HOPE SOLO (USA/SEATTLE REIGN FC) 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Picture : Hope Solo with her 4 IFFHS Awards
IFFHS AWARDS – THE WORLD’S BEST WOMAN GOALKEEPER 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 : HOPE SOLO (USA/SEATTLE REIGN FC)
PRESENTATION
Hope Amelia Solo, born 30 July 1981 in Richland, Washington, is regarded as one of the Best Women Goalkeepers in the World and in the Football History ! Goalkeeper of the US Women’s National Soccer Team from 2000 to 2016, she won one FIFA World Cup and two Olympic Gold, playing 202 matches with USA . Hope Solo holds many Records in the Goalkeeper history : the most appearances (202), the most wins (153), the most clean sheets (102), the most wins in a season (26) and the most undefeated streak (55 games between 7 March 2002 and 16 Juli 2008) !
She holds also the IFFHS Record of the most Awards in the Women Goalkeeper category (4) , she was crowned THE WORLD’S BEST WOMEN GOALKEEPER by IFFHS in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 !
2012 IFFHS Award
2013 IFFHS Award
2014 and 2015 IFFHS Awards
In the youth career Hope Solo was a great … Goal Scorer ! As forward in Richmond High School, she scored 109 goals, leading her team to 3 consecutive league titles from 1996 to 1998 and a state championship during her senior year. She was twice named Player of the Year !
She began her career at the collegiate level for the University of Washington in 1999. With Washington Huskies (68 matches between 1999 and 2002) she switched to Goalkeeper and became the Top Goalkeeper in Pac-10 history, finishing her collegiate career as Washington’s all-time leader in clean sheets (18), saves (325) and becoming the first Goalkeeper to receive the Player of the Year Award !
Solo signed the first professional contract in Philadelphia Charge in the first Women’s United Soccer Association. When the WUSA folded after her first season, Hope went to Europe to play in the Top Divisions in Sweden (2004) with Göteborg and in France (2005) with Olympique Lyonnais, the future Best World Club ! From 2008 to 2011, she went back to the new Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and signed with Saint Louis Athletica, Atlanta Beat and MagicJack, becoming US Soccer Female Athlete of the Year 2009, the highest Award in United States. The WPS stopped in 2012, so Solo signed for Seattle Sounders in the W-League before joining Seattle Reign FC in the new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in January 2013. She played there until 2016, finishing again with the best save percentage !
Hope Solo made a fantastic International career with USA ! She played first for US Junior national soccer teams before joining the senior US Team in April 2000, when she debuted against Iceland in Davidson, North Carolina. Briana Scurry was the first Goalkeeper in USA at this moment, Hope Solo became the N°1 in 2005 until 2016 with 202 matches in total ! She played 3 FIFA World Cups, won one Gold Medal in 2015, one Silver Medal in 2011 and one Bronze medal in 2007, winning the World Cup Golden Glove (Best Goalkeeper) in 2011 and 2015 ! She participated at 3 Olympic Games tournaments and won two Gold Medals (2008 and 2012) , winning also the CONCACAF Tournaments from 2006 to 2016. Solo was named in all international competitions in the Top 11 for her overall performance and her natural class. At the Olympics 2016 in Brazil, she played her last professional game against Sweden in Quarter final after a controversy defeat at penalties shootout.
” My entire career, I have only wanted the best for the team, for the players and the women’s game. I will continue to pursue these causes with the same passion ” : Hope Solo’ words were sincere and the facts also. She was always the leader to fight for equality and continued today, being TV Consultant for international networks .