and it is shaping up to be a great match. I'm looking forward to the "other" semi-final tomorrow and am very intrigued by the news that Greg will start Briana Scurry in goal. Should be a great evening. See you then!

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Fair Game UK staff has avenged England's loss to the U.S. by defeating the American's … in bowling.

Kate Markgraf on her "shot":

"I wanted to keep my stat of never scoring a goal. I felt so bad and I was just laughing at myself because I just shanked that ball so bad. I make fun of defenders who shoot like that and then I shoot it off, basically for a throw in. So, once again my record stays intact."

Kate is a great interview and should definitely do more media.

The England and U.S. Fair Game staffs have been criss-crossing China, following our respective teams. We have come together in Tianjin for the big showdown. Will it be an epic battle that shifts the balance of power in women’s soccer? I’ll let you know in about 10 hours. Regardless, it promises to be an entertaining match.

The England contingent, while satisfied at making the quarters, are hungry for more and are hoping for an upset. The U.S. crew is not taking England lightly and will confess to being a tiny bit nervous.

We are all hoping for a great match. Much of England will be watching, as the match will be played live at the favorable time of 1:00 pm. A quality match, win or lose, in front of a potentially huge television audience could go a long way towards advancing the sport.

For the U.S., a loss here would be a disaster. Not because it’s England, but because they have never left a major international tournament before the semi-finals. They are, in fact, expected to win every tournament by a significant margin, playing exceptionally beautiful soccer for a full ninety, every time they take the field. It’s a lot to live up to, but I expect our girls are up to the challenge.

Last night, I attended England’s training session with two of my English colleagues. We were hoping to get a hint of Hope Powell’s lineup. England’s press officer jokingly identified me as a “spy” (at least, I think he was joking). Powell did not tip her hand in the slightest. We were hustled off the field promptly at the 15 minute mark, after seeing the team stretch and knock the ball around a bit.

Greg Ryan has been characteristically tight lipped about his plans to contain Kelly Smith and the England squad. That leaves us all to speculate what personnel and formations we will see on the pitch come match time. Ryan has developed a nice rapport with the foreign press, responding with wit and humor to endless questions about game plans and tactics that we all know he isn’t going to answer.

I haven’t had a chance to sneak a peek at the pitch yet, but if it matches the outside of the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium and the training fields, we are definitely in for an improvement.

As for the city … all I can say so far is that this is the first stop over where I’ve been physically aware of China’s famously poor air quality, every time I take a deep breath.

The temperature is up today which could favor the Americans. Playing in hot and smoggy conditions should be nothing new for a team that trains in Los Angeles.

Whoever is not left crying will check in after the match. I hope it’s me!

Last night was a breakout World Cup performance for Lori Chalupny. She scored a goal in the first minute and didn’t stop running until the final whistle blew. She was dangerous on several occasions and actively tracked back to help her team defend.

For Chalupny, it was just another day at the office, one in which she just happened to score the winning goal that took the U.S. out of Group B in first place.

“The goal yesterday, being my first World Cup goal, was an amazing feeling and I’m glad that I was able to help the team win,” said Chalupny.
Chalupny was the obvious choice for Player of the Match, but was overlooked in favor of Nigeria’s Perpetua Nkwocha, in what could only be a consolation prize for going home without a win.

Chalupny’s University of North Carolina and U-19 teammate, Heather O’Reilly also impressed with her speed and work rate. She ran down seemingly impossible to retrieve balls to the end line and cut them back to create nice scoring chances for her teammates, and was an active participant in team defense.

“I just think that I’m not the biggest player. I’m not the most tactically aware player, but work ethic is something that you can always bring. That’s just been part of my upbringing, and playing at University of North Carolina, its just ingrained is us that you can have the worst day technically, but as along as you leave it on the field and use your work ethic you can walk away feeling good about yourself,” O’Reilly explained when asked about her work rate and competitive fire.

Chalupny agreed.

“Not only at UNC, but also on the youth teams, the U-19 team, it’s just kind of been an attitude and a mindset that we’ve grown up with. That’s something that I look forward to in the games; running around and playing defense,” she said.

Chalupny, O’Reilly and the U.S. team escaped group play with no suspensions or major injuries. They’ve been getting better every match, but haven’t quite hit their stride yet. They take on England in a quarterfinal on Saturday, which promises to be an exciting match – especially for the Fair Game US and Fair Game UK crew who will be watching together in Tianjin. The trash talk has already begun!

Photo by Robyn McNeil

Greetings from Shanghai. We woke up this morning to very wet conditions. There has been a steady down pour for most of the day. Apparently, a typhoon is heading in our direction and is scheduled to hit at about midnight. There have been some rumors circulating that the match time would be moved to 5:00 pm, but so far those are proving to be false. It should make for interesting conditions come match time on a pitch that wasn't holding up well anyway. See you at match time. I may be watching from a row boat!