Hope Solo is a soccer player competing at the 2012 London Summer Olympics for the USA.
One of the most decorated and talented stars of the pitch, United States goalkeeper Hope Solo looks to add a second gold medal to her collection in London while further winning over the lustful hearts of admirers around the globe.
Long hailed for her work inside the 18-yard box, Solo found herself propelled to a brand new sort of fame as a result of the attention and popularity garnered by the U.S.'s run
Solo returned from her shoulder surgery in April 2011 and did not allow a single in three-and-a-half tune-up matches heading into the World Cup. Her play in Germany was equally impressive, being named to the World Cup All-Star team in addition to earning the Golden Glove as the tournament's top goalkeeper and the Bronze Ball for her overall performance. She also became just the second U.S. goalkeeper to reach 100 caps. The World Cup ended in disappointment for the U.S., who lost 3-1 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 draw with Japan in the final, but it was an overwhelmingly positive tournament for Solo, who proved she was all the way back from her devastating shoulder injury.
Solo's career reached a crossroads at the end of 2010 WPS season with the discovery that she had been playing with a 360-degree tear of the labrum in her right shoulder, a potentially career-ending injury for a goalkeeper. She underwent major surgery in September 2010 to repair the tear and would be sidelined for nine months while she rehabbed the shoulder, missing most of the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup.
Solo's star only grew brighter in the wake of the U.S.'s gold medal in Beijing, being named the 2009 U.S. Soccer Women's Player of the Year as well as taking home 2009 WPS Goalkeeper of the Year honors in the women's professional league's debut season while playing for St. Louis Athletica. She would also make the league's All-Star team in both 2009 and 2010, the latter year as a member of the Atlanta Beat.
Returning to China for the 2008 Olympic Games, Solo proved she had good reason to question her benching a year earlier against Brazil at the 2007 World Cup, holding the same mighty Brazilian attack without a goal over 120 minutes in the women's final as the U.S. won gold on the strength of Carli Lloyd's 96th minute, extra-time goal and Solo's dazzling clean sheet. She indeed made all the saves she claimed she would have in the World Cup semifinal, including stonewalling Brazilian star Marta from close range in the 72nd minute. This performance re-asserted Solo's status as the United States' first-choice goalkeeper and one of the world's best at her position.
Solo was given new confidence under head coach Pia Sundhage in 2008. She started key matches for the WNT at the Four Nations Tournament in China, Algarve Cup in Portugal and the Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico, ultimately securing the starting goalkeeping job in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Following the match, the demoted Solo didn't mince words in her criticism of coach Ryan's roster selection.
"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."
Claiming that the team did not want any distractions in its preparations for the bronze medal match versus Norway three days later (which the U.S. won, 4-1), coach Ryan dismissed Solo from the team. Solo spent that time with a close-knit network: her boyfriend, mother, maternal grandparents, siblings and a few friends who had made the trip to China.
Solo held onto her starting role between the goalposts for the 2007 Women's World Cup in China. After a shaky performance in a 2-2 draw with North Korea, which included a nightmare first goal, she posted three straight shutouts (Sweden, Nigeria and England) and looked to have regained her form and her team's confidence. Then came the shock decision by then-head coach Greg Ryan: to replace Solo with the 36-year-old Scurry in their semifinal showdown with Brazil. The move, predicated by Scurry's sterling career record against the Brazilians, backfired, as the U.S. were thrashed, 4-0.
Hope Solo took over the top goalkeeper spot in 2005. At one point, she played 1,054 minutes (the equivalent of almost 12 full matches) without giving up a goal.
A member of the women's national team since 2000, Hope Solo was selected to the 2004 U.S. Olympic team as an alternate but did not make the trip to Athens. Kristin Luckinbill served as the back-up to longtime starter Briana Scurry, as the United States won the gold medal.
One of the most decorated and talented stars of the pitch, United States goalkeeper Hope Solo looks to add a second gold medal to her collection in London while further winning over the lustful hearts of admirers around the globe.
