In an epic press conference held on Thursday, Hope Solo, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Goalkeeper, Olympic Gold Metalist, and new star of Seattle’s team called Seattle Reign FC on the National Women’s Soccer League , talked about her new job and mentioned her new marriage.
Here’s some highlights of a press conference that The Equalizer blog did a great job of picking up:
You get a chance to play in your hometown yet again. It’s kind of cool for a professional athlete to spend this much time playing in front of her hometown fans.
“I never thought it would happen, to be honest. First off, when I came to the University of Washington, I told my family I would never stay in the state of Washington. I was going to go to the East Coast and play, and then I fell in love: I played at UW and really started my career here, in the state of Washington. I had so much support, and it only seems fitting to end my career here in Washington — not that I’m retiring anytime soon, but that was my dream, was to eventually play professionally here in the city that I do love.”
Are you comfortable that this one might have more longevity than the previous ones?
“Absolutely. I’m more comfortable than I ever have been, and I’ve been in a lot of failed leagues, unfortunately. But this one’s different. There’s a different business plan, it’s a different business model and it has the backing of U.S. Soccer.”
Any thoughts on playing with Megan Rapinoe again here?
“She’s one of my favorite players. I’m happy she loves the city. I love to share the city with my national team teammates. But she’s a special player. She’s just so talented and exciting to watch, and she brings flair and just excitement to the game that not a lot of players do. I think another player who can bring that flair is a player like Tobin Heath, but to have a player as exciting as Megan Rapinoe on the team, it’s just going to fill the stands with more fans.”
How fulfilling have the last few months been for you, professionally and personally?
“It’s been a crazy year, as always — story of my life — but it’s been a great year. Obviously, with the Olympics, after losing the World Cup, coming back and winning gold against Japan was incredible. I’m still waiting for that World Cup trophy, so I’m going to go after it and go hard for another three or four years. Personally, that’s part of life. There’s a lot of ups and downs. Right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my personal life. I’m happily married. There’s lots of ups and downs, but that’s what makes us strong is getting through them all.”
You’ve never shied away from the court of public opinion. What would you say to everybody out there who wonder how you’re doing?
“Oh, I don’t really care what they think. I’m doing perfectly fine, and I’m happy. At the end of the day, it’s the people closest to me that matter.”
This is going to be an interesting league. Keep a watch on it, especially with the free-agent allocations coming up.
Stay tuned.
Bill Carroll