Hope Solo facts for kids

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Hope Solo

Solo in training for the United States in 2012

Personal information

Full name

Hope Amelia Stevens

Birth name

Hope Amelia Solo

Date of birth

July 30, 1981 (age 44)

Place of birth

Richland, Washington, U.S.

Height

5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)

Position(s)

Goalkeeper

Youth career

1996–2000

Richland High School

College career

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1999–2002

Washington Huskies

(0)

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2003

Philadelphia Charge

(0)

2004

Kopparbergs/Göteborg

(0)

2005

Lyon

(0)

2009–2010

Saint Louis Athletica

(0)

2010

Atlanta Beat

(0)

2011

magicJack

(0)

2012

Seattle Sounders Women

(0)

2013–2016

Seattle Reign

(0)

Total

134

(0)

International career

1996–1997

United States U16

1998

United States U19

1999–2000

United States U21

2000–2016

United States

202

(0)

Medal record

Women's soccer

Representing United States
Olympic Games
Gold	2008 Beijing	Team
Gold	2012 London	Team
FIFA Women's World Cup
Winner	2015 Canada
Runner-up	2011 Germany
Bronze	2007 China

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hope Solo (born July 30, 1981) is a famous American soccer goalkeeper. She played for the United States women's national soccer team from 2000 to 2016. Hope Solo is a World Cup champion and has won two Olympic gold medals.

She played college soccer at the University of Washington. After college, she played professionally for teams like the Philadelphia Charge. She also played in Europe for top leagues in Sweden and France. From 2009 to 2011, she played in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. Later, she joined the Seattle Sounders Women and then Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League.

Hope Solo is known for being one of the best female goalkeepers ever. She holds the U.S. record for the most games where she prevented the other team from scoring (called "shutouts"). She was the main goalkeeper for the U.S. team in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. She helped the team reach the semifinals, only letting in two goals in four games.

During the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, her amazing goalkeeping skills were noticed by everyone. This was especially true in a quarter-final match against Brazil, which the U.S. won after a penalty shootout. Even though the team lost to Japan in the final, Hope Solo won the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper. She also received the Bronze Ball award for her great performance in the tournament.

After the 2011 World Cup, Hope Solo appeared on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. She also posed for different magazines. After winning her second Olympic gold medal in 2012, she wrote a popular book about her life called Solo: A Memoir of Hope.

As the starting goalkeeper in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Hope Solo helped the U.S. team win their third World Cup title. The final game against Japan was watched by more people than any other soccer game on TV in the United States.

By August 2016, Hope Solo held several U.S. goalkeeper records. These included the most games played (202), most games started (190), most wins (153), and most shutouts (102). She also had the longest streak without losing a game (55 games).

Early Life and High School Soccer

Hope Solo was born in Richland, Washington, on July 30, 1981. Her father taught her how to play soccer when she was very young. He was a big influence in her life until he passed away in June 2007.

At Richland High School, Hope Solo played as a forward. She scored an amazing 109 goals. She helped her team win three league titles in a row from 1996 to 1998. In her senior year, her team won a state championship. She was also named a Parade All-American twice. Hope Solo also played club soccer for the Three Rivers Soccer Club.

College Career at Washington Huskies

Many colleges wanted Hope Solo to play for them. She chose to attend the University of Washington from 1999 to 2002. There, she studied speech communications. At the Huskies, she became a full-time goalkeeper. Her coaches, Lesle Gallimore and Amy Griffin, helped her make this change.

Hope Solo became one of the best goalkeepers in Pac-10 history. She finished her college career as Washington's all-time leader in shutouts (18), saves (325), and goals against average (1.02). She was chosen for the All-Pac-10 team four times. As a sophomore, junior, and senior, she was named an NSCAA All-American. In her sophomore year, she was the first Washington player and first goalkeeper to be named Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Professional Club Career

Early Professional Years in the U.S. and Europe

After college, Hope Solo was chosen by the Philadelphia Charge in the 2003 WUSA Draft. She played in eight games during her first professional season. She earned her first professional shutout against the Atlanta Beat.

