However, the team’s most popular player may be the most mysterious.
Goalkeeper, Hope Solo is perhaps the best player on team USA. So for all you soccer “fans” who tune in to watch every four years and will be watching our national team this Sunday at 2:45pm in the World Cup Championship against Japan and have no idea who Hope Solo, I have come to your rescue.
This short biography on Hope Solo will let you fans see more than just the outstanding athlete on the field.
Hope Amelia Solo was born on July 30, 1981 in Richland, Washington. Hope developed a love for athletics at an early age, enjoying basketball, snowboarding, and beach volleyball, but soccer most of all.
Hope started as a forward all four years for the Richland High School Bombers. Over her high school career, scoring 109 goals. She was named a two-time Parade All-American.
Hope went to play for the University of Washington Huskies where she switched to the goalkeeper. She adapted to her new defensive role and was named a four-time All-Pac-10 athlete and a three-time NSCAA All-American.
As a senior, she was the only goalkeeper in contention for the prestigious Hermann Award, and left the Huskies’ as Washington’s all-time leader in shutouts (18), saves (325), and GAA (1.02).
In 2000, Hope moved up to the full U.S. National Team. In 2003, she was drafted to the WUSA’s Philadelphia Charge.
Following her time with the Charge, she played in Sweden in the Swedish Premier Division in 2004 and for Olympique Lyonnais in the French First Division in 2005.
In 2005, Hope was promoted to the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. Team and started 7 matches, earning 7 shutouts. In 2006, she played in 18 matches and her led the team to a 14-0-4 season.
Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the United States in the 2007 Women’s World Cup. 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.
The U.S. lost to Brazil 4–0, ending a 51–game undefeated streak.
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 2007 and I think you have to live in the present. It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago.”
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.
Hope once again joined the U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer team in 2008, this time as the starting goalkeeper.
In Beijing during the 2008 Olympics, the United States’ team fought hard in the qualifying round and eventually advanced to the Gold Medal match against China. The U.S. won 1-0 in extra time to win the Gold Medal.
In September 2008, Solo was drafted in the newly formed Women’s Professional Soccer league debuting in 2009.
Hope Solo is back at full-strength for the 2011 Women’s World Cup and poised to defeat Japan this Sunday and give the United States their first World Cup trophy since 1999.
-Mason McVerry
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