Biography of Hope Solo

Close to the Olympic dream in 2004
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 long-time starter Briana Scurry, as the United States won the gold medal.

#1 in 2005
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.

Shock #2 at 2007 World Cup
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.

Not Solo in China
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.

New life with Pia
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. She aims to make her first Olympic match appearance in Beijing.