Saturday, September 29, 2007

Ryan said he made the decision to leave Solo off the team after meeting with the team's leaders. Kristine Lilly, who is playing in her fifth World Cup, said Solo "going public has affected the whole group, and having her with us would still be a distraction."

Uh, that's fine. But while we're talking about distractions, where were you, Lilly, Stephanie Lopez and Carli Lloyd when your coach made the biggest distraction of all in deciding to bench Solo to start Scurry less than 48 hours before the semifinals? It was that move that ultimately failed miserably and had you Americans looking tired and, yes, distracted when Thursday's game kicked off.

Maybe Lilly and Abby Wambach followed some other unspoken, unwritten rules. Like sticking up for a teammate. Maybe they went behind closed doors to ask Ryan what the heck he was thinking. If you're so worried about teammates attacking teammates, how about a coach shooting a whole team in its collective foot?

Ryan's right. His players should have a say in whether Solo is to be included in the consolation game. And guys, I'm glad you spoke up. But was your conscience -- not to mention your allegiance -- as loud when your coach made the wrong decision?

Labels: soccer