8 Reasons You Gotta Love Hope Solo

There is little doubt that one of the major reasons the United States Women’s National Team is on track to continue its run toward an unprecedented fourth Olympic Gold medal is the strength of its netminder, Hope Solo.

While Solo’s career has certainly had its fair share of controversies, here are eight reasons you’ve still got to love her.

It’s Her Birthday

Okay, you might not be reading this today, but for those who are, July 30 is Solo’s birthday, and she’s turning 31 today.

Happy Birthday, Hope.

She Has Overcome a Lot in Her Life

Solo’s troubles growing up have been well-documented.

She was conceived during a conjugal visit when her mother visited her father in prison. She was allegedly kidnapped by her father several years later. She saw her family’s car repossessed as a child. She lost her father to a heart attack shortly before the 2007 World Cup.

She has had a lot to difficulties to deal with during her lifetime.

Overcoming those obstacles has no doubt contributed to the confidence, even brashness, so apparent in Solo today.

She Speaks Her Mind

While Solo’s comments might not always be the most tempered or well-timed, there is something refreshing about an athlete who is willing to speak her mind and not fill all public comments with worn-out clichés.

Solo is most famous for publicly calling out then head coach Greg Ryan for benching her in the 2007 World Cup semifinals. But, she has also drawn controversy for accusing the fans of former WPS team Boston Breakers of being racist, claiming to be drunk on NBC during the USWNT’s interview after winning Olympic Gold in 2008 and, most recently, for her Twitter rant (below) directed towards NBC commentator and former USWNT star Brandi Chastain.

"

I feel bad 4 our fans that have 2 push mute, especially bc @arlowhite is fantastic.@brandichastainshould be helping 2 grow the sport #fb

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012"

"

Lay off commentating about defending and gking until you get more educated @brandichastain the game has changed from a decade ago. #fb

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012"

"

Its 2 bad we cant have commentators who better represents the team&knows more about the game @brandichastain! #fb

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 28, 2012"

She Refuses to Make Excuses

In the Olympic opener last week against France, the USWNT went down early 2-0. Both of France’s goals were well-struck, and there was little Solo could have done on either goal.

USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage was quick to give Solo an excuse, however, claiming that the sun had been in her eyes in the first half of play.

Yet Solo refused to accept the excuse, saying, “Was the sun a factor, as coach Pia said? I will never use that as an excuse.”

She Was an All-American in High School… as a Striker

In high school, Solo scored 109 goals as a striker and was a two-time All-American.

It was not until college that she made the difficult switch to becoming a full-time goalkeeper, where her transition was so quick and complete that she became a three-time All-American goalkeeper for the University of Washington.

She Commands Her Box

In an area of goalkeeping that tends to be a weakness among many female goalkeepers, Solo is fantastic.

Solo handles services into her box at a level that no other goalkeeper in the world can match, pushing, punching and parrying danger away from her net.

The first minute of this video shows multiple examples of how solid Solo is at defending service into her box.

She’s Fearless off Her Line

Another area that tends to be a weakness in the women’s game is the ability of keepers to correctly judge when to come off of their line and when to get down and get big to make the save.

As this video shows, Solo excels in both areas.

She Is, Quite Simply, the Best in the World at Her Position

In addition to being great at commanding her box and coming off her line, Solo is also one of the world’s premier shot stoppers.

The combination of these traits makes her the best goalkeeper in the world.

Check out this save from the 2008 Olympic gold medal match against Brazil, which was a major factor in America's win.

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