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USWNT aim to round out group play with win over North Korea

Hope Solo (Getty Images)

When the U.S. women's national team take to the field at Old Trafford for their final group stage match of the Summer Games, they will not just be facing a North Korea side desperate to advance. They will also be facing the distraction that Hope Solo has brought onto the team.

Just days after Solo took to Twitter to blast NBC commentator and retired player Brandi Chastain, the United States will try and overcome that hurdle while remaining unscathed in group play when they battle a North Korea team (12:15 p.m. NBC Sports Network, NBCOlympics.com) that will likely need a win to have any chance of avoiding elimination.

The Americans have already booked their place in the knockout round, but head coach Pia Sundhage is sure to field a strong lineup similar to the one that defeated Colombia, 3-0, on Saturday in order to give her team a chance to close out group play with three victories. That means the likes of Solo, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach should take to the field as the United States looks for another commanding win.

North Korea, meanwhile, is targeting a surprise victory over the group leaders. The North Koreans are currently in third place but their 5-0 loss to France on Saturday has put them in a hole in terms of goal differential, so anything but a loss is needed in order to improve their chances of reaching the knockout phase as a third-place qualifier, at the very least.

The latest episode of Behind the Crest, detailing the USWNT's road to Manchester, is after the jump:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFHu9Dh9PmU]

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How do you see the U.S. women's team faring against North Korea? Worried about the distraction Solo has created? Think it won't matter in this game?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is a non-story. If there’s anyone left in America who doesn’t understand that Hope Solo is a loose cannon, they have been living under a rock for the past four years.

    Personally, I find Brandi’s commentary excellent – her perspective on the team tactics is interesting and not your usual cliches. She tries to be objective. Saying that the USWNT under Sundhage doesn’t know how to kill off a game with ball possession is not controversial. If they had that ability, they would not have lost to Japan at the World Cup.

    Reply
  2. If you are happy with people saying things that have absolutely no basis… then by all means read and post on..

    The fact is, she was warned about the masking agent, and only the masking agent… not PEDS…

    If you are okay with libel… enjoy…

    I am sure you are okay with all the below too

    Obama is a Muslim

    Global Warming is left wing propaganda

    George Bush is the head of the New World Order…

    Obama is a Kenyan

    Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite

    Reply
  3. Yeah, Solo arguing with a TV color commentator (even Chastain) doesn’t qualify as a distraction. Xyz used the right phrase for this one: ‘manufactured media kerfuffle’.

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  4. You can really only say that she used what can be considered a masking agent… you have absolutely no right to say she is masking PEDS… I am in no way a Hope Solo fan.. (I actually think she is a see you next tuesday) but nowhere did it say that was in fact what she was doing… they just detected a common med given to women with menstrual issues…

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  5. Last time I checked, a twitter comment and ensuing manufactured media kerfuffle don’t physically manifest as a set of 20-lb chains that everyone has to wear. They’ll be fine because this is all really dumb. If anyone is going to be distracted, it’s Chastain.

    Or not, and it’ll be “Oh dear, that header just went wide after deflecting off an ill-considered tweet!” the whole way and a key player will be critically injured by a 140 character limit. Either way I’m going to watch this one on mute.

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  6. Hope Solo uses a masking agent to cover up PED use and doesnt get punished. Calls out a TV commentator on twitter who is just giving an opinion and doesnt get punished.
    Whats next?

    Reply

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