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Rapinoe ‘really disappointed’ in Solo’s post-Sweden comments

Photo by Erich Schlegel/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Erich Schlegel/USA TODAY Sports

 

Add Megan Rapinoe to the list of people frustrated by Hope Solo’s post-Sweden comments.

Following the U.S. Women’s National Team’s Olympic quarterfinal loss to Pia Sundhage’s Sweden last week, Solo bashed the opposition, calling them “cowards” while stating her belief that the USWNT were the more deserving team on the day. The comments caused shockwaves almost immediately, with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati releasing a statement that Solo’s statement did not represent the views of the federation.

Like Gulati, Rapinoe, who is teammates with Solo with both the national team and on the club level, was”really disappointed” by the goalkeeper’s comments, words that she does not believe represents what the USWNT program is supposed to be about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAlMUuuFzDE

“That’s not our team. That’s not what this team has always been,” Rapinoe told NBC Sports. “That’s not what this team will be in the future. It’s frustrating sometimes as an athlete, you’re thrust into the spotlight, and I think this team has always done a really amazing job of understanding that we have this incredible platform, let’s do something good with it. Let’s inspire, let’s be badass, let’s be fierce, let’s be competitive.

“But, we’re gracious and we’re humble and we play the game a certain way, whether we win or lose, and we’ve been on the winning side quite a bit and when we find ourselves on the other side, we need to handle that graciously and unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.”

The defeat sealed the worst Olympic performance in USWNT history while also ending the group’s quest for a fourth-straight gold medal. Sweden, meanwhile, toppled Brazil in penalty kicks in the semifinal, setting up a date with Germany in Friday’s gold medal game.

What do you think of Rapinoe’s response? Agree with her take?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Yeah – Solo’s comments were simply N/A about not winning. If she was going to take a shot at someone, it should have been her coach, or whomever makes the line-up/substitution decisions for the USWNT. She didn’t seem to have a problem with doing that when the Brianna Scurry change came up way back when. Anyway, I will take this opportunity to do my own venting on why, IMHO, the U. S. did not win against Sweden. 1) By not having Crystal Dunn in the starting line-up, they lost an opportunity to get out to a lead against a Swedish Team, which is only good for 1 goal per match, MAX. 2) By having Allie Long in the line-up, they were playing someone who does not possess the ability to play at a National Team level, and whom I believe was responsible for generating Sweden’s only goal of the match, before they were able to get her out. 3) Having Christen Press take a penalty shot at a critical moment, would appear to be the worst decision I have ever observed under circumstances such as that. Press is a 1-dimensional athlete when it comes to striking. Its always the high-hard one which typically goes over the top by a considerable distance. The result with her taking a penalty was predictable. The people who would typically take a penalty are those who are multi-talented players and keep cool under pressure. Some of the top veteran defenders like Julie Johnston would be in this category. I don’t ever recall Christen Press taking a PK. That being the case, having a potential Olympic Gold Medal depending on her result, would not be the place to begin. Much like what was happening in the WC early on, happened here again. But the U. S. coaching staff hastened their own exit with player decisions which everyone else was able to see at the time were not in the team’s best interest. USA Soccer should review this matter and if they see things as most others I have talked to do, then there should be some changes to the overall USWNT coaching staff. Because I don’t know who is calling the shots in all of the situations, I will refrain from pointing any fingers at any specific coach. But typically, the buck stops at the top of the coaching chain!!!!!

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  2. Why is this an issue? Solo said something inappropriate and people are surprised? She’s the Donald Trump of women’s soccer. Also, men soccer players will make these types of comments and it rarely gets mentioned. Midwest Ref above talks about a double standard. The double standard is expecting more from women than men. and why would that be? Joey Barton continued to play after numerous brushes with the law and jail time. A former Sunderland player is now in jail for sex with a minor. Luis Suarez biting his opponents in games and gets slaps on the wrist. Lochte in Brazil. Numerous cases of male misbehavior and Solo iks chastised for using the term cowards? This isn’t worth a story..

