Soccer continues to tease potential American fans and perhaps this time it might actually take.
Former Atlanta Beat goalkeeper Hope Solo allowed two goals in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil and for a while she looked as though she had gone from hero to goat. Solo initially looked like a hero as she blocked a penalty kick in the second half, but officials ruled she moved forward too soon and another PK was awarded. Solo received a yellow card after arguing, but the point was moot. Brazil converted the second PK and then put one into the net very early in the extra session/OT. ESPN studio experts had Solo’s back, but the play-by-play announcer at one point noted that Solo’s name was fitting as she was an “individualistic player.”
TEAM SOLO …
Soccer fans in Atlanta will attest to that as Solo was quite the pot-stirrer in her one year (16 appearances) in Cobb County. Solo went on Twitter twice to spring controversy, first accusing the fans of the Boston Breakers of racist and offensive chants before later taking the WPS to task via twitter, questioning the integrity of the officials after the Beat fell to Washington. That tweet earned Solo a fine as well as a suspension. Solo was not re-signed following the 2010 season.
Solo was quite the talented player and probably could have been the face of the Beat for years to come, but her tweets and attitude derailed her stay in Atlanta. Solo quickly became the female version of Jeff George, Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton: so talented but too much of a rabble-rouser for the city and thus sent away. She then proved to be one of the two heroes again at the end, saving a huge PK down the stretch which allowed the US to advance to the semifinals. With that save, she leaves Atlanta Beat fans wishing she was still here.
ANTI-WUSS …
A quick aside: I think the biggest issue that soccer enthusiasts in this country have against them is that America doesn’t like wusses. I watched the World Cup quarterfinal and the Brazilians faked and dove into calls, with one soccer player “Erika” (no last name) needing a stretcher and taking up four minutes worth of game time before she immediately got up and checked back into the game. The U.S. doesn’t fake and flop, but the other countries do.
It reminds me of wrestlers in the mid-80s when the heels would fake the injuries and fake tags while the good guys could never catch a break. Then, when Abby Wambach put the ball into the back of the net, you went nuts because it was as though Hulk Hogan somehow beat the odds to take down Andre the Giant. The US men’s team did it with Landon Donovan last year in the World Cup against Algeria and now Wambach did it this year, and perhaps THAT is why soccer is on the cusp.
UNFORTUNATE EVENT …
In a bit of a sad story, the AJC reported that Greenville High School football coach Jeremy Williams has resigned as he battles ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Williams, in addition to being the being the subject of the documentary “Season of a Lifetime” as well as the recipient of an “Extreme Makeover” on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, coached Greenville to the playoffs last year after winning the first 11 games of the season in 2009. The AJC has been all over the Greenville coach’s story and, unfortunately, the paper had to report on Williams’ decision to step down. Hopefully, the AJC can report some more good news on Williams over the next few months.
680 The Fan and the AJC were quick to hedge their bets in regards to Atlanta’s first-half series finale against the Phillies. John Kincade of the Buck & Kincade show wanted to warn fans against getting too excited if Atlanta were to sweep the Phillies in Philadelphia or getting too down if Atlanta were to get swept. The AJC’s Carroll Rogers wrote in a piece before the series that the team shouldn’t “overthink” the early series. Rogers wrote:
Must-win series? How about the final series of the regular season last year against the Phillies, when the Braves had to win to make the postseason? Or the three-game series in Philadelphia late last September, which was in essence the Braves’ last chance to stake a claim to the division?
By comparison, this one doesn’t carry the weight, especially not to a team that has the second-best record in the National League and now appreciates the value of the wild card.
KING’S DEMISE …
Some interesting takes on the Caleb King story when it broke last week. The AJC’s Jeff Schultz noted that it didn’t really matter as Isaiah Crowell was on his way to starting anyway.
Schultz wrote in a blog, “So sorry if I’m not all bent out of shape about the sudden news that King has been declared academically ineligible for the Bulldogs in the fall.”
He noted how he didn’t impact the team’s fortunes in his time with Mark Richt and Georgia and wasn’t likely to impact it next year with Crowell on the way. Scott Janovitz of The Official Visit, heard on 790 The Zone, believed that this opened the door for not just Crowell but also Ken “Boo” Malcome, a redshirt freshman that received some positive reviews ala Knowshon Moreno’s reviews entering 2007. Sam Radin wondered on Zone Sports Saturday if Carlton Thomas would get more touches. I have to side with Janovitz and Schultz, in that Malcome would likely receive more touches but the star is now without question Crowell. We’ll get our answer of whether he can be as good as Lattimore was for South Carolina last year.
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