Hilfestellungen » em up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Taunted by local fans since the Olympics began and stinging from a surprising loss, Hope Solo called Sweden a bunch of cowards.The U.S. goalkeeper criticized the Swedes for the way they played Friday in beating the Americans in a penalty shootout -- a result that means the worlds top-ranked team will miss out on a medal in womens soccer for the first time.I thought we played a courageous game, Solo said. I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today. I strongly and firmly believe that.The Swedes beat the U.S. 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the quarterfinals. They will next face host Brazil on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.Its OK to be a coward if you win, responded Sweden coach Pia Sundhage, the same woman who coached the United States to back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.A few hours after the match, Solo posted on Twitter and seemed to feel some remorse, but she stopped short of apologizing.Losing sucks, Solo tweeted. Im really bad at it.Tied after three rounds in the shootout, Sweden captain Caroline Seger shot past Solo. U.S. forward Christen Press attempt then went over Hedvig Lindahls net. And with the next kick, Lisa Dahlkvist beat an outstretched Solo for the win.Sweden dropped off. They didnt want to open play, Solo said, explaining why she criticized her opponents. They didnt want to pass the ball. They didnt want to play great soccer.Sundhage knows the U.S. team well, having coached the Americans for five years and led them to a pair of Olympic golds.They played more attacking football then we did. We defended very well, Sundhage said. And the fact that there were only two goals and it went to penalty kicks said something about our defending. The U.S. played better in the attack, we played better in the defense.As Sweden celebrated, U.S. captain Carli Lloyd crouched on the field at Mane Garrincha Stadium in disbelief.The three-time defending champion United States had been the clear favorites in Brazil to become the first team to win an Olympic gold following a Womens World Cup title.Its always hard to swallow losing in PKs. Yeah, I mean its going to hurt, Lloyd said. Weve got to hold our heads high. This team is not going to crumble. Were going to just work that much harder. Its been a busy couple of years. Thats why no one has won back-to-back.Solo, who has endured near-constant taunts of Zika! Zika! for a week, has courted controversy for her comments in the past. And on Friday, she was also criticized for changing her gloves during the penalty shootout.After a scoreless first half, Stina Blackstenius scored in the 61st minute to give Sweden a 1-0 lead. Alex Morgan netted the equalizer in the 78th and the match went to extra time.Lloyd then had a header called back for offside in the 115th minute, and Lotta Schelin was offside on her attempt against Solo a minute later -- although replays appeared to show otherwise.The reigning World Cup champions, who are also four-time Olympic champions, had not dropped a match this year.Really just heartbroken right now for the girls and the federation. Its unfortunate, said Morgan, who missed the first penalty in the shootout. I feel like we were prepared but so were Sweden. I felt today could go either way.The Americans won their first two matches in Brazil before a surprising 2-2 draw in Manaus against Colombia, which had already been eliminated.Sweden had won only five prior matches against the United States. At last years World Cup, the two teams played to a scoreless draw. The last time the two teams met in the Olympics was at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Sundhage was a player on the Sweden team that fell 2-1 to the Americans.Ranked sixth in the world, Sweden had struggled in its Olympic group with a 5-1 loss to host Brazil and finished 1-1-1.The crowd at Mane Garrincha Stadium was sparse but continued to jeer Solo every time she touched the ball. The local fans are still upset about her posts on social media about the Zika virus. Solo posted a picture of herself in mosquito netting and armed with insect repellant.The host Brazilians won 7-6 on penalties after a scoreless draw with Australia in Belo Horizonte. Dana Stubblefield Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Ted Kwalick Jersey . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. http://www.custom49ersjersey.com/custom-jerry-rice-jersey-large-988d.html . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Kevan Barlow Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Ronnie Lott Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. This week on Around The Rim, womens basketball analyst LaChina Robinson looks ahead to the potential playoff picture with two very special guests.Robinson welcomes ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo to the show. The two discuss the new WNBA playoff format, the teams with the best chances of avoiding the first-round elimination match and more. Lobo also shares her thoughts on colleague and friend, Holly Rowe, who recently received the BBVA Award of Inspiration from the Phoeenix Mercury.ddddddddddddThen, the weeks Players Perspective comes from the Connecticut Suns Chiney Ogwumike. Ogwumike talks about the teams recent hot streak, coming out of the Olympic break, Nneka Ogwumikes season performance and potential nod at MVP and more. Plus, she offers her thoughts on the latest Colin Kaepernick news.Listen in for more! ' ' '