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    • If she had said this after a club team loss it would be a little different. When she plays for the USWNT she represents us. I’m still waiting for someone to post the quotes from all the guys on the USMNT who have spouted off like Hope over the years since this is just apparently some gender thing.

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      • Yes it is the international tournament aspect that makes her comments seem out of order. Mourinho & Wenger always whine when they fail to beat a Wigan or Sland or Hull who put 10 men behind the ball

    • “men soccer players will make these types of comments and it rarely gets mentioned. Midwest Ref above talks about a double standard. The double standard is expecting more from women than men”

      Yep.

      And as I noted before, Bryan, there’s no reason to artificially limit the conversation just to US national teams. It’s about the different ways men and women are viewed and treated differently. I replied to various examples before, illustrating the double standard in operation. Still waiting for someone to address that. (shrug)

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      • I think you may have a point with white male to white female comparisons, although I really rarely can remember another athlete going so far as calling an opponent cowards for their style of play. Its really the word coward not the “the better team didn’t win” comment, people are right that part is said all the time. This story really got little play in the mainstream media, it certainly didn’t dominate like say the Ryan Lochte debacle. The story probably still goes away if it isn’t Hope Solo with her past problems. I think the one place your double standard argument really holds is with the porn and/or attractive commentary, you wouldn’t see that about men at least on this site. As far as the drunk comments you definitely see those repeated about men with alcohol or drug problems think Johnny Manzel, Mario Balotelli, Paul Gascoigne.

        I don’t know how much you follow American football, but Cam Newton, Vontaze Burfict, Adam Pacman Jones, and Robert Griffin III have all had much worse thrown at them. The Ohio State football team a few years ago were branded as thugs and gang bangers because they gave a tattoo artist some team gear for some tattoos.

        There are a lot of underlying prejudices in this country and the internet lets them bubble to the surface as we sit at our keyboards in relative obscurity. The internet lets us connect with complete strangers from around the globe to share our passions for the sport of soccer, but it also lets us find others to support our more darker voices that we probably wouldn’t say in public.

      • Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

        Certainly in agreement on the more general point in the last paragraph. However it may be worth noting for example that when I suggested that some of that final effect might apply in Old School’s case here, he insisted that no, he would in fact be equally happy to voice the same opinions to whoever in person. And if you take a look at the recent history and trends in public discourse in this country over the past decade, perhaps, it would seem many feel that way and proceed accordingly. Personally I don’t have a problem calling out that kind of lack of civility, decorum and just basic, simple respect for others, when I see it, and it can obviously be seen splashed all over this series of discussions on Solo. Happily it is also evident from these discussions that others don’t have a problem calling it out and objecting to that kind of denigration, either.

        Anyway, then we get down into the more specific question of double standards based on gender in the treatment of unruly athletes. I was interested in your comments that some NFL figures had had much worse. Hard for me to square that with your previous remark that the double standard really does seem evident wrt physical appearance, sex, porn, etc. Seems like they have by definition not had much worse if they’ve never had that, I mean… Anyway, though, while I can imagine that some types of comments may indeed have been thrown here or there at some male athletes in similar situations, it’s really more of an overall sort of gauge I’m trying to refer to: a comprehensive “score” that covers frequency of use and intensity of the vitriol as well as which specific types of comments. You mention repeat offenders and for example Balotelli, but I do follow soccer and do not see nearly the overall negative reaction to him as to Solo. He gets more of the whacky, lovable loser who will probably never get it together, or maybe the sad waste of talent who will never get it together, sort of treatment, not the “human trash / sh–ty person” sort of thing she gets. Overall, I think she clearly “wins” in terms of the combined reaction score, and while it may be erroneous to attribute that to a gender double standard, it remains to be seen what else can explain the margin of difference, when you really start comparing the actions of male counterparts and the reactions to them…

      • I see your point my “much worse” comment is off, really no difference in racism and sexism. I think as far as Balotelli goes if we were in Italy or England where he’s played I don’t think we’d see much love able loser comments. Hope gets it worse here in the States because she is one of our best players in a pool that’s fairly small even for hardcore soccer fans like those here. Plus she’s been around for a long time so her act has grown thin for most people.

