By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Lionel Messi became the first four-time winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award after shattering the world record with 91 goals last year for Barcelona and Argentina.
When Tom Sermanni shook hands with Pia Sundhage after her last game as coach of the U.S. women's soccer team, he should have asked her for a few tips.
Olympic gold-medal winners Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe of the United States were among 10 candidates selected for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year.
They got a personal shout-out from President Barack Obama, partied with a few of the NBA players and actor Tim Robbins and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning celebrating.
The U.S. women's soccer team is back in the Olympic gold medal match after a wild come-from-behind 4-3 win over Canada with a goal in the final minute of extra time.
These were perhaps going to be the Hope Solo Olympics for the U.S. women's soccer team. Or maybe the Alex Morgan Games. Instead, they belong so far to the old reliable, Abby Wambach, who has scored in every match to lead the Americans into the semifinals.
With the final seconds ticking down and the Americans on the verge of their earliest exit ever from the Women's World Cup, Abby Wambach kept waving her index finger at her teammates.
Former Germany captain Birgit Prinz retired from soccer on Friday, ending a stellar career that included two World Cup and five European titles.
Athletic royalty visited the District's Southwest waterfront Sunday for a charity soccer game to raise awareness about bone-marrow donations and give a boost to the growing business district.
While Mia Hamm was leading the U.S. women's soccer team to Olympic gold, her brother Garrett sat quietly in the stands. After fighting a rare blood disorder called aplastic anemia for nearly 12 years, his health was worsening and doctors advised him to stay at home for the 1996 Olympic Games.
Once the Americans get over the disappointment of coming up just short at the Women's World Cup, they'll find plenty of reasons for optimism.
Used to be, you could predict the lineup for the final four at the Women's World Cup before the tournament began.
They're hanging on the edges of their seats with every game, cheering each goal and filled with pride at the U.S. run in the World Cup.
The U.S. women's soccer team shared the Yankee Stadium scoreboard with Derek Jeter, made an appearance on "Good Morning America" and can now count Tom Hanks, Lil Wayne and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers among their list of star-studded admirers.
Ms. Hamm said at the time of her brother's diagnosis she had little more than "a pickle jar and leaflets" to get people's attention and financial support.
"Washington comes out and gets involved," Ms. Hamm said.