Long hailed for her work inside the 18-yard box, Solo found herself propelled to a brand new sort of fame as a result of the attention and popularity garnered by the U.S.'s run
Hope Solo Dancing with the Stars 2011, Season 13 Hope Solo Dancing with the Stars 2011, Season 13 Hope Solo Hope Solo Hope Solo Hope Solo Pictures
to the 2011 World Cup final. She competed on the 13th season of "Dancing With the Stars," showing off a whole new set of moves as she and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced all the way to the show's semifinal round, coming in fourth place. She also posed nude for ESPN's 2011 "Body Issue," as well as making a slew of appearances and endorsements in the months following the World Cup, turning her from a soccer star into a pop culture celebrity.Solo returned from her shoulder surgery in April 2011 and did not allow a single in three-and-a-half tune-up matches heading into the World Cup. Her play in Germany was equally impressive, being named to the World Cup All-Star team in addition to earning the Golden Glove as the tournament's top goalkeeper and the Bronze Ball for her overall performance. She also became just the second U.S. goalkeeper to reach 100 caps. The World Cup ended in disappointment for the U.S., who lost 3-1 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 draw with Japan in the final, but it was an overwhelmingly positive tournament for Solo, who proved she was all the way back from her devastating shoulder injury.
Solo's career reached a crossroads at the end of 2010 WPS season with the discovery that she had been playing with a 360-degree tear of the labrum in her right shoulder, a potentially career-ending injury for a goalkeeper. She underwent major surgery in September 2010 to repair the tear and would be sidelined for nine months while she rehabbed the shoulder, missing most of the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup.
Solo's star only grew brighter in the wake of the U.S.'s gold medal in Beijing, being named the 2009 U.S. Soccer Women's Player of the Year as well as taking home 2009 WPS Goalkeeper of the Year honors in the women's professional league's debut season while playing for St. Louis Athletica. She would also make the league's All-Star team in both 2009 and 2010, the latter year as a member of the Atlanta Beat.
Returning to China for the 2008 Olympic Games, Solo proved she had good reason to question her benching a year earlier against Brazil at the 2007 World Cup, holding the same mighty Brazilian attack without a goal over 120 minutes in the women's final as the U.S. won gold on the strength of Carli Lloyd's 96th minute, extra-time goal and Solo's dazzling clean sheet. She indeed made all the saves she claimed she would have in the World Cup semifinal, including stonewalling Brazilian star Marta from close range in the 72nd minute. This performance re-asserted Solo's status as the United States' first-choice goalkeeper and one of the world's best at her position.
Solo was given new confidence under head coach Pia Sundhage in 2008. She started key matches for the WNT at the Four Nations Tournament in China, Algarve Cup in Portugal and the Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico, ultimately securing the starting goalkeeping job in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Following the match, the demoted Solo didn't mince words in her criticism of coach Ryan's roster selection.
"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."
Claiming that the team did not want any distractions in its preparations for the bronze medal match versus Norway three days later (which the U.S. won, 4-1), coach Ryan dismissed Solo from the team. Solo spent that time with a close-knit network: her boyfriend, mother, maternal grandparents, siblings and a few friends who had made the trip to China.
Solo held onto her starting role between the goalposts for the 2007 Women's World Cup in China. After a shaky performance in a 2-2 draw with North Korea, which included a nightmare first goal, she posted three straight shutouts (Sweden, Nigeria and England) and looked to have regained her form and her team's confidence. Then came the shock decision by then-head coach Greg Ryan: to replace Solo with the 36-year-old Scurry in their semifinal showdown with Brazil. The move, predicated by Scurry's sterling career record against the Brazilians, backfired, as the U.S. were thrashed, 4-0.
Hope Solo took over the top goalkeeper spot in 2005. At one point, she played 1,054 minutes (the equivalent of almost 12 full matches) without giving up a goal.
A member of the women's national team since 2000, Hope Solo was selected to the 2004 U.S. Olympic team as an alternate but did not make the trip to Athens. Kristin Luckinbill served as the back-up to longtime starter Briana Scurry, as the United States won the gold medal.
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