Hope Solo Proves Just How Sore A Loser She Is
RIO DE JANEIROShe had used the "L" word plenty in the days leading up to these Olympics. The biggestmotivation for Carli Lloyd, of course, was puttinganother gold medal inher sock drawer.
But thismonth was also about her legacy. Lloyd doesn"t want to just be the greatest women"s soccer player of thisgeneration, a title she confirmed with her epic performancein leading the U.S. Women"s National Team to a victory in the World Cup. She wants to be remembered as one of the best of all time.
So that championship game hat trick? "Old news," she had called it recently. She had riddenthat wave with the rest of her teammates, enjoyed that trip through lower Manhattanon the parade float and the late-night TV circuit, but Rio was another chance to add to her resume.
Rio was an opportunity to confirm to the world that Lloyd, the often overlooked product of Delran and Rutgers, belonged in the conversation with Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly and the rest, once and for all.
And that"s what made the result in Brasilia on Friday afternoon so shocking, so devastating. Lloyd was on her knees, her shoulders slumped, with a disbelieving look in her eyes as the underdog Swedish players celebratedafter their finalpenalty kick sailed past Hope Soloand into the U.S. net.
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The U.S. women had not just lost in the Rio Olympics. They had lost in the Rio Olympicswithout even getting to Rio,playing all theirearly games in stadiums around the country. It is an unthinkable result for a team that had never lost in an international tournament before the semifinals and had claimed four of the five Olympic titles.
Lloyd had scored a goal in each of the first two games, and while she hadn"t played her best against Sweden, there will always be a feeling of "what if" given what happened late in extra time. Lloyd scored on a brilliant header with five minutes left, but as she turned with her arms and mouth wide to celebrate, the referee waved off the goal.
Offsides. Except it wasn"t offsides, and no matter how many replay angles you look at, it"ll never be offsides. It was an awful call, and while Swedish fans can argue they had a doozy of their own a few minutes later, the disallowed Lloyd goal will be the lasting image from these Olympics.
Then again, with the classless way Solo handled herself in defeat, few around the world likely will mourn the U.S departure. "I"m very proud of this team. But I also think we played a bunch of cowards," Solo said, as if Sweden was the first team to take a defense-first approach against a better opponent.
Not that Solo"s behavior is any surprise this team will be better off if the goalkeeper and her baggage are not on the next international trip. Somehow, after years playing with the best role models in women"s sports, the lessons have never rubbed off on her.
Lloyd, not surprisingly, handled the loss with class. "It just doesn"t feel right right now," she said in her postgame interviewwith tears streaming down her face, and it"s clear the pain will stay with her long that the exhilaration of the World Cup victory did.
That"s how the great ones operate, of course, and no matter what happened in Brazil, Lloyd is still the best player in the sport. This is the frustration with women"s soccer: She"ll have to wait another three years to prove that with the entire world watching.
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She isn"t the only New Jersey soccer star suffering. Basking Ridge native Tobin Heath was arguably the best U.S. player throughout the tournament, but head coach Jill Ellis picked six shooters for penalty kicks and she was not one of them. But at least, at 28, Heath is in the heart of her prime.
Lloyd is 34. The next major international tournament is not until 2019, when Lloyd will be near her own planned retirement date. She is running out of opportunities to add to that legacy, which is what makes this loss sting even more.
"You best believe that in 2019 and 2020," Lloyd said when the match ended, "we"re going to be back for the gold."
This much we know about Lloyd: The grueling workouts that made her the best in the game will continue now, maybe even intensify, as she prepares for the next challenge. But for an athlete focused on her legacy, the early exit in Rio will forever bea missed opportunity.
Steve Politi may be reached atspoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@StevePoliti. FindNJ.com on Facebook.
Source: http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2016/08/rio_stunner_carli_lloyd_and_us_womens_soccer_team_ousted_in_quarterfinals.html
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