Angeles, London and the Twin Cities.George also writes -- he stu

Goalkeeper Hope Solo has been suspended six months from the national team for what U.S. Soccer called conduct that is counter to the organizations principles.After the United States was eliminated from the Rio Olympics earlier this month in a penalty shootout, the 35-year-old Solo criticized the winning Sweden team, calling it a bunch of cowards.?The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement Wednesday. Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions.Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations weve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action.U.S. Soccer also terminated Solos contract when it handed down the suspension, which is effective immediately. She will be eligible to sign a new contract with the national team in February.Solo was previously suspended for 30 days early in 2015 for conduct related to an incident at the teams training camp.For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the U.S. Womens National Team and did the job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how -- with passion, tenacity, an unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my country but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes, Solo said in a statement. In those commitments, I have never wavered. And with so much more to give, I am saddened by the Federations decision to terminate my contract.I could not be the player I am without being the person I am, even when I havent made the best choices or said the right things. My entire career, I have only wanted the best for this team, for the players and the womens game, and I will continue to pursue these causes with the same unrelenting passion with which I play the game.Richard Nichols, the executive director of the USWNT Players Association, said the union will file an appeal on Solos behalf.?Given the cited conduct and alleged policy violation, we believe the proposed discipline to be excessive, unprecedented, disproportionate and a violation of Ms. Solos First Amendment rights, Nichols said. We also question whether this action would ever have been taken against a male player or coach, who, in the heated moments after a frustrating defeat, questioned the tactics of the opposing team. Needless to say, we will file an appeal on Ms. Solos behalf.The U.S. Olympic team?dominated possession against Sweden in the quarterfinal match in Rio and finished with 27 shots, but Sweden scored on a counterattack in regulation -- one of only two shots on goal it had in the game.?After playing to a 1-1 stalemate over 120 minutes, Sweden edged the U.S. 4-3 in the shootout.Solo didnt hold back in her comments afterward.?I thought that we played a courageous game, Solo said. I thought that we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down. Im very proud of this team.I also think we played a bunch of cowards. But, you know, the best team did not win today. I strongly, firmly believe that. I think you saw Americas heart. You saw us give everything that we had today. Unfortunately, the better team didnt win.Sweden coach Pia Sundhage, who had coached the U.S. team to gold medals during the Beijing and London Games, replied by saying: Its OK to be a coward if you win.Solo was a lightning rod during the Olympic tournament, irking fans in Brazil when she posted a photo of herself covered with mosquito netting and armed with insect repellent on social media. Fans booed her mercilessly and hollered Zika! each time she kicked downfield. Then she caused a stir with her cowards comment.Solo has made headlines throughout her career. She has vocally advocated for womens rights. Solo was among the U.S. players who filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for wage discrimination, saying the mens national team players have been paid much more than many on the womens team, which for years has outperformed the U.S. men on the international stage.More recently, she has called for better conditions for players in the National Womens Soccer League.She has also been trying to avoid a trial on misdemeanor domestic violence charges after a 2014 incident at her sisters home, when the goalkeeper was accused of being intoxicated and assaulting her sister and then-17-year-old nephew. Solo said she was a victim in the altercation.Earlier this year, an appeals court in Washington state rejected Solos request to avoid trial.Solo currently is playing for the Seattle Reign of the NWSL. They resume their season Saturday.?Alyssa Naeher is the only other goalie currently on the USWNT roster.?Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Buy Adidas Stan Smith Canada ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Adidas Stan Smith Shoes Canada . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. http://www.cheapstansmithcanada.com/ .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. Adidas Stan Smith Womens Canada . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Cheap Adidas Stan Smith Shoes .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. If the Olympics captivated you with inspiring stories last month in Rio de Janeiro -- such as runners Abbey DAgostino and Nikki Hamblin falling and helping each other up to complete the womens 5,000 meters -- prepare for many more awesome, inspiring athletes this month at the Paralympics. These athletes picked themselves up from far worse falls yet became great examples to everyone: just keep going.Consider five-time Paralympic medalist Josh George, who will compete in an astounding five events in Rio, his fourth Games. George fell out of a 12-story window when he was 4 years old. While he punctured his lungs and was paralyzed from his mid-chest down, he survived the 120-foot fall, perhaps an indication of his physical and mental strength. I stuck the landing, he said with a laugh.I landed straight up and down on my feet in these short, little bushes next to the building, Thats what really saved me, George added. The combination of landing on my feet and in those bushes and the fact that when youre 4, your bones still arent fully formed so they still have a little give to them. They absorbed enough for me to survive.George, 32, has a great sense of humor and outlook on life, along with a love of sports. Despite needing a wheelchair to get around, he grew up playing basketball and tennis, swimming, racing track and more. His parents made sure that he used sports to continue moving forward.I give my parents all the credit in the world, he said. They could not have handled the situation any better. They were amazing. They took it all in stride. They never looked at me as disabled. I was just as able as anybody else in their eyes, and thats how they treated me. I just had to use the wheelchair instead of walking.The athletic activity turned out to be more than just fun and games for George.Sports created seeds of creative problem solving, he said, to be able to find opportunities to maximize my potential. And it carried over in life. Once you learn how to recognize opportunities and once you learn how to utilize different tools to accomplish your goals, it gives you confidence in your ability to approach problems in your future and know youll be able to figure out a solution.After playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois, George has concentrated on track, an endeavor in which he has won five Paralympic medals, including gold in the 100 meters and silver in the 800 at the 2008 Beijing Games. In Rio, where the festivitiess start with Wednesdays opening ceremony, he will compete in the 400, 800, 1,500, 5,000 and marathon wheelchair races.ddddddddddddIm going to have my hands full, he said.His hands also will be on the improving carbon-fiber wheelchairs that he says help racers put their power into forward momentum. It doesnt necessarily make you faster, but it makes you more efficient, he said.That efficiency helps especially over longer distances, such as the marathon. Wheelchair racers complete marathons considerably faster than runners -- Georges personal best is 1 hour, 22 minutes, 55 seconds -- though uphill portions can be more grueling since the racers are relying on nothing but arm strength. Going downhill is much faster, with some reaching speeds of 40 mph, but that also leads to potential crashes.Its exciting, George said, but sometimes you end up with your stomach in your throat.It all makes the race as compelling as the regular marathon, and perhaps more so. It is like watching the combination of a running and cycling race.Wheelchair racing is growing in attention and popularity. George says that when people see him arrive in an airport with his wheelchair now, they will ask him whether he will be racing in the city marathon. He usually is, having won eight marathons in Chicago, Los Angeles, London and the Twin Cities.George also writes -- he studied journalism at Illinois -- and you can follow his experiences in Rio at joshgeorgeracing.com. He also is running a campaign called Maximize Your Potential that urges everyone to achieve their highest goals.They can see that is possible in the Paralympics, which George hopes people will watch so they can witness how great the athleticism is -- especially in the United States.We have an interesting relationship with disability, George said of Americans. Its very much a medical model where we think its people who are broken or injured or old. And thats far from the case. We all have a different disability, but were not really overcoming that disability. The overcoming part has come and gone. The struggle has come and gone. We are all out there now to maximize our abilities as an athlete and compete for a gold medal in the same sense the Olympians are.Paralympians have picked themselves up. And now they are providing the same exciting thrills and inspiration as Olympians. ' ' '