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Hope Solo

Hope Solo mum after missing out on shutout record

Christine Brennan
USA TODAY Sports
Hope Solo failed to record her record 72nd career shutout when Team USA beat Switzerland on Wednesday 4-1.

CARY, N.C. – Wednesday night's U.S. Soccer celebration of Hope Solo ended up not being much of a celebration at all.

Ill-advised from the start, things went further awry when a Swiss penalty kick in the 71st minute ruined Solo's chance for a record 72nd career shutout.

Then, after the game was over and the U.S. women's national team had won 4-1, almost no one on the U.S. team wanted to talk about Solo – including Solo herself.

Solo, 33, has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence in the assault of her sister and 17-year-old nephew. She has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in November.

In the meantime, U.S. Soccer has allowed her to keep playing with the national team in the run-up to next year's Women's World Cup in Canada. This was Solo's first appearance with the national team since her arrest in June.

"We looked at all the facts that we had in front of us, we talked to Hope, and are going to wait until the legal proceedings come to a conclusion before we take any action, if it's needed," U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said before the game.

After the game, Solo hung out with her teammates at midfield, signed autographs for kids along the railing of the grandstand and blew kisses to the sellout crowd of 9,992 – everything, it turns out, but talk to reporters who came to the game at least in part because of her presence in it.

Asked why Solo wouldn't walk over and answer questions, Neil Buethe, U.S. Soccer director of communications, said, "She'll speak about the game but she's not speaking about anything off the field."

That seemed to be a recurring theme. When U.S. head coach Jill Ellis was asked if she has spent any time talking to Solo about her legal issues, she replied, "No, this is about this. This is about soccer."

The only person who would address the obvious was midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who also is a teammate of Solo's on their Seattle club in the National Women's Soccer League.

"It's been fine," Rapinoe said. "She's been great all year. Obviously, there's a big thing looming for her, but she's trying to focus on the season right now and she'll take care of that afterwards."

Solo isn't talking now, but on June 26, she addressed her arrest in a post on Facebook:

"I would like to apologize to my fans, teammates, coaches, marketing partners and the entire US Soccer and Seattle Reign FC communities for my involvement in a highly unfortunate incident this past weekend. I understand that, as a public figure, I am held to a higher standard of conduct. I take seriously my responsibilities as a role model and sincerely apologize to everyone I have disappointed."

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