Hope Solo’s negative comments about U.S. coach Greg Ryan’s decision to drop her in favor of veteran Briana Scurry for the World Cup semifinal against Brazil have been referred to as “Keeper-Gate” by some in the U.S. press, yet Clemente Lisi of USSoccerPlayers feels that the young goalkeeper’s ousting was “the main reason” why the Americans lost the game. To be sure, veteran Scurry had an awful performance and could easily be considered responsible for two of the Brazilians’ four goals. Says Lisi: “Brazil was dazzling…but their eventual 2-0 loss to Germany in Sunday’s final was proof that the South Americans were very beatable.”
Solo’s stirring of the pot was both unprofessional and unwise, but the fact that she felt the emotional outburst necessary falls on the shoulders of her coach, according to Lisi. Solo is only 25 and should have a bright national team future, but it looks unlikely that she’ll be mending fences with Ryan anytime soon. In other words, with Ryan in charge, Solo won’t be able to reconcile with her national team teammates — a bad thing indeed for a team that must now rebuild ahead of the 2008 Olympics. Lisi says that U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati needs to show Ryan the door to help smooth the process.