Hope Solo Fires Back at Chastain, Again
By Doug Smith
Brandi Chastain and Hope Solo both have their place in United States Women’s Soccer lure, but Solo has added more flair to her game and from her mouth over the years. Over the last few years Chastain’s job has been to talk as a commentator and she has used that as an avenue to critique the current squad, both positively and negatively. After today’s win against Colombia, Solo took umbrage with some comments made during the game and took to twitter to let everyone know.
During the match today, Chastain called out some of the defensive play in the game and pinpointed Rachel Buehler. After a giveaway, Chastain said that Buehler needed to work on her defensive possession.
Its 2 bad we cant have commentators who better represents the team&knows more about the game @brandichastain! #fb
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012
Lay off commentating about defending and gking until you get more educated @brandichastain the game has changed from a decade ago. #fb
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012
Its important 2 our fans 2 enjoy the spirit of the olympics.Its not possible when sum1 on air is saying that a player is the worst defender!
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012
I feel bad 4 our fans that have 2 push mute, especially bc @arlowhite is fantastic.@brandichastain should be helping 2 grow the sport #fb
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012
There you have it. Solo really came to the aid of her defender there. At the time of this post Chastain had not responded and don’t expect her to either. Since the 2011 World Cup, Chastain has used her platform to be a bit edgier and criticize the current National Team. She is best known for the clinching penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup but now is becoming known for taking the brunt of twitter rants. This is not the first time these two have had such banter though.
Chastain questioned tactics and strategy last year. After a 14-0 win against the Dominic Republic at the beginning of this year, Solo wondered aloud if Chastain had found anything positive in the match. In July Solo tested positive for a banned substance and Chastain said it would be a huge distraction. Chastain’s sentiments about Buehler’s play were not a singular thought and others watching brought up the shaky defense.
There will be varying schools of thought on this public battle between old school and new school. Some will say it is Chastain’s job to be critical while others may think she should be proud of her home country knowing she is broadcasting in the United States. On Solo, people may feel she needs to focus on the task at hand winning another gold medal. Still there will be those that are glad she came to the defense of her teammate.
What do you think? Should Solo just shut up? Did Chastain cross the line? Let us know.