Hangzhou, China (My Sportsbook) - United States head coach Greg Ryan made a surprising announcement on Wednesday, naming veteran Briana Scurry as his starting goalkeeper ahead of Hope Solo for the team's semifinal contest against Brazil on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Scurry was the primary keeper for the United States from the 1995 World Cup through the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Scurry has amassed 162 caps for the Americans, but was replaced by Solo, who owns 49 caps, as the team's top keeper.

After a shaky performance in the team's opening 2-2 draw with North Korea, Solo has been great, recording three consecutive clean sheets and proving to be one of the top keepers in the tournament.

Now, Ryan has put himself in a position for much second-guessing, but cites Scurry's success against Brazil, which includes a 12-0 mark and eight clean sheets, as one of the main reasons.

"I've never looked at Bri simply as a back-up," Ryan told FIFA.com. "In terms of her ability to make saves on long-range shots, tipping them away, and reflex saves to shots from inside the penalty box, I've just never seen a goalkeeper as good at that - or a team who creates as many of those situations as Brazil."

Scurry has certainly proven that she can perform on a big stage. She led the United States to the World Cup title in 1999, and also was the starter on the American teams that captured Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004.

The question is whether or not Scurry still has enough physical skills to take the Americans back to another final, and how this change will effect the rest of the team.

Solo was unhappy as expected, but knows that it is just a part of the game.

"I was very taken aback, but that's the nature of sports and it happens," Solo said. "He has his reasons."

According to reports, Ryan will insert Solo back into the starting lineup for the final if the team makes it that far, but that is up to Scurry.