Hope Solo has always been a successful goalkeeper. She’s a two time Olympic Gold Medal winner back in 2008 and 2012, and most recently won the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Thus, it came to no surprise that the women’s United States National Team, with Solo in goal, were deemed the favorites to win this year’s Olympic tournament. It all but seemed certain that the United States would go on to win their third straight gold medal.
Except, that didn’t happen. Their bid for three consecutive golds, and for the first time in their history become winners of both the World Cup and Olympics in the same year, ended when Sweden scored the final penalty kick to send the number one ranked international team home with the taste of embarrassment.
There were many things that stung about this loss. There was the surprising 1-0 lead Sweden took in the second half, then a reassurance as Alex Morgan equalized it with a fine left footed strike. Then there was the disallowed goal for the U.S in the second half of overtime, followed a minute later by Sweden’s own disallowed goal. But their downfall came with two missed penalty kicks, one by Morgan stopped by Sweden’s goalkeeper to start it all off, that was their undoing. It was hard for them to generate offense during the full 130 minutes they played, but it was not expected that scoring would be just as difficult to obtain in a situation where you were more likely to score than not.
But what was perhaps most embarrassing was Hope Solo’s comments following the game. She praised the performance of her own squad, calling it a “courageous” effort as the women in front of her played with an “American heart.” Well, half of them did, at least. For Sweden she was far more critical, calling them “cowards” because “they didn’t want to play great soccer.”
And that is where Solo should’ve kept silent. She has been involved with a lot of drama these Olympics, but Sweden’s effort was no less valiant than their American counterparts. Yes, it wasn’t the most exciting of football games in recent memory, but the Swedes demonstrated a smart style of play against the best international team in the world. Who does Team USA have to thank for that? Well, their former head coach and Swedish native Pia Sundhage. It was her shrewd tactics and formation that gave Sweden the best chance to win.
Thus, to call Sweden “cowards” is grossly inappropriate and unfair. They won, and one must assume Solo’s comments are borne from the frustration of an unexpected and stinging loss. Sweden played a smart game of football, increasing their chances for victory, and cementing themselves as one of the biggest upset stories in the 2016 Olympics.
Sorry, Hope Solo, but there’s nothing cowardly about that.
