Hope Solo Is A Distraction USWNT Doesn’t Need
By Phil Naegely
According to ESPN W, USWNT goalie Hope Solo will be reinstated after her 30 day suspension. This will come ahead of the Algarve Cup. As ESPN W’s Julie Foudy states, “If reinstated, the 33-year-old Solo will depart for Portugal on Sunday for the Algarve Cup, where the U.S. opens play against Norway on March 4.”
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On one hand, this is good for USWNT because their usual starting goalie is back. She also has a wealth of experience that will help a young USWNT side. However, Solo has been a big distraction to the team for awhile. First, she was named as a suspect in a domestic abuse case and the US Soccer Federation and the Seattle Reign decided to let her continue. This came on the heels of the NFL’s mismanagement of the Ray Rice issue and the fallout from the public outrage once the video from TMZ surfaced. In the end, Solo’s charges were dropped due to the victims uncooperativeness.
After those charges were dropped, the USWNT January camp occurred and Solo found herself in trouble once again. Solo was a passenger when her husband, Jerramy Stevens, was pulled over for DUI on Jan. 21 while driving the team van. Almost immediately after she was suspended from the team for 30 days.
Now we to the end of her suspension where she must meet with head coach Jill Ellis and other officials before being reinstated. Yet, Solo should not be reinstated. It’s not that I don’t think she can be a solid contributor to the side, but that her presence in camp will have a negative effect. This is due to the fact that she has become a distraction. Solo wrongly took a team vehicle without permission and allowed her husband to drive it. Due to this, her off-field antics and issues have caused the focus to turn away from the field.
The USWNT needs to work on fixing many things in an effort to perform well at the Algarve Cup and the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Goalkeeping isn’t one of them. Ashlyn Harris performed well enough to hold the starting gig and having her and Solo battle just adds more to the distraction. Yes, Solo is the clear starter, but given her time away from the team there could be a chance Harris battles for the top keeping spot.
Overall, Solo should just keep herself off the team given the distraction she has caused. Actions have consequences and Solo should have been suspended for more than 30 days. However, that’s beside the point at this point. Yet, the US Soccer Federation should have kept her away from the team due to the distraction she has caused. The time is now for the team to focus on improving and Ellis fixing the formation issues and coming up with an effective strategy. Solo’s inclusion on the USWNT roster is not worth it at this point and the cons outweigh the pros at this point.
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