Profiles in Courage: Hope Amelia Solo

Profiles in Courage: Hope Amelia Solo
by Steve Amoia for Keeper Skool.

Hope Solo was born in 1981 in Richland, Washington. She is 5 feet 9 inches, or 1.75 meters in height. During high school, she was a prolific striker who scored 109 goals. Although she played goalkeeper at the US Youth National Team levels, she ultimately switched positions in college at the University of Washington. She has been in the US Women’s National Team pool since 2000, and has won 52 caps.

Professional Teams

• Philadelphia Orange of the WUSA.
• Kopparsburg/Goteborg of Sweden.
• Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) of France.

Career Honors

• Parade Magazine All-American on two occasions at Richland High School.
• Four time All-Pac Ten selection at the University of Washington.
• Three time NSCAA All-American at the University of Washington.
• All-time holder for clean sheets, saves, and goals against average at the University of Washington.
• 1054 minutes without conceding a goal at the US National Team level.
• 24 clean sheets for the senior National Team.
• Alternate on the 2004 Athens Gold Medal Team.
• 2005 Algarve Cup Champion.
• Bronze Medal: 2007 World Cup.

A Personal Reflection about Her Father

Her father, Jeffery, died a short time before the June 2007 friendly with Brazil. He had been estranged from his family for most of her childhood, but they were reunited during her college years. He was a military veteran, and had planned to travel to the New Jersey Meadowlands to watch Hope, whom he coached as a child, for the first time as a professional. He was born and raised in the Bronx, and wanted to show Hope and her brother his childhood neighborhood.

“He was so excited to go back to his hometown, to see me in my USA jersey, to show me where he grew up,” she says. “Instead, my mom, my brother and I took the trip to honor him. And we took some of my father (his ashes) with us. We took him to Yankee Stadium. My dad was the world’s only Yankee and Red Sox fan.”

During this same time, Hope lost a high school friend and former teammate, Elizabeth Duncan, due to a car fatality.

Source: USA Today, Solo’s Success as US Goalie is No Accident, 24 July 2007.

Brazil 4 x USA 0: World Cup 2007 Semifinal in China

Although the performance by the Brazilians, especially Cristiane and Marta, was one for the ages, this game will unfortunately be remembered for other reasons. National Team Coach, Mr. Greg Ryan, decided to bench Hope in favor of Brianna Scurry, who he felt was better suited against this type of explosive team.

“Solo, 25, has been excellent defending crosses and high balls, but Ryan wants Scurry for her scrambling. ‘The way the Brazilians play in terms of creating off the dribble in the penalty box and making a goalkeeper make reaction-type saves, I think Bri is the best goalkeeper in the world in those situations,’ Ryan said.”

Source: ESPN, US Calls on Veteran Scurry to play goal vs. Brazil, 26 September 2007.

After the game, Hope Solo was questioned by a reporter. Despite the protests by a US Soccer representative, she, as the Romans say, had no hair on her tongue. While many have questioned and criticized her comments, it was a courageous display. Perhaps in retrospect, a more tactful response would have served her better. But she was entitled to her own opinion, even if it led to a vote by her teammates to ban her from the Bronze Medal game. Hope later apologized on her MySpace page, Coach Ryan was subsequently relieved of his duties, and she is back into the side.

“There’s no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves,” Solo said. “You have to live in the present. And you can’t live by big names. You can’t live in the past.” On Friday, Solo said while she still doubts Ryan’s strategy, she did not mean to hurt Scurry. “Although I stand strong in everything I said, the true disheartening moment for me was realizing it could look as though I was taking a direct shot at my own teammate,” Solo said, according to the Web site. “I would never throw such a low blow. Never.” “I only wanted to speak of my own abilities yet also recognize that the past is the past. Things were taken out of context, or analyzed differently from my true meaning of my own words,” she said, according to the Web site. “For that I am sorry. I hope everybody will come to know I have a deep respect for this team and for Bri.”

Source: ESPN, Solo Sorry, Says She Didn’t Mean to Criticize Scurry, 28 September 2007.

Steve Amoia is the author and editor of World Football Commentaries. He is a featured author on Soccerlens, and also writes for Keeper Skool.