Hope Solo

Infobox Football biography
playername = Hope Solo


fullname = Hope Amelia Solo
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1981|7|30
cityofbirth = city|Richland|Washington
countryofbirth = U.S.
height = height|ft=5|in=9
position = Goalkeeper
currentclub =
clubnumber =
youthyears = 1997–1999
1999–2002
youthclubs = Richland High School Bombers
University of Washington Huskies
years = 2003
2004
2005
2009
clubs = Philadelphia Charge
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Olympique Lyonnais (ladies)
St. Louis
caps(goals) = 08 (?)
0? (?)
0? (?)
00 (0)
nationalyears = 2000–
nationalteam = fbw|USA
nationalcaps(goals) = 52 (0)
pcupdate = 21:19, 15 July 2007 (UTC)
ntupdate = 14:35, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Hope Amelia Solo (born July 30, 1981 in city|Richland|Washington) is the goalkeeper for the United States Women's National Soccer Team.

occer career

Solo played for several U.S. junior national soccer teams before joining the full U.S. national team in 2000. She was named a member of the Olympic team in 2004, making the 2004 Olympics in Athens as an alternate. Solo became the team's starting goalkeeper in 2005. She has recorded several clean sheets and once went 1,054 minutes without allowing a goal (a streak that ended in a 4-1 victory against France in the Algarve Cup).

As a forward in high school, Solo scored 109 goals, leading her team to three consecutive league titles from 1996-1998 and a state championship in her senior year. [cite web |url = http://www.kvewtv.com/news/?sect_rank=1&section_id=1&story_id=3337 |title = Richland native Solo sending hope. Competing in Women's World Cup in China |accessdate = 2007-09-27 |date = 2007-09-20 |publisher = KVEW TV] She was twice named a Parade All American.

At the University of Washington, Solo switched to the goalkeeper position and was the team's all-time leader in clean-sheets, saves, and goals-against average (GAA). She was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection and a three-time NSCAA All-American.

Following her college career, Solo was drafted for the now defunct WUSA team Philadelphia Charge in 2003. She also played for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC of Göteborg, Sweden in the Swedish Premier Division in 2004 and for Olympique Lyonnais in the French First Division in 2005.

On September 16, 2008, Solo was one of the three players drafted for St. Louis in the WPS allocation of national team members, with the new league (a revival of the WUSA) set to start play in April 2009.

2007 FIFA Women's World Cup

Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the United States in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, giving up two goals in four games including consecutive shutouts of Sweden, Nigeria and England. Heading into the semifinal match against Brazil, U.S. coach Greg Ryan benched Solo in favor of 36-year old veteran U.S. keeper Briana Scurry, who had a strong history of performance against the Brazilians but had not played a complete game in three months. [cite web |url = http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=466916&cc=5901 |title = U.S. calls on veteran Scurry to play goal vs. Brazil |accessdate = 2007-09-27 |date = 2007-09-26 |publisher = ESPN (Associated Press) ] [cite web |url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/soccer/09/28/bc.soc.wwcup.us.ryan.solo.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
title = Ryan looking to reconcile with Solo |accessdate = 2007-09-28 |date = 2007-09-28 |publisher = SI.com (Associated Press) ] The U.S. lost to Brazil 4-0, ending a 51-game (regulation time) undefeated streak, while playing much of the match with 10 players after midfielder Shannon Boxx received a second yellow card at the end of the first half.

