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THE US WOMEN’S soccer team suffered a shocking loss to Sweden in the Olympic quarterfinal, ending the pursuit of a gold medal.
After the match remained tied at 1-1 through 120 minutes, it went to penalty kicks for the first time in Olympic women’s soccer.
From there, the US went through a brutal meltdown. Alex Morgan’s shot was saved, and Christen Press’ shot sailed over the net. Although Hope Solo managed to save one of Sweden’s shots, it wasn’t enough, and Sweden advanced.
Afterward, Solo was less than complimentary of the Swedish team, ripping its style of play and saying Sweden didn’t deserve to win (via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl):
“I thought that we played a courageous game. I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team. But I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today. I strongly believe that. I think you saw American heart. You saw us give everything we had today.”
Hotline Rings: Rio 2016 / SoundCloud
When asked why she said Sweden played like cowards, she said:
“Sweden dropped off. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game. Exactly what they wanted and exactly what their game-plan was. They dropped into a 50. They didn’t try and press. They didn’t want to open the game. And they tried to counter with long balls. We had that style of play when Pia [Sundhage] was our coach. I don’t think they’re going make it far in the tournament. I think it was very cowardly. But they won. They’re moving on, and we’re going home.”
While Solo is entitled to her critique of another team’s style of play, it’s also not a great look. Sweden chose to play conservatively, and ultimately, it worked.
