Greg Ryan should be fired.

So I have to make a detour from talking about the Revs. The Women's World Cup is going on and even though I don't generally follow women's sports too closely a World Cup of soccer is worth watching.
Before I start this semi-rant of mine a disclaimer. I do not know Greg Ryan that well, I don't know women's soccer that well. I do love the sport and I do think I keep well-informed on matters when I want to.
So here's what I think.

Greg Ryan should be fired as soon as possible following the 3rd place game that the US is playing in.
This seems to be the only viable option for a number of reasons.

1) He's stubborn. I read a article in MLS magazine from a former US women's player. Her philosophy clashed with Ryan's and even though she's an accomplished professional and more than capable of being on the women's team she was left out. A coach should have a philosophy but it should not be at the expense of mature, capable and professional players.

2) His team has under-performed at this World Cup.
I know you must be saying its the semifinals thats impressive and I agree. But the fact is the US is always gunning to win the WC and anything less than that is failure. The biggest failure for this team has been offense in my book. He has talented players, especially Abby Wambach up front and she did score but she was about it. 1-0 vs. nigeria? tying North Korea 2-2? Losing 4-0 to any team (even a team as talented as Brazil?) Ryan has proven in this tournament he cannot utilize his talent. A coach without results won't be a coach at the international level very long.

3) He benched Hope Solo for an aging veteran who had barely played in the past three years.
No grief for Brianna Scurry what she done in her career is superb, but everyone from here to Shanghai knows that she had no business playing against Brazil. Hope Solo had a shut out streak and was the starter. You don't flip out a goalie for tactical reasons, that's absurd. Solo said herself she could of made the saves Scurry didn't and I don't doubt her. You can't throw the best player on the field cold and expect her to preform at the top of her game. Making this switch almost certainly negatively affected the other players too as they had to come to terms with the fact a new keeper was in goal.
This was a terrible decision and it bit Ryan in the ass.

4) After the Brazil loss all Ryan could point to was fact US had won 51 straight games. The 1954 World Cup Hungary team made the final having not lost for the past 3 years. They lost final to west Germany and the world cup. You think they were thinking about their streak after their loss? Of Course not! Great job coaching all those wins but if you can't meet your goals at a World Cup and you make poor decisions that lead your team to failure than you must be fired or resign for the good of the team.

Congrats to the US for making it so far. I hope that in the future you have a coach who doesn't try to explain away his blunders but takes responsibility for them instead.

Revs-FC Dallas

The Revs won last night 4-2. Winning was essential to stay close to DC as well as to basically clinch a playoff spot.
Letting 2 goals in is worrisome but scoring 4 was quite impressive. Pat Noonan who I've never particularly warmed to if only because he has been out so much with injury, scored 2 great goals to give the Revs the lead twice. A poke in by Ralston and a nasty strike by Khano Smith at the death sealed the deal.
I have to say a few words about Khano Smith. The Bermudan international has shored up the Revs left side ably the past few seasons, first off the bench and now as a starter. While his brilliance has been wonderful his inconsistency has also been brutal at times to deal with.
Let me say I will always deep down love Smith because I was a Gillette when he scored the most amazing goal ever in the 05 playoffs, in the snow to beat the metros 3-2 on aggregate.
However the start of last nights game was so familiar. Smith played listlessly, favoring his left foot to an absurd degree and looked utterly useless out on the flank. A graphic on the screen in the 1st half blared that he was scoreless this season. Now I know he's not a striker but a winger with his skill should snag at least a couple goals come the last part of the season.
Once again Smith comes out and completely impresses in the 2nd half. While still completely reliant on his left foot he starts making penetrating runs, using his speed and size just to get around people.
Having an assist and finally scoring a goal was icing on the cake. Despite his inconsitent play, Khano is an asset and I'm proud and excited that he is with the Revs.

Here's to another late season run.