THE SOLO NO-SHOW
It’s working just fine for U.S.
Hope Solo has disappeared from the World Cup.
Make no mistake: She has started every match for the U.S. women’s national soccer team ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal against Germany at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
On and off the field, though, there are few signs of her.
For both the squad and the player, this is a welcome development.
Early this month, on the eve of the group opener in Winnipeg, the goalkeeper’s dark past resurfaced after fresh details about her 2014 domestic violence case emerged.
It rekindled debate about whether she should have been allowed to continue playing, and it tugged attention from the team’s championship campaign.
Hope Solo, the flawed woman, had again superseded Hope Solo, the sport’s premier shot-stopper.
She had not done anything new to bring it about, but her personal drama had again caught up to her and, by extension, drawn the team into it. This was the risk the U.S. Soccer Federation took when it kept her on the squad during the legal saga and when it reinstated her after a month-long suspension stemming from an unrelated incident.
The timing of the latest story, which included allegations of an alcohol-fuelled tirade against police officers, could not have been worse.
As the Americans began the quest for their first title in 16 years, coach Jill Ellis and the players found themselves answering questions about matters unrelated to the upcoming matches in the so-called Group of Death.
But over the course of three weeks across Canada, Solo has become almost inconspicuous. The most polarizing figure in American soccer has kept quiet behind the scenes, and thanks to an immaculate defensive corps, she has become an ancillary figure on the sport’s grandest stage.
She has not spoken publicly since after the first game. In subsequent days, she did not respond to comments by Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, the former U.S. boss, who called her a “piece of work. It’s a little bumpy road” coaching Solo.
After each of the past four games, she has strolled through the media mixed zone politely declining interview requests. Before practice sessions, when a rotation of two or three different players is typically made available for interviews, the USSF has not forced her to take questions.
From all indications, Solo has been a good teammate and positive influence during the World Cup odyssey.
“I have really noticed her — on the field, off the field — just (having) a really good focus,” Ellis said after a 1-0 quarter-final victory against China on Friday in Ottawa.
Solo has benefited from a defence guarding her like deep-woods mosquito repellent. Since rescuing the Americans with several sensational saves in the 3-1 opening victory against Australia, she has recorded four consecutive shutouts. The 423-minute streak is the third longest in tournament history. Along the way, Solo, 33, has set the record for most victories (134) and appearances (175) by a U.S. goalkeeper and extended her marks in shutouts (88) and starts (169).
“She has made some saves that have kept us in games,” midfielder Morgan Brian said. “That’s what her job is. That’s what she’s been used to.”
Opponents aren’t scoring because they aren’t getting chances. In the past four matches, the defence has conceded seven shots on goal. Solo’s intermittent saves have been routine, and for most of the 90 minutes, she is a lonely figure watching over an unthreatened fortress.
“I think she is very happy about that,” right back Ali Krieger said. “She is prepared, no matter what. She’s professional enough to be ready whenever that moment comes, especially when we have to play the ball back to her. She’s always on her toes, always prepared and ready for a big play.”
Krieger and Meghan Klingenberg have staffed the corners of the back line, while Julie Johnston and Becky Sauerbrunn have formed the World Cup’s best centre-back combination. The United States and Brazil are the only teams to concede just a single goal. (Brazil was eliminated by Australia in the round of 16.)
Solo’s tranquillity on two fronts might end soon, though.
On the field, she and the secondranked U.S. squad will face their stiffest test to date against No. 1 Germany, which leads the tournament by wide margins in goals with 20 (albeit 10 in one game), as well as shots and shots on goal.
And when the U.S. World Cup effort ends, whether against Japan or England in the third-place match Saturday in Edmonton or Sunday’s final in Vancouver, Solo might face a fresh round of legal issues. Prosecutors have appealed a judge’s decision last winter to dismiss the assault charges.
The two sides of Hope Solo may take turns stepping into the shadows, but for better and worse, they never fade away.
She has made some saves that have kept us in games. That’s what her job is. That’s what she’s been used to.