Up on my Soapbox

I was going to leave it alone. I really was. I felt it best to try and move on....and well I just can't. And really - the idea of me not sharing my opinion - would probably be shocking to most of you anyway.

In the beginning, the Women's National Team Coach (Greg Ryan) appeared to be quiet and media shy. Well now I am wondering if he was media dumb. I have a fondness for when a coach talks to the media. It says a lot about a coach. It doesn't need to be all the time but a little bit is necessary IMO. In fact, I also feel that if you are not a media savvy individual because most coaches aren't - that is fine, but then have someone else who is stand up and say the things you want them to say and communicate to the masses.

Because ultimately, for a fan and spectator - one of the most frustrating things is when we don't understand what you do and why you do it. More people are forgiving and understanding when they feel they have an idea of what is going on vs being shut out - regardless of whether we agree with your vision. Now that the WC is on, 2 years later Ryan has started to talk to the press. Due to his actions, his aura and his words, I am far from being impressed. In fact, I am now wondering about his ability to think clearly. Anf for once, I am in the same position as the sportswriters and analysts.

I have copied a link to an article for you to read. Couple those with the previous comments I have made on my blog about Wambach and her head injury and the substitute situation and here are my thoughts:

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7266516

I am not a fan of Julie Foudy as an announcer- but I do agree with many of her sentiments both in this story and as the world cup has gone on.

Ryan - ARE YOU STUPID?!?!?!?!?

As a coach, I think it is irresponsible to not consider your player's feelings and how those may impact the team as a whole. Because ultimately you may need them to step in at some point and do great things. You have to find a balance to delicately manuever tricky situations.

So my bit is - Solo has been his chosen keeper for quite some time now. She has proven herself to be solid and in the WC, she has had one mistake - early on. So what is the problem? And if it is an injury then he should just say so - and we all would think - oh this makes sense. If he had an issue with the player because she said soemthing he didn't like - well I understand that and understand not announcing that sort of thing to the media. So it makes me think he either is eccentric or something happened between the last game and now. He then further exacerbates the situation by saying he isn't sure who would be the keeper for the final if they win. So now you have a confidence issue with not just your keepers but your whole team unit as it is important they trust the person behind them.

I'm not saying that Scurry is not a great keeper - she is, but why do you go with a keeper for 4 games only to toss her aside for a semi? And even if the US does win - that doesn't necessarily mean that Scurry got it done. Maybe Solo could have gotten it done as well - I guess we won't know. Either way my opinion of him as a coach is quickly going down the drain. I find his whatever attitude to be surprising as well - probably more so because of his sideline demeanor than anything else. And if he loses and loses his job - maybe he will take a different stance. We shall see. We shall see.