Does Hope Solo still deserve to be on the USWNT?

Hope Solo has arguably been the face of women’s soccer in the United States for the past several years. Early in her career she was known more for her smoldering looks than her athletic prowess but she soon proved she was more than a pretty face, displaying a toughness and grit that was no doubt a byproduct of her rough upbringing. A four time All-American goalkeeper while at the University of Washington, she hold the U.S. record for most shutouts, backstopped the women’s team to gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and in 2011 was awarded the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper at the FIFA World Cup. Professionally, she has played in three leagues in the states (WUSA, WPS and now NWSL) as well as leagues in Sweden and France and in 2009 was the first goalkeeper to win the U.S. Soccer female athlete of the year.

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Off the field, Solo is a representative of the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by former tennis great Billie Jean King that is dedicated to “advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. She has donated both her time and money to the Boys and Girls clubs and has made appearances at numerous charity events. In August 2011, she joined teammates Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach in a Bank of America charitable campaign at the Chicago Marathon. A donation of $5,000.00 was given to Seattle Humane Society on her behalf. She has numerous endorsement deals including Seiko, Simple Skincare, Nike, BlackBerry, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Gatorade.

However, controversy has seemed to follow Solo both on and off the field, dating back to the 2007 World Cup. Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the United States in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, giving up two goals in four games including consecutive shutouts of Sweden, Nigeria and England. Heading into the semifinal match against Brazil, U.S. coach Greg Ryan made a highly controversial move and benched Solo in favor of 36-year-old veteran U.S. keeper Briana Scurry, who had a strong history against the Brazilians but had not played a complete game in three months. The U.S. subsequently lost to Brazil 4–0, ending a 51–game (regulation time) undefeated streak, placing Ryan’s move under even more scrutiny.

Solo’s fiery, competitive nature came out in full display in an interview following the match, when a clearly upset Solo criticized Ryan’s decision, saying “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.” Many viewed her comments as being critical of Scurry’s performance, although Solo released an apologetic statement the following day saying that was not her intent. Ryan announced that Solo would not be with the team and would not play in the third-place match against Norway the following day. Team captain Kristine Lilly stated that the decision on Solo was made as a group. The U.S. went on to win against Norway 4–1, and Solo was shunned by several members of her team.

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In 2012 a day before they were to be married, Solo’s fiancée, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens was arrested on domestic battery charges which were later dropped. Kirkland Washington police responded to a call at the home Solo and Stevens shared and found an intoxicated Solo screaming at both the police and her brother, whom she shouted “don’t tell them anything!” Solo had some lacerations on her elbow refused to give a statement to the police, although Stevens did admit to arguing with her over where they were to live after their marriage. However, the charges were soon dropped and the two have been married ever since.

In On June 21, 2014, Solo was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault in the fourth degree; one against her half-sister and the other against her nephew. Police allege that Solo was at her half-sister’s Kirkland house in June when she punched her 17-year-old nephew in the face and tackled him after the two argued and called each other names. Solo is also alleged to have attacked her sister when the teen’s mother tried to intervene. After pleading not guilty, she was released the following day. In August, her trial was scheduled for November 4, 2014 but was later delayed until January 20. She now faces two counts of four degree assault, although both Solo and her lawyers feel the case may fall apart due to the changing stories of her half-sister and nephew. Either way, the story has gained much attention nationally due to the recent cases of NFL players Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. Critics have questioned why U.S. Soccer has allowed Solo to play while facing charges. She was called up by the team to participate in training camp this month, and missed the first day to appear at Tuesday’s hearing. Solo was scheduled to fly down to California after the hearing to participate. Her lawyers asked the judge if it would be alright for her to miss the next scheduled hearing next week, so she could stay with the team, to which the judge agreed. All of this asks some basic questions. Is there a double standard when it comes to domestic violence cases and athletes? Both Rice and Peterson were suspended pending their court cases being settled, so why shouldn’t Solo be suspended from any team activities?

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A question must be asked: does Hope Solo still belong on the Women’s National Team?
Now I am not here to play judge, jury and executioner. I simply wanted to lay out the pros and cons of having Hope Solo on the team. The pros? Her stellar play over the last several years and the fact she is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The cons? The off the field issues which could be a distraction for the team as they approach the 2015 World Cup. If Solo is found innocent, most of this will go away by the time June rolls around. However, if she is found guilty, what then? Team USA does have three other goalies in camp, is it time to give one of them a shot regardless of the outcome of Solo’s case?

To be fair to Solo, anyone who has read her book knows she came from a chaotic household which without question has played a role in these controversies. However, is that an honest defense? Should we shrug off Solo’s behavior as ‘bad decisions’? Neither Ray Rice nor Adrian Peterson is the true face of the NFL, although you can argue a case for Peterson. Solo has been and continues to be one of the most recognized faces of women’s soccer both here and around the world. She has used to star status to do good, charitable work. By allowing Solo to keep practicing with the team, is there a double standard at play? Yes, Solo is innocent until proven otherwise and America is the land of the second (and sometimes third) chances. It is obvious that there are some issues Solo should seek help in sorting out and perhaps soccer is and always has been her refuge. However, there also comes a time when enough is enough and a coach/ team has to do what’s best for all. Has team USA reached that time? Does Solo still deserve to be on team USA?

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