Hope Solo: Everything You Need to Know About All World Team USA Goalie

Hope Solo Has Proven Herself as the Top Goalie in the World at 2011 Women's World Cup.

Hope Solo has quickly become a celebrity among celebrities. Athletes and celebrities have constantly been tweeting about her since the United States came back against Brazil and she has seemed to capture the eye of every male and female in America.

Solo has proven herself to be the top goalkeeper in the world, but things weren't always that way.

When Solo first started playing soccer she was a striker. She scored over 100 goals in high school in Richland, Washington. She switched her position once she arrived on campus at the University of Washington and that began her incredible path to the World Cup.

Solo has journeyed around the world playing professional soccer since her days at Washington. Once the WUSA went under she played in Sweden and France before coming back stateside to play for the Saint Louis Athletica.

Solo is currently playing for the magic Jack team based out of Boca Raton, Florida.

Solo's career has been controversial at times, dating back to the 2007 FIFA World Cup when she was benched for Brianna Scurry before the semifinal match with Brazil. She made some very controversial comments after the match that would follow her up until 2011. Michael David Smith of AOL News has the story,

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It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that.  There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. ... It's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think.

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Brianna Scurry was an extremely popular figure, as she had led the United States to victory in the 1999 World Cup, but many people could sympathize with Solo after the benching. Solo was kicked off the team for the third place match against Norway for the comments as well. 

With the benching and being suspended from the team, Solo's career had reached the bottom of the pit.

There was no doubt that she was the better goalie in 2007, but she has come back much stronger since the benching.

In 2008, Solo led the United States to Olympic gold. Solo proved her worth in the final against Brazil as the Americans came away with a 1-0 victory in extra time. She withstood a flurry of shots from FIFA Player of the Year Marta and the rest of the Brazilians to lead the team to victory.

She then missed much of the 2011 World Cup qualifying campaign with a shoulder injury.  However, she was named to the World Cup roster and was handed the starting job.

Solo has led the Americans on an incredible journey thus far and now has the opportunity to win a World Cup for her country on Sunday as she leads the Americans against Japan.