Ryan Speaks

Anyone who even marginally follows the U.S. WNT, or perhaps owns a computer, is aware of comments made by U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo following the loss to Brazil. U.S. head coach Greg Ryan met with the media today and spoke about the situation. To hear some quotes, you can log onto the podcast on www.ussoccer.com.

Just the Pool

There was no training today, just a pool workout to get the legs back for what will no doubt be a tough third-place match against Norway. Most of the players spent time with family today, perhaps the perfect remedy to deal with the disappointment of the loss. The USA will hold its final training of the WWC tomorrow in the late morning in preparation to face Norway on Sunday.

Mountain Bike Hall of Fame

A quick shout-out from the WNT Blog to USA Today reporter Sal Ruibal, who is covering the Women's World Cup in China for the national newspaper. On Wednesday, Sal was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Las Vegas . Of course Sal wasn't there because he is still on the beat here in China, but that is a pretty impressive life accomplishment for a top notch reporter who has spent most of his career chasing around France and covering the Tour de France every year for the paper. Sal was even brave enough to hop on a bike and join the hundreds of thousands of bikers and motor scooters here China, and lived to write about it.

The Morning After

Last night’s game was a crushing loss for sure, but much credit needs to be given to the Brazilians, who played an excellent match. Take away the own goal and the red card and perhaps it’s a different game, but since you can’t do that without a time machine, and since the WNT blog doesn’t have one, props must go to Brazil. The U.S. players were understandably heartbroken, but they are a tough bunch and count on them to rebound for a good performance against Norway in the third-place match to make their country proud.

Bus Back to Shanghai

Bummer. A painful game for the USA, which fought its hardest, but it just was not the USA’s night. After the match, the players returned to the hotel for a quick meal, spent some time with friends and family at the team hotel, and then boarded a bus for a two-hour ride back to Shanghai, arriving around 2 a.m. A tough night for sure, one of the toughest. The players hit the sack right away and have the day off tomorrow to recover mind and body.

Tasty Match-Up

Women’s soccer fans all over the world must be looking forward to the USA-Brazil game as it shapes up to be one of the best of the tournament. With high stakes, world class players on both sides, lots of history, a beautiful stadium and plenty of story lines, this game is what World Cups are all about. The U.S. team is rested and ready for a match that certainly will stretch both teams to their limits, but that’s what makes entertaining, attacking soccer.

Germans to Final

A bit of a strange semifinal tonight between Germany and Norway. The Norwegians played some awesome soccer in the first half. They may not have hit even one long ball (gasp!), keeping the ball on the ground and working their way through the German defense to create more than a few scoring opportunities. It was some great soccer by Norway and some typical dangerous counter-attacking by Germany. Of course, the Germans were too strong in the end, but the goals were a bit wacky. They scored an own goal, off a deflection from a shot by a defender and through a substitute forward who picked off a poor back pass. But they all count the same and credit the Germans for getting the ball in dangerous spots where things can happen. The Germans will now have one more day of rest than their opponent in the World Cup Final, which will be played on Sept. 30 at the Shanghai Hongkou Stadium.