Post–2007 World Cup fallout

In an impromptu interview following the match, a clearly upset [cite web |url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifawomens/blog-paul/2007/09/ryans_goalkeeper_switch_backfi.html |title = Ryan's goalkeeper switch backfires in a big way |accessdate = 2007-09-27 |date = 2007-09-27 |publisher = CBC.ca ] Solo criticized Ryan's decision, "It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's not 2004. And it's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think." [cite web |url = http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3039111&categoryId=2378529 |title = Hope Solo upset with benching |accessdate = 2007-09-27 |date = 2007-09-27 |publisher = ESPN ] [ cite web |url = http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7270538?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=111294 |title = Brazil knocks U.S. out of World Cup |accessdate = 2007-09-27 |date = 2007-09-27 |publisher = Fox Sports (Associated Press) ] Many viewed her comments as being critical of Scurry's performance, although Solo released an apologetic statement the following day saying that was not her intent. [cite web |url = http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=467563&cc=5901 |title = U.S. goalie Solo apologizes on her Web site |accessdate = 2007-09-28 |date = 2007-09-28 |publisher = ESPN ] On September 29, 2007, coach Greg Ryan announced that Solo would not be with the team and would not play in the third-place match against Norway the following day. [cite web |url = http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_2621442.html |title = Pre-Norway Quote Sheet: Head Coach Greg Ryan |accessdate = 2007-09-29 |date = 2007-09-29 |publisher = U.S. Soccer ] [cite web |url = http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7278088 |title = Solo kicked off team for Norway game |accessdate = 2007-09-29 |date = 2007-09-29 |publisher = FoxSports ] Team captain Kristine Lilly stated that the decision on Solo was made by the team as a group. [cite web |url = http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_2621441.html |title = Pre-Norway Quote Sheet: Abby Wambach & Kristine Lilly |accessdate = 2007-09-29 |date = 2007-09-29 |publisher = U.S. Soccer ] The U.S. went on to win against Norway 4-1.

Solo was named to the U.S. women's national soccer team roster for the post World Cup tour, but she didn't attend the first workout ahead of the first game against Mexico. The players' contract with the federation stipulated that anyone on the World Cup roster had the right to play in the tour. Greg Ryan said “We're initiating a process of reconciliation, and in doing that you can't mandate reconciliation. This isn't a made for Hollywood love story, this is a real story, and we're all working at that.” [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Solo skips practice | date=October 13, 2007 | publisher=Union-Tribune News Services | url =http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20071013-9999-1s13briefs.html | work =San Diego Union-Tribune | pages = | accessdate = 2007-10-13 | language = ] She was present for, but did not play in any of, the three games against Mexico, being replaced by Briana Scurry for the first and third matches, and Nicole Barnhart for the second. The third match against Mexico, on October 20, 2007, marked the end of the U.S. women's national team's 2007 season. The team regrouped in January 2008 to begin preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics. [cite web |title="U.S. Women End 2007 Schedule With 1-1 Draw Against Mexico" |date=2007-10-21|publisher=U.S. Soccer|url=http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_3309571.html|accessdate=2007-10-21] Ryan left the team after his contract was not renewed in December 2007 [cite web|title="Ryan out as U.S. women's coach" |date=2007-10-22 |publisher=ESPNsoccernet |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=474885&cc=5901&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines |accessdate=2007-10-22]

Beijing Olympics 2008

On June 23, 2008, it was announced Solo would be the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In a reversal of roles from the 2004 Olympics, Brianna Scurry did not make the team (though she was an alternate). On August 21, the U.S. women's team won the gold medal by defeating Brazil 1–0 in extra time in no small measure due to Solo's outstanding performance as she stopped, save after save, an energetic Brazil attack. [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gCSshfwTaX-BgYioiIyiQxH0JgOwD92MTTDG0]

Personal Life

Solo's parents divorced when she was 6, yet she remained close to her father, a sometimes-homeless veteran who remained a major influence in her life until his sudden death in June 2007. [cite web |url = http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/09/28/hope-solo-on-her-homeless-father/ |title = Hope Solo on Her Homeless Father |accessdate = 2007-10-01 |date = 2007-09-28 |publisher = AOL Sports] [cite web |url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/national/2007-07-24-hope-solo_N.htm?csp=34 |title = Solo's Added Motivation (sidebar) |accessdate = 2007-10-01 |date = 2007-07-24 |publisher = USA Today] She attended Richland High School and the University of Washington.

References

External links

* [http://www.ussoccer.com/bio/index.jsp_5190.html U.S. Soccer biography]