A little lashing out on Twitter is not going to distract the United States women's soccer team from protecting their gold medal in London. These ladies are pros, regardless if one of them wasn't.
When goalkeeper Hope Solo turned to Twitter to call out former soccer star turned TV analyst Brandi Chastain, it created a media frenzy, but the US team seems to have answered with a collective, “So what?”
"Did you see the way we are performing out there?" Solo said when asked if her off-field antics were a distraction after Team USA’s 1-0 victory over North Korea in the final match of group play.
"We are having fun, scoring goals and we just swept our group," Solo added. "I don't think there are any issues or any distractions."
So the party line appears to be, what's done is done. And Solo's teammates are toeing that line.
"The team does a good job of addressing issues and doing what we got to do," defender Kelley O'Hara said with confidence. "We are all professional and know how to get the job done."
It probably doesn’t hurt that this veteran team, which has remained largely intact for the last Olympic cycle, is very close. After Abby Wambach's goal, they joined hands in a celebratory dance that saw Solo join in with the worm. They appear to be like family, with midfielder Megan Rapinoe making it clear that she's got Solo's back.
"It's not distracting. We know where Hope is coming from," Rapinoe said.
A few players have sidestepped the distraction by choosing to avoid social media, including defender Amy LePeilbet.
"I don't think it affects any of us," LePeilbet said. "For myself, I don't take part in (Twitter), so I don't know what’s going on half the time on there."
An Olympics gold is something these players work toward their entire lives. And although Hope’s tweets might have caused a stir online and in the States, it’s hard to believe their quest for it could be derailed by 140 characters. To a player, the only thing consuming their minds is the next stage, which starts Friday against New Zealand.
"We are in a good place," coach Pia Sundhage said. "And happy to play in the quarterfinal.”
