ased on that. And I think to take us to penalty kicks is probably a good strategy, because then it becomes a crapshoot, right?Can I criticize or knock someone

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Cowardly or not, Swedens defensive strategy against the United States got the job done.The Swedes stymied the powerful American attack and advanced to the womens soccer semifinals at the Olympics, leaving the U.S. team empty-handed and with their earliest exit from a major tournament.Thats the best team in the world. But for once they didnt go the whole way through, Sweden coach Pia Sundhage said. They played more attacking football than we did. We defended very well. And the fact that it went to penalty kicks says something about our defending.Sundhage certainly knows the U.S. team. After all, she coached the Americans for five years and won gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics. Current U.S. coach Jill Ellis was her assistant.The three-time defending champion United States had been the clear favorites in Brazil to become the first team to win an Olympic gold following a Womens World Cup title.After the loss, the attention fell on U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo for comments she made about Swedens tactics to go on the defensive, saying she thought they were a bunch of cowards.We had that style of play when Pia was our coach. I dont think theyre going to make it far in the tournament. I think it was very cowardly, Solo said. But, they won. Theyre moving on. And were going home.While the park the bus strategy is often debated in soccer, Ellis simply drew the inevitable conclusion that it was successful.The game is the game, so I think tactically thats the coachs prerogative, the coachs choice, Ellis said. They look at their personnel and they determine a game plan based on that. And I think to take us to penalty kicks is probably a good strategy, because then it becomes a crapshoot, right?Can I criticize or knock someone for their tactics? No, thats their choice.On Saturday, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati told Sports Illustrated that Solos remarks were highly inappropriate and not in line with the expectations of U.S. Soccer or the ideals of the Olympic movement.At a news briefing in Rio de Janeiro, IOC spokesman Mark Adams described Solos outburst as disappointing. However, he added that people are free to say those things. We wouldnt stop their right to express themselves, within boundaries, obviously.Lost in all the postgame drama was the spectacular play of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who plays club soccer for Chelsea. The 33-year-old national team veteran turned away six shots on goal before prevailing in the shootout.Youve got to be pumped if you win against the world champions. Just playing against the U.S. on paper you think, `Oh my God, this is going to demand something special from me, Lindahl said. I think its something that happens automatically, you get really inspired and focused. It brings out the best of me, at least, when I play against the U.S.Sweden had only beaten the United States five times before Fridays quarterfinal meeting, which the team won 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.The Swedes, who won bronze in 2004, face a considerable challenge in their next match against host Brazil and the countrys star player, Marta. The Brazilians defeated Australia on penalties.In the group stage, Brazil beat Sweden 5-1. Marta scored twice in that game, but more defensive tactics could be coming from Sweden.You always have to take into account the opponents, Sundhage said. We played against the world champions, so thats one reason we chose to play the way we did. 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BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The 2017 weightlifting world championships have been moved to Anaheim, California, after the Malaysian city of Penang pulled out of hosting the event.The International Weightlifting Federation said Wednesday it also awarded the 2019 worlds to Pattaya in Thailand.The next worlds will be the second consecutive time the United States hosts the championships, which were last held in Houston in 2015.Penang withdrew because of unspecified difficulties, the IWF said in a statement, without elaborating.IWF president Tamas Ajan said the federation was grateful that Anaheim stepped in to host the worlds biggest weightlifting competition of 2017.The championships will be held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 at the Anaheim Convention Center.The IWF held two days of meetings in Penang, where congress delegates received an inclusive report praising the success of weightlifting at the Olympic Games.The entire Bulgarian and Russian weightlifting teams were banned from competing in Rio de Janeiro due to repeated doping cases, while several lifters -- including medalists from Kyrgyzstan and Romania -- failed tests either during or shortly before the games.ddddddddddddThe IWF said it accepted an apology on behalf of the Iranian Weightlifting Federation, its lifter Behdad Salimi and his coach for their behavior in Rio.Salimi, the 2012 Olympic champion in the 105-plus kilogram class, argued with judges when his attempts at clean and jerk were ruled invalid. He was following up a world record lift of 216 kilos in the snatch section of the competition.The governing body accepted the apology and warned the Iranian Federation that such occurrences should not happen again.In a move toward gender equality, the governing body agreed to provide a minimum of two positions for women in the leadership in the roles of vice president and board member. ' ' '