Hi, remember us? We’re Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy. We won exactly one World Cup in the last 15 years, and that was only because Kristine Lilly headed one off the line and Briana Scurry moved off her line before a penalty kick without getting caught.

So, of course, we’re kinda upset that the US Women lost to Brazil, 4-0 in the semifinals of this year’s World Cup. But, since we’re too old to play anymore, but we still have friends on the team (except for that catty bitch Hope Solo), we’ll throw the coach under the bus.

I mean, if they beat Norway, they’ll finish third – THIRD – in China. Never mind that we finished third (at home) the last time we played in the World Cup. Don’t bring that up.

“People say this is a step back, but I think Greg Ryan has put us three steps back – all the way to the starting gate,” said Chastain, the 1999 World Cup hero who watched Thursday’s loss from her home in Northern California.

I don’t think we’re overreacting. But since we’re “all the way back to the starting gate,”  you gotta like our chances against Norway. In 1991. In Guangzhou. Michelle Akers is gonna be tough to handle.

Back in the day, Route 66 stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles. Immortalized in film, song and on television, it remains a part of our heritage more than 20 years after it was officially decomissioned by the US government. While moving from Illinois to Arizona, I had the chance to drive a good portion of the historic route (now US-40 along the stretch that I took). I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn’t get to slow down and enjoy all the things that made Route 66 special and that keep its enthusiasts…well, enthusiastic…to this day. But I did take some photos of the trip, and here they are:

Now, if you’ve been coming here for any length of time, you know how I feel about US National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo (right). I just felt it was fair, after today’s 4-0 shellacking of the USWNT by Brazil (when did they get good, anyway?), that I present the two personalities of Ms. Solo as she discusses her benching in favor of Briana Scurry.

First, prior to Thursday’s semifinal:

“I was very taken aback, but that’s the nature of sports and it happens. (US Coach Greg Ryan) has his reasons.”

Then, after Thursday’s semifinal (with video goodness here):

“It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There’s no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it’s not 2004 anymore…it’s 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can’t live by big names. You can’t live in the past. It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that’s what I think.”

Now, Hope Solo just turned 26 this summer; it’s hard to expect a 26-year-old to take the high road, especially in the moments immediately following their team’s abrupt and decisive exit from the tournament to which they’d been pointing for the last few years.

That said, you just can’t do that. You can’t throw a teammate under the bus like that (much less your coach). Ryan should make sure the gate agent puts those two in adjoining seats for the long flight back from China, just for the schadenfreude.

Hope Solo is a world-class goalkeeper. She has a bit to learn yet about being a professional.

UPDATE: Solo has apologized…sort of…on her MySpace page. “…it could look as though I was taking a direct shot at my own teamate.” Really? YA THINK?

Don’t blame the media. Don’t blame anybody else. Your own press officer tried to keep you from slitting your own throat, and you went ballistic on him, too. Just say you had a meltdown, apologize properly and we move on.

From an interview in the Deseret Morning News with Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts:

DMN: You’ve said you think the Sandy stadium is going to be the best in MLS. I’m sure every owner who’s opened a stadium thinks his stadium is going to be the best, so why do think Utah’s will be better?

Checketts: First, isn’t everything in real estate about location? This is the best location anywhere in soccer in the U.S. Chicago is so far out of Chicago, and even Denver is a long way from Denver, and even the Home Depot Center is way south of Los Angeles. Now (ours) really is in the city.

Distance from State & Madison in downtown Chicago to 71st & Harlem in Bridgeview: 15.0 miles
Distance from Civic Center Park in downtown Denver to Commerce City: 6.5 miles
Distance from Main & Tom Bradley Blvd. in downtown Los Angeles to Carson: 17.6 miles
Distance from South Main Street & E 400 South in Salt Lake City to Sandy, Utah: 14.4 miles

Yeah. Yours really is in the city. The city of Sandy.

My life is changing pretty quickly right about now. Sorry I haven’t been able to update things here, and it’ll be a little while before I can. I look forward to an exciting new life and I’ll update you when I get settled.

Take care.