U.S. women discuss Norway loss

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Norway scored two goals within the first four minutes of its game while on its way to a 2-0 win against the U.S. in a first-round match played in Qinhuangdao, China. Here are some observations on the game from the coach and two players, courtesy of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage
‘My glass is always half full. For us, it is a new experience to lose a game and the fact we tried to turn around and create some chances in the second half is positive. I’m happy that this is the first game and not the last. We still have two more games to go. We will take the good part of the second half going forward to play against Japan and New Zealand.’

‘This was a crazy game with us giving up two goals at the beginning of the game, but then we bounced back. In the second half, we made some tactical changes, tried three in the back, and tried certain things. The effort of the players is the reason we will be successful, and we still have a chance to win a gold medal.”

‘We have a choice right now. You can imagine (what it can do to a team) to give up two early goals playing in your first game. What is very important is to keep our style and that is something we as coaches will emphasize. We can look at bad things, and we will adjust, but also look at good parts in the game where we created chances and where we kept possession and played pretty good soccer. That is the choice that we have, and we will look at positive things.”

U.S. defender Christie Rampone
‘We had a lot of great attacking moments in the second half, but I think our timing was just a little bit off. Luck plays a little bit of a factor, but I’d rather see us have some better timing and bring that to the second game. Our heads are up. We have to take away the positives from that game and move on. We can’t dwell on this game. We have the next game against Japan and that’s what we have to look forward to. I have confidence in this team and know we’ll bounce back.”

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo

“There were a lot of nerves. It was our first Olympic game, but we had some glimpses of brilliance. You could see the potential out there. I think we are going to come back stronger. I’m not just saying that to say it. You felt the energy out there after the game. No one hung their heads. I think we’re getting this one out of the way. The nerves will be gone now.”

-- Greg Johnson