        Completely, agree on your respectful discourse comment as well, its not a war on political correctness, its a war on decency and respect. Just by adding a few #@*& symbols doesn’t make calling someone a curse word ok just because they disagree with you or don’t play as hard as you would like. When I first came to SBI it seems the discussion was more civil even when disagreements occurred, now it seems either there are more people trolling or we have just become grumpier as we age. SBI is still well above most website comment sections or message boards, but I can’t help but feel the disrespect for one another is part of whats driving people away. I come here for people to both agree and disagree with my opinion, but I don’t come here for people to call me curse words or question my intelligence or sanity.

  3. Megan has always been a class act, and here she continues to prove what an excellent leader, and genuinely wonderful person she is. I’m sure it’s not easy to call out your own teammate, even if that teammate is Hope Solo, and I commend her for doing so. Kids, female or not, are going to look up to these players and watch how they react to winning or losing. I hope (excuse the pun) they pay more attention to players like Rapinoe.

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  4. Where are all the idiots fro the other thread propping up this loser? Hope’s going to need them since her own teammates aren’t backing her.

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    • First, excellent job and leadership by Rapinoe.
      Second, I don’t recall a lot of support for Hope Solo on the SBI site. Maybe I missed it. Most said that she was a 3 time offender and it was time to go.

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      • There were a few over the course of the three or four articles on the topic, although I think many were just arguing for her because of who the people were that had posted against her or at least that the posters comments were equally as inappropriate as the Solo’s comments.

      • Equally as inappropriate? Stop joining the chorus and justifying the apologists johnnyrazor. You’re smarter than that.

        The fault isn’t on the people who accurately call someone who participates in drunk driving, theft, domestic violence, and resisting arrest a piece of s–t. Instead, the fault is squarely on the individual who fits that description.

        It’s simply a double-standard where Solo is given a pass – most likely because she’s female and some men (disgusting as it may be) find her attractive or because she excels at her sport and plays on the best female soccer team in the world. While Rapinoe may take a more diplomatic view, many of us simply don’t care to delicately call out Solo on her b.s. for what it is and call her for what she is.

        The world isn’t polite. This is evident when she actively puts lives at risk (most likely multiple times). She is afforded no politeness in return and those who say otherwise need to hug a pillow and hope the utopia they dream of comes true.

        She’s a piece of s–t and there’s nothing inappropriate about truth, it’s just hard for some people to read.

      • Old School: There is no justification for Solo’s comments. US Soccer and the USOC has allowed Solo to behave this way for far too long, she should have been suspended a game for the beekeeper and industrial bug spray photo. All I am saying is by calling her names, and you were far from the only one, it changed the argument. I went back and looked at the articles and there were very few “apologists” until people began calling her names as well. What was one of the most united message boards on here turned back into our normal divided self.

      • ““by calling her names, and you were far from the only one, it changed the argument””

        Nope. it didn’t change the argument because that insinuates there’s something up for debate. There’s absolutely no debate she’s a piece of s–t and people are now resorting to “…., but person-X in another sport, who is male, is just as much of a piece of s–t.

        These people never learned the basic concept of: it’s not the fault of someone else you made a mistake and pointing the finger at others doing the same doesn’t negate your mistake. Typical apologist justification, and it’s hilarious.

        …and I’m happy to continue calling everyone on it.

      • It changed the argument (debate, discussion, focus, whatever) just like JR said it did. Shifted the focus directly onto the double standard in reactions and tactics like name calling by some (in this case you, most notably).

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