The name Hope is not short for Hopeful — she's already proven herself. It's not short for Hopeless either, as some of Hope Solo's teammates on the United States Women's Olympic soccer team raggingly call her. Friends in the stands shout for Hopie, Hoper, and the Hopester. And if you're thinking of making a move, she's already been asked by many a potential suitor if she's related to Han Solo. She is not. You can't try and score on her. And Solo does not want to ride in your Millennium Falcon.
What the 27-year-old goalkeeper from Seattle does crave is to protect the 192 square feet of American real estate, marked by two goalposts and a net, in Beijing this month. There are two world stages for women's soccer: the Summer Games and the World Cup, each occurring only every four years. Last year, the World Cup, also held in China, did not go so well for Solo, or for the U.S. team. In a bizarre and career-ending move, coach Greg Ryan benched the undefeated Solo in the semifinals against Brazil, opting instead for Briana Scurry, the 36-year-old leftover from the 1999 sports-bra-baring championship squad. Brazil sambaed all over the Americans (final score: 4-0), and following a post-game interview in which Solo took shots at the coach — "It was the wrong decision" — and the old guard — "There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves" — Solo's became the benching heard round the world. She caught intense criticism from teammates and the media and was cast into exile, while the U.S. hobbled home with a disappointing bronze medal.
These days, though, Solo has gone from being the team's outcast to blaring OutKast in the locker room to get the dance party started. "I'm sort of the team D.J.," she says after the squad lost a scrimmage in Carson, California. She confesses that Chromeo's "Bonafied Lovin" is currently on repeat, so here's to the team's playlist improving along with their play. Solo's face has the hue of an old penny following a trip to Scottsdale to see her boyfriend. ("I don't really have a boyfriend, sorry. I just say that because it's easier — we broke up.") She's taller than most of her teammates, and her ponytail is blonder. And there is still the sense that the team's wounds have not completely healed from last year's trip to China. "You really have to respect everybody's differences," Solo says, "and there are a lot of differences on the team." The one goal they all share? "We want to win with style," she says of the Olympics. "We went 40-some games without losing, but we weren't fun to watch. This year, we want to win and make people talk." Let's hope so.
