US-Brazil match is Hope vs. Marta

Associated Press

DRESDEN, GERMANY

Bent at the waist, her back to the goal, Marta buried her face in her hands.

Her left-footed blast from 6 yards looked certain to be a winner, the goal that would give Brazil’s women the Olympic gold medal and their first title at a major tournament. How, Marta would ask afterward, did she not score?

Hope Solo, that’s how.

“I just remember Marta being point-blank cracking it, and Hope stretching out and getting a hand on it,” U.S. captain Christie Rampone said. “Seeing it out of the corner of your eye, yeah, you think it’s going in. It gave us that adrenaline going forward.”

Fired up by Solo’s highlight-reel save, the Americans went on to claim their second straight Olympic gold medal in Beijing. Brazil went home bitterly disappointed, runners-up for the third straight time at a major tournament.

The Brazil-United States matchup in Sunday’s World Cup quarterfinals is their first since that 2008 Olympic final. Marta remains the most dynamic player in the game, the FIFA player of the year for five years running.

The Americans, meanwhile, lost for the first time in World Cup group play and are in danger of making their earliest exit from the tournament.

But the Americans still have Hope.

“Of course she’s a great player,” Marta said. “But I hope I would have the opportunity to score.”

Marta hasn’t scored yet against Solo in international play — but neither have any of her teammates. Solo has started the last four games against Brazil, with the U.S. winning each 1-0. Ironic, considering it was then-coach Greg Ryan’s decision to sit Solo against Brazil in the semifinals of the 2007 World Cup that sparked such a firestorm.

The U.S. was routed 4-0, its worst loss in history, and Solo ripped Ryan’s decision afterward, saying, “It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that.” Ryan kicked Solo off the team, but a month later he was essentially fired.