In recent years, United States goalkeeper Hope Solo was the world’s best goalie and the first-choice option for the women’s national team.
But Solo’s recent attitude and past actions have finally caught up to her, and the U.S. Soccer Federation handed Solo a six-month suspension from the national team.
The final piece of a sequence of inappropriate actions was when she hurled insults at Sweden’s team after an upset loss on penalty kicks in the Olympic quarterfinals.
“We played a bunch of cowards,” Solo said in the post-game press conference on Aug. 12. “The best team did not win today. I strongly, firmly believe that.”
Despite its length, the suspension is virtually meaningless. Solo will miss nothing important, as the only games scheduled are two friendlies in September, and the squad does not have a competitive match until later in 2017.
She’s been a headache throughout her entire career. However, given her age and declining form, U.S. Soccer should go one step further this time and ban Solo permanently from the USWNT.
Her comments were a part of the reason for her suspension, but in the end U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said it was a list of incidents that will leave the U.S. without its most decorated keeper in national team history.
“Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action,” Gulati said in a statement to ESPN Wednesday.
Her first incident came immediately after the 2007 World Cup. Then-36-year-old Briana Scurry replaced Solo in the middle of the tournament.
In the semifinal against Brazil, the U.S. conceded two first-half goals, saw a player sent off and ultimately were defeated, 4-0. Solo criticized her coach after the game, calling his decision making into question.
Solo was arrested and charged with two counts of assault against two family members in 2014. She was not disciplined for this incident.
In January 2015, U.S. soccer suspended the Richland, Washington, native for 30 days for a separate incident — she was the passenger in a car while her husband was arrested for driving under the influence.
The Sweden outburst is just the latest in a career full of missteps, and it’s time to end it.
She has been given multiple opportunities to change. She was allowed to stay on the team because she was the consensus best goalkeeper on the planet.
But her performance throughout the Olympics shows that is not the case. She conceded two goals for a draw against Colombia, and in the match against Sweden saved only one penalty kick throughout the shootout.
After enabling Solo for her entire career, it’s time for U.S. Soccer to do the right thing by making suspension permanent.