Following the United States' quarter-final exit from the women's Olympic tournament, goalkeeper and 17 year mainstay of the national team Hope Solo was so frustrated that she lashed out at opponents Sweden, branding them "cowards" for the tactics they employed. Those words have now come back to haunt the World Cup winning Solo, who has now been suspended from the national team for six months and had her contract with them terminated.
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Solo received heavy criticism for her post-match interview, although it was understandable for a player to be upset immediately after losing such a high game. Despite Solo's standing in the US Women's team, with whom she has won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup, her comments appear to have been a step too far, with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati saying in a statement:
"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."
"Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we've had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. national team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action."
The suspension means Solo will not be eligible for selection until February, 2017. In response to the decision, the 35-year-old released a statement on Twitter:
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It looks as if this could be it for one of the most successful women's footballers of all time. Solo has been capped 202 times for the United States in her illustrious international career.
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(H/T 101 Great Goals)
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