After the WUSA league stopped playing in 2003, Hope Solo moved to Sweden in 2004. She played for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in the top Swedish league. She played in 19 games for Göteborg that year. In 2005, she played for Olympique Lyonnais in France, making seven appearances.

Playing in the WPS League

Solo saves a shot from the Boston Breakers in April 2010.

In 2008, Hope Solo joined the Saint Louis Athletica in the new WPS league. She helped the team improve and finish in second place. After the 2009 season, she was named the WPS Goalkeeper of the Year. She also became the first goalkeeper to be named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year. This is the highest honor for a soccer player in the United States.

Solo playing for the Beat in 2010

In May 2010, the Saint Louis Athletica team closed down. Hope Solo then signed with the Atlanta Beat. She played in 22 WPS games in 2010 for both teams. She led the league in saves with 104. After the 2010 season, she had surgery on her right shoulder.

Before the 2011 WPS season, Hope Solo joined magicJack. She missed some of the season due to her shoulder recovery and national team duties. She played in four games for the club. The WPS league stopped playing in early 2012.

Seattle Sounders Women

On February 14, 2012, Hope Solo signed with the Seattle Sounders Women. Other national team players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe also joined the team. Hope Solo played in three games for the club. Her goals against average was very low, at 0.344. The Sounders sold out many of their home games because of the famous players on their team.

NWSL: Seattle Reign FC

Solo makes a save during a match against the Chicago Red Stars on July 25, 2013, at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington.

On January 19, 2013, Hope Solo was assigned to the Seattle Reign FC for the first season of the National Women's Soccer League. She had wrist surgery and missed about half of the season. When she returned, the Reign team improved their record.

Hope Solo returned to the Reign for the 2014 season. The team had an amazing unbeaten streak of 16 games. They finished first in the regular season and won the NWSL Shield. They reached the championship final but were defeated by FC Kansas City. Hope Solo was named one of the three finalists for NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year. She finished the 2014 season with 65 saves and a great goals against average of .900.

In 2016, Hope Solo played eight games for Seattle before joining the national team for the Rio Olympics. She finished the season with a 0.63 goals against average and five games where she kept a "clean sheet" (no goals scored against her).

International Career

San Jose, Calif., 2015

Hope Solo played for U.S. junior national soccer teams before joining the senior U.S. national team in 2000. Her first game for the senior team was an 8–0 win against Iceland in April 2000. She was an alternate goalkeeper at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Since 2005, she has been the team's main goalkeeper. She holds the record for the longest undefeated streak as a goalkeeper for the national team, with 55 games.

2007 FIFA Women's World Cup

Hope Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the United States in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. She only allowed two goals in four games. Before the semifinal match against Brazil, the U.S. coach made a difficult decision to play a different goalkeeper. The U.S. team lost to Brazil 4–0. After the game, Hope Solo shared her thoughts about the coach's decision. She was not part of the team for the next game against Norway. The U.S. team won that game 4–1.

2008 Summer Olympics

Solo with her 2008 Olympic gold medal

On June 23, 2008, Hope Solo was announced as the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. On August 21, the U.S. women's team won the gold medal by defeating Brazil 1–0 in extra time.

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

Hope Solo was on the U.S. team for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. She kept "clean sheets" in wins against North Korea and Colombia. The quarterfinal match between the U.S. and Brazil went to a penalty shootout. Hope Solo saved Brazil's third penalty kick, helping the U.S. win and move on to the semifinals.

Hope Solo played her 100th game for the national team in the 3–1 semifinal win over France. In the final, the U.S. team lost to Japan in a penalty shootout after the game ended in a 2–2 tie. Hope Solo won the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper and the Bronze Ball award for her overall performance. She was also chosen for the tournament's "All-star" team.

