Hope Solo was suspended by US Soccer for six months after her post-game remarks to Sweden in the Rio Olympics.
Even though Hope Solo evaded a lengthy suspension from US Soccer after domestic violence charges, she didn’t get past one after her fiery temper during the Olympics. Because of comments directed towards Sweden, US Soccer has announced that their star goalkeeper was handed a six-month suspension.
US Soccer also terminated her national team contract, according to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl.
Heading into Rio, the USWNT was considered a big favorite after coming off a win in the Women’s World Cup. But instead, they lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals, and didn’t end up on the podium.
Hope Solo was public enemy No. 1 among the locals. Before the Olympics started, she posted photos of her packing bug repellent to alleviate the Zika concerns. Not only was she booed heavily every time she touched the ball, the fans chanted “Zika” on every goal kick.
Related Story: Hope Solo after USWNT loss: We lost to a bunch of cowards
What stood out the most in USA’s loss to Sweden was Hope Solo’s behavior. She changed gloves mid-shootout in an attempt to mount pressure on the penalty taker, but it backfired when she got scored on.
Then, in the post-game interview, she called the Sweden team “a bunch of cowards” over their defensive tactics and said “the best team did not win.” Ironically, Sweden’s coach used to be the coach of the USWNT.
Sunil Gulati released a statement which said the following:
"The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players. Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions."
Solo responded with her own statement:
"I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the Federation who have always supported me. I think it’s best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months, and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team."
A six-month suspension for being a sore loser is definitely way too long, but you have to think that this is a makeup call on US Soccer’s part.
After all, according to the statement, “prior incidents” were considered when determining the length of the suspension. When she was arrested for domestic violence, Solo got a 30-day slap on the wrist and didn’t miss a minute of the Women’s World Cup.
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Given that she’s eligible to return in February 2017, she’s only going to miss two USWNT games. During the suspension, she’s also allowed to play for her club, the Seattle Reign. Hopefully, Solo will now think twice before she speaks.