Earlier this week, the US team in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup made history with their 13-0 win over Thailand during the France-held tournament.
Not only did the team rack up the most goals ever scored by a team (male or female) during a FIFA World Cup match, but the US athletes also set the record for the largest margin of victory in a World Cup match and the most individual goal scorers for a Women’s World Cup match.
Co-captain Alex Morgan also tied Russia’s Oleg Salenko and the US’ Michelle Akers in scoring the most individual goals in a match, with five.
Historic Win at the #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/j4001ZBLlH
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 11, 2019
However, on Thursday, two-time Olympic gold medalist and 16-year USWNT veteran goalkeeper Hope Solo appeared on the daytime cable show “CBS This Morning” to scold the record-breaking tournament team.
“I truly believe that we have to show so much class, especially coming from the number one team in the world,” Solo told the morning show. "I think it was unnecessary to have planned-out goal celebrations."
She particularly took aim at players such as Morgan, who has netted a total 106 goals for the team since joining it in 2010.
“If it’s your first goal in the World Cup, then I understand, but once you start to get to the ninth goal, to the 10th goal, you start to see the Thailand players start to look dejected, and it starts to hurt.”
Solo did clarify, however, that her issue was not with the fact that the players celebrated, but that the celebrations were choreographed and pre-planned rather than raw expressions of the athletes’ excitement in the moment.
“We can celebrate goals. America loves winning, and we certainly put on quite the show the other night,” Solo pointed out. “But I still think we can still celebrate those goals and the fans can enjoy the game without having the choreographed celebrations."
Megan Rapinhoe, another US co-captain, came to her team’s defense Wednesday, saying that their celebrations were only rooted in “joy” and held no malice.
"I think our only crime was an explosion of joy last night." @mPinoe responds to the world's reaction to the @USWNT's 13-0 win pic.twitter.com/y9MMIVg6vh
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 12, 2019
Solo, admittedly, had her own moments of unsportsmanlike conduct during her 16-year career on the USWNT, such as when she was suspended for six months in 2016 after calling Sweden’s team “a bunch of cowards” immediately after a loss.
The soccer star would go on to apologize, but instead of returning to the field, Solo, to no avail, threw herself in the 2017 race to become the US Soccer Federation’s next president.