2012 Summer Olympics

Solo and teammate Carli Lloyd after the 2012 Summer Olympics final

Hope Solo won her second Olympic gold medal on August 9, 2012. The U.S. team defeated Japan 2–1 in the final match. Hope Solo made many important saves during the game, including one in the 82nd minute that could have tied the match.

She had three shutouts during the tournament. She played every minute of all six matches for the team.

2013–2014 Seasons

In March 2013, Hope Solo had surgery on her left wrist and did not play for about three months. She returned to the national team in June. The team had a great year in 2013, going undefeated in 16 games.

On June 14, 2014, Hope Solo tied the U.S. record for career shutouts with 71. On September 13, she set a new record with her 72nd shutout in a game against Mexico.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

In April 2015, Hope Solo was named to the U.S. team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She played every minute of all seven of the team's matches. The U.S. won the tournament, and many people watched it on TV. Hope Solo had a 540-minute shutout streak, which is the second longest in World Cup history. She only allowed three goals during the whole tournament.

During the semifinal match against Germany, she used tactics to try to make the German player miss a penalty kick. The player missed, keeping the game tied. Hope Solo finished the tournament with 177 international games played and received the Golden Glove trophy as the best goalkeeper.

2016: 100th Shutout

On July 9, 2016, Hope Solo achieved her 100th international shutout. This made her the first female goalkeeper to reach 100 shutouts in international soccer. She also earned her 150th career win and played her 197th game for the national team in a friendly game against South Africa.

2016 Rio Olympics

Solo is beaten in the penalty shootout

Hope Solo played her 200th game for the U.S. team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The United States beat France 1–0. In the final group game against Colombia, the game ended in a 2–2 tie. During the matches, some fans in Brazil made noises when she touched the ball.

In the quarterfinal game against Sweden, the game went to a penalty shootout. Hope Solo changed her gloves before Sweden's final kick. Sweden scored the penalty and eliminated the United States. After the match, Hope Solo made comments about Sweden's playing style. The U.S. Soccer organization later suspended Hope Solo for six months and ended her national team contract.

Honors and Awards

Hope Solo has received many awards throughout her career.

High School Achievements

Parade Magazine All-American: 1997, 1998
Washington State Championship: 1998

College Achievements

NSCAA All-American: 2000, 2001, 2002
Pac-10 Selection: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

Club Achievements

NWSL Shield: 2014
WPS Goalkeeper of the Year: 2009

International Achievements

United States

Olympic Gold Medal: 2008, 2012
FIFA Women's World Cup Champion: 2015
Algarve Cup: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015
SheBelieves Cup: 2016

Individual Awards

U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year: 2009
FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Glove: 2011, 2015
FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze ball: 2011
FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011, 2015
IFFHS World's Best Woman Goalkeeper: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2022

Personal Life

Hope Solo is married to former American football player Jerramy Stevens. They got married in 2012. In December 2019, Hope Solo announced they were expecting twins, who were born on March 4, 2020.

Endorsements and Charity Work

Hope Solo has worked with many companies to promote their products, including Seiko, Simple Skincare, Nike, BlackBerry, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Gatorade. She also appeared in commercials for EA Sports and ESPN's SportsCenter.

Solo at the National Italian American Foundation, 2013

Hope Solo is a representative for the Women's Sports Foundation. This organization helps girls and women through sports. She has also supported the Boys and Girls Club and attended many charity events. In 2011, she helped raise money for the Seattle Humane Society. In 2012, she participated in a program where money was donated to a local charity she chose.

Images for kids

Solo in training for the United States in 2012
Solo saves a shot from the Boston Breakers in April 2010.
Solo playing for the Beat in 2010
Solo makes a save during a match against the Chicago Red Stars on July 25, 2013.
San Jose, Calif., 2015
Solo with her 2008 Olympic gold medal
Solo and teammate Carli Lloyd after the 2012 Summer Olympics final
Solo is beaten in the penalty shootout
Solo at the National Italian American Foundation, 2013