Hope Solo

Highest Rated: Not Available

Lowest Rated: Not Available

Birthday: Jul 30, 1981

Birthplace: Richland, Washington, USA

Having become one of the premier goalkeepers in women's soccer, Hope Solo helped the United States team win a gold medal in a thrilling victory over Brazil in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Born on July 30, 1981 in Richland, WA, Solo learned how to play soccer from her father, a Vietnam War veteran who sometimes was without a home. Though her parents divorced when she was six and she went to live with her mother, Solo remained close to her father, who became instrumental in her success. Solo began her soccer career with the Three Rivers Soccer Club and later played forward at Richland High School. After leading her school to three straight league titles, she helped them win a state championship in her senior year. Solo switched to the goalkeeper position when she began attending the University of Washington, where she quickly developed a reputation as a fierce defender and eventually became the school's all-time leader in shutouts, saves and goals against average. After graduating college, Solo was drafted into the Women's United Soccer Association in 2003, playing for the Philadelphia Charge, only to see the league lose large sums of money and disband that same year. She moved on to play in Göteberg, Sweden in the Swedish Premier League and later the Olympique Lyonnais in France, before being drafted by the Saint Louis Athletica in the Women's Professional Soccer league, where she was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009. Prior to that distinction, Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, but was replaced by Briana Scurry for a match with Brazil. The U.S. lost 4-0, and led Solo to publicly criticize coach Greg Ryan for his decision. Ryan subsequently left Solo out of the third-place match with Norway the following day. Despite the setback, Solo was named the starter for the 2008 Summer Olympics team. She shined all throughout the competition, but saved her best for the gold medal match, where she held a relentless Brazilian team to a 1-0 win in overtime. Thanks to the surprising U.S. win against the favored Brazilians, Hope and her fellow teammates became media darlings and made the talk show and cable news rounds. Meanwhile, Hope suffered a shoulder injury, but still led her team to the finals against Japan in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. They lost 3-1. Later that year, it was announced that Solo would join David Arquette, Chaz Bono and Nancy Grace, among others, for the fall 2011 season of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ); she ended up in fourth place in the competition. During that same era, Solo posed nude - with her more revealing parts strategically covered - for the "body issue" of ESPN The Magazine. The following year, Solo won her second gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London following wins against France, Colombia, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. During the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Solo allowed only three goals in seven games and won the goalkeeper's trophy, the Golden Glove. This on-field triumph followed a turbulent period in Solo's personal life, during which she was arrested for fourth-degree assault following a June 2014 altercation with her half-sister and nephew; the charges were dropped the following January after the alleged victims refused to cooperate with authorities.