Much of the criticism about Hope Solo’s post game remarks has focused on her lack of support for Briana Scurry. Ms Solo clarified her remarks today:

“…”I have felt compelled to clear the air regarding many of my postgame comments on Thursday night. I am not proud or happy the way things have come out,” reads a statement attributed to Solo on her MySpace page. “In my eyes there is no justification to put down a teammate. That is not what I was doing.”"

link: U.S. goalie Solo apologizes on her Web site

link: Hope Solo’s MySpace (look in the blog entries section)

There were comments in a previous posting questioning why I would want Hope Solo as a team mate. - I would prefer to have a team mate who is honest and not speak in clichés. She has an obvious passion for her sport and confidence in what she does. Would it be preferable to take the field with a goalkeeper who thought that she would have been beaten equally or worse by the team from Brazil? Ms Solo remarks can be viewed as a statement of self confidence. Could she have stated it in a different manner? Of course, she could have. Remember, though, that this was an athlete who had to watch as her team was pummeled. Her statements reflect her competitiveness, her candor and her passion. And, yes, give me a team mate like Ms Solo any day…

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]world cup, soccer, u.s. women’s team, hope solo, myspace[/tags]