By Simon Evans
June 29 (Reuters) – Ask an American to name one of their
national team soccer players and the chances are that the
women’s team goalkeeper Hope Solo would be among the first
people mentioned.
While women’s soccer has grown in stature and gained more
exposure globally in the past decade there are few female
players anywhere who enjoy the profile Solo does.
Solo, who will turn 31 shortly before the London Games,
enjoys several lucrative endorsement deals, reached the latter
stages of the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars”
and has also modelled in various magazines.
All of those activities have pushed Solo into the public eye
both in her homeland and abroad but it is her performances on
the field, more than anything else, that has endeared her to a
generation of Americans.
With 116 caps for her country dating back to her debut in
2000, Solo has a career which has been punctuated with awards,
trophies and no shortage of difficulties and controversy.
Last year she won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper at
the World Cup and the Bronze Ball as the third best player
overall, despite her team losing the final in a penalty shootout
to Japan.
That was another bitter World Cup disappointment for Solo
who was dropped before the semi-final four years earlier and
responded with a public tirade against the coach which, at one
stage, threatened to end her international career.
The appointment of Swede Pia Sundhage as national team coach
led to her recall in 2008 in time to feature throughout the
Beijing Games where she shone as the U.S. went on to win gold.
Solo, who played for Swedish and French clubs earlier in her
career, said she relished the chance to work with Sundhage.
“From the moment Pia stepped in, she changed the entire
dynamic of this team,” she said.
“A completely different philosophy, she is one of the more
laid-back coaches I’ve ever had. A lot of American coaches want
to be involved in every pass, in every play.
“She wants us to think and read the game for ourselves every
player likes to have a bit of freedom on the field. It brings
the joy back to us, back to the time when we were little kids
and just played for the hell of it,” she said.
Repairing Solo’s relationship with her team-mates, who had
objected to her outburst at the World Cup, was one of Sundhage’s
first tasks.
“In order to win, we need good goalkeepers and I don’t think
any team could afford not to take a chance with a player like
Hope Solo,” the Swede said.
A serious shoulder injury in 2010 was the next obstacle Solo
had to overcome but after an operation and intense
rehabilitation program, she was back to her best and comfortably
reclaimed her spot as number one.
“I’ve been through a lot of things in my personal and family
life,” Solo said in a recent interview with FIFA.com.
“That turned me into a fighter. I always strive to be the
best I possibly can. I think it’s my personality to overcome
things, learn from them and become stronger, both personally and
professionally. To be honest, I welcome those hardships.
“I don’t fear them. I face them head-on and try to become a
better person.”
At five feet nine inches (1.75 metres), Solo is relatively
small for a goalkeeper but makes up for her lack of height with
her outstanding agility.
Her importance to the U.S. team though goes well beyond her
shot-stopping skills, she has awareness of the importance of
distribution and she is an astute organiser of the back line.
Solo is heading to her third Olympics, she was only a
back-up at Greece in 2004, and has only one thought on her mind.
“London 2012 is all about winning a medal. Not just any
medal, the gold medal.”
(Editing by Julian Linden)
