Choosing Briana Scurry Over Hope Solo was the Wrong Decision

"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the match knows that." (ESPN)

This is just a portion of what Hope Solo said following the United States loss in the World Cup Semifinal match to Brazil, 4-0. From the time World Cup Group play began, Solo recorded shutouts in 3 of the 4 matches she was in goal, with those being the matches against Sweden and Nigeria, and then a strong team from England in the quarterfinals. The only match in which she gave up any goals was the first match of World Cup Group Play against Korea, in which the match ended in a 2-2 tie. (Fifa.com)

It was not as if Solo did not have the experience, she has recorded 45 appearances and was named the starting goalkeeper in 2005 (Wikipedia) on the United States National Team and had been their starting goalkeeper throughout World Cup Qualifying. Apparently, though, Greg Ryan thought that replacing Solo in the World Cup Semifinal match against Brazil with Brianna Scurry would benefit the team in some way. Ryan justified his decision by mentioning that Scurry had performed well in the past against the Brazilian National Team. However, the fact remains that Scurry had not played in a match since June of 2007.

I thought everyone knew the saying "don't rock the boat". Apparently, Coach Ryan was not aware of this phrase when he made the goalkeeper switch prior to the World Cup Semifinals. The team was on a 51 match unbeaten streak, Solo had only allowed two goals in World Cup Group Play and even Nike viewed her importance on the team by putting her in their latest marketing campaign entitled, "The Greatest Team You've Never Heard Of". Making a goalkeeper switch when the current goalkeeper has not done anything wrong is a bad decision for several reasons. First, it brings more attention to the entire team, in the form of questions and press conferences, causing them to lose focus in matches and in practice. Also, it makes everyone wonder what was really behind the decision making-in this case, why would Coach Ryan replace the goalkeeper that has been labeled the starting goalkeeper since 2005.

Many have said that Solo's post-match comments regarding the goalkeeper switch were out of line. However, the match was over, the 51 match unbeaten streak was over and the chase for a World Cup title was over. Solo said what many soccer fans across the nation wanted to say. While it is unfair to say that Greg Ryan directly cost the US National Team the World Cup Title, it is fair to say that his decision cost the team a chance to make it to the World Cup Championship Match to compete for the World Cup Title. Whether Greg Ryan stays on as the Head Coach for the US Women's National Soccer Team or not, he will not be remembered for qualifying for the World Cup or coaching the team through World Cup Group Play. Rather, he will be remembered for his poor decision making in the 2007 World Cup Semifinals when he switched goalkeepers prior to the match.

Sources include:

http://www.fifa.com/womenworldcup/teams/team=1882884/players/player=621.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Solo

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=229736&cc=5901