Am I missing something here?

The focus is conveniently taken away from Ryan's incredibly stupid decision to replace Solo with Briana Scurry against Brazil. Instead Solo is made out to be the villain because she had the audacity to speak up, even when a U.S. Soccer representative was trying to muzzle her in the mixed zone after the U.S. team's 4-0 semifinal embarrassment against Brazil.

And guess what? Solo was right on with her comments, which plainly were directed at Ryan and not at her teammate, Scurry.

Ryan had no business starting the 36-year-old Scurry against Brazil, after she had not played a minute in the U.S. women's first four World Cup matches. He undercut his team at the most critical time with a wrong-headed choice, and it proved quite costly.

Yes, Brazil dominated the U.S. in the semifinals, and the South Americans might have prevailed with ease even if Ryan had not made the goalkeeper switch.

But consider this: Scurry did not call off midfielder Leslie Osborne on the corner kick serve that resulted in Brazil's first goal, and she was beaten at the near post on the second goal, scored on a sterling individual effort by Marta .

The goalkeeper did not command her penalty area or communicate well with her teammates, and it was no surprise given her lack of recent game experience.

Scurry will always be remembered for her daring save in the penalty kicks shootout against China in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl. And she has been the dominant keeper for the U.S. team for a decade, playing in 164 games, including 19 World Cup matches.

But Ryan already had made his decision to go with the 25-year-old Solo, from Richland, Wash., in this tournament. She had started 80 percent of the U.S. team's games over the past 2 1/2 years, and she recorded three straight shutouts (against Sweden, Nigeria and England) before being pulled from the lineup last week.

So when Ryan decided to switch keepers on the eve of the semifinal, it had to raise serious questions and create a confidence crisis for the rest of his team. The bronze-medal victory over Norway yesterday did little to soothe the disappointment over the U.S. performance in China.

Ryan has done a solid job of rebuilding the team with young players, including Brookfield's 24-year-old Osborne, 23-year-old midfielder Lori Chalupny and 21-year-old outside defender Stephanie Lopez . The team did not lose in its first 50 matches under the former University of Wisconsin women's coach, a remarkable record.

But he ruined so much of his good work with his unsettling decision to replace Solo, and it could cost him his position heading into the 2008 Olympics. Even if it doesn't, there is plenty of healing required. He could have taken the first steps in this regard by meeting privately with Solo after the Brazil game, instead of letting the team cast her aside for her honest response to the difficult situation.

Did he expect she would sit silently after being benched in such an important game?

Solo later apologized to her teammates, who were offended that she made remarks critical of Scurry. Instead of owning up to his inexplicable decision, Ryan defended it after the loss to Brazil and said Scurry played a great game.