Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer: The Untold Scandal Behind the Goalposts

The latest episode of Netflix’s Untold series has delved into the story of Hope Solo, the former U.S. national team goalkeeper who is regarded as one of the best goalies of her time. She was a huge supporter of equal pay in US football and argued that women players should be paid the same as their male counterparts.

The star player's career is marked with accolades such as winning the FIFA Women's World Cup win and two Olympic Gold medals. However, her achievements are also followed by many controversies.

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Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer details the controversial player's early career moves

Hope Solo was born in Richland, a small agricultural town in Washington. Her father, Jeffrey Solo, was a US Army veteran who helped her develop an interest in football. She was trained by her father right from the start, and she went on to establish herself as a star at the Richland High School.

Solo eventually transitioned to goalkeeping during her college years at the University of Washington. This was where her coaches, Lesle Gallimore and Amy Griffin first noticed her potential, as she eventually caught the attention of bigger colleges as well.

The Olympian was selected for the U.S. Women’s National Team for the first time in 2000. She stayed on the team till 2016. Despite her early breakthroughs, it was only in 2007, at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, that Solo cemented her place as a formidable goalkeeper, helping her team advance to the semis.

However, when Solo was benched in the semifinal match against Brazil, she went on a rampage against head coach Greg Ryan. Ryan had asked seasoned player Briana Scurry to be the goalkeeper instead. When the USA lost, Solo claimed that she would have saved the goals that Scurry conceded in the 4-0 loss. Her vocal criticism against the coach reportedly caused a rift in the team. She was then barred from the next match against Norway.

However, Hope underwent a resurgence and became part of the squads that won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

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Domestic violence accusations and termination from the national team

In 2014, the former goalkeeper was charged with domestic violence, against her half-sister Teresa and Teresa's 17-year-old son. In 2018, all charges against others were dismissed but the accusations marred Solo's reputation.

In 2016, the goalie once again got in hot waters with her blunt remarks. During the 2016 Summer Olympics, she referred to the Swedish football team as "a bunch of cowards", after team USA lost to Sweden and got eliminated from the Olympics.

Her comments sparked much outrage. In an X post, Hope shared her full remarks to add more context to her statement.

In response to these remarks, US Soccer suspended Solo for six months and terminated her national team contract. Many believed that such strong action was taken to suppress her equal pay advocacy.

For context, in 2016 female soccer players were paid less than their male counterparts, despite having a better track record. In 2022, the U.S. national women's soccer team won an equal pay settlement.

A significant part of the documentary attempts to delve into how Solo’s comments supporting gender equality led to consistent trouble with the administration. Further, the documentary also painted a hero-like picture of Hope Solo, as she was presented as an activist who fought for gender equality throughout her career.

However, this documentary can be seen as presenting only a one-sided narrative. It did not take into account how their subject's outburst affected her team. None of her former teammates or coaches were part of the documentary. This might be the biggest criticism for Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer.

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The episode was released on September 3 and is now available to stream on Netflix.