Hope Solo’s Suspension and What Happens Next

After a third incident since November of 2012 involving alcohol and the police, US Soccer has decided to suspend world-class US keeper Hope Solo for the next 30 days, effective yesterday. According to US Soccer’s official statement, Solo will miss the upcoming European friendlies (against England on February 8, against France on February 13) and won’t be eligible for reinstatement until the conclusion of the suspension. The Seattle Reign organization does not have plans to take additional action against Solo.

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The tipping point for US Soccer was apparently the Tuesday TMZ report which revealed a Monday morning arrest of Solo’s husband, former NFL tight-end Jerramy Stevens, for driving under the influence. The report indicated Solo’s presence in the car at the time of the arrest, and described her attitude as belligerent and intoxicated. The incident took place during a three-week residency camp in Carson, CA, and the suspension comes barely a week after the fourth-degree domestic violence charges levied against Solo were dropped.

As a huge fan of hers, I’m optimistic for Hope Solo, and I’m rooting for her focused and disciplined return, as well as her inclusion on the US Women’s World Cup roster. When she’s on, you’d be hard-pressed to name a better goalkeeper in the world, and the international women’s game is just better when a fit Solo is a part of things.

But this trend does force the discerning fan to consider: who’s next in line? To anyone who’s been paying attention since 2013, it would seem that Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit) will, or at least should be, getting most/all of the minutes in the aforementioned upcoming friendlies in England and France. I thought she performed admirably in June, starting in the second of back-to-back home friendlies against France, though the game would have been a 2-1 US win but for a questionable PK call stemming from Harris’ play for the ball against Louisa Nécib.

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Harris has no shortage of big-game experience, which puts her in an ideal position to take over as an international-quality goalkeeper. It goes back to one of the longest U-19 careers in US Soccer history, and includes a championship-winning PK save for Western New York at the end of the 2011 WPS season. She’s had an unfortunately busy couple of seasons in the NWSL, but was easily voted team MVP for often single-handedly keeping the Washington Spirit in close/meaningful games. Harris also has a resume littered with saves against top-flight international clubs, having played in Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, and UEFA Women’s Champion’s League matches.

Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers) is another bright young talent, but the 2014 NWSL Keeper of the Year received her first cap for the senior team only last month, in a 7-0 drubbing of Argentina back on December 18. Though the international experience simply isn’t there yet, she has also played over in Germany, appearing for Turbine Potsdam 39 times from 2011 to 2013. Naeher was also awarded the Golden Glove at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which the US won. She’s an exciting keeper, but her limited development for the international game currently has her warming the bench.

I don’t think anyone is worried about longtime US backup Nicole Barnhart. At age 33, she hasn’t been capped since 2012. She’s easily the most experienced keeper we have in the pool, sitting on over 50 appearances for the US, but at her age and given recent injuries, I’m not sure that she’s more than a third-stringer on the national team level. She did win the NWSL championship last season, but you can argue that it was more the consequence of a back line that matured and peaked at exactly the right time, and that kept her from having to do too much.

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Solo is, of course, a different breed of keeper than anyone I’ve mentioned. Stylistically, she’s not so much for the sweeper keeper game that Harris plays at, or that Naeher is clearly interested into developing. She’s a bit more old-school, a fairly traditional shot-stopper, fast to react, good on her feet, strong and fearless in the air off her line. Lately, it has seemed a little like the heavy mileage on her body and mind has taken a toll. The Marta hat-trick on December 14, which was a brilliant display, was all the more troubling for US fans, as it was the first time I can recall any team or player make the 33-years-young Solo seem over the hill in any way. She’s still most people’s pick in goal for the US, but the minutes are ticking down on her time as the US team’s best keeper option.

The future of US goalkeeping looks promising with Harris and Naeher fighting each other for minutes. These upcoming friendlies will tell us a lot about the fortitude and character of this particular USWNT team. Solo will only be eligible for reinstatement about two weeks out from the Algarve Cup tournament, which suggests questionable match or tournament fitness; if reinstated, she may not start right away, if at all. Now that we know for sure that the 2015 World Cup will be held on turf (though the egregious conditions in Vancouver’s BC Place will be replaced with higher-grade turf), distractions are being stripped away. We will soon get to see precisely what this US squad, with or without Hope Solo, is capable of.

Next: Lawsuit Dropped By Wambach, Others