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Much has changed for Hope Solo in the last month, not to mention since the last World Cup. She’s gone from a pariah four years ago to a team leader. She’s gone from the goalkeeper on the best team that nobody knew last month to a multimedia darling and a potential marketing machine.
But even as her Facebook likes and Twitter followers skyrocket by the day, taking her earning potential with it, she says what she really wants is a World Cup title. She says fame can wait, her focus is on tomorrow’s final against Japan.
“This team, we’ve had the mentality from day one, we came for one reason: It wasn’t beating Brazil in the quarterfinals, it wasn’t to make the final,” Solo said. “Our one and only goal was to win this tournament, and people are staying pretty true to that.”
Solo’s straightforward star turn in this World Cup is a far cry from how the last World Cup went for her. Her father died just before the 2007 tournament. Still grieving, she was benched by coach Greg Ryan in favor of veteran Briana Scurry before the semifinal against Brazil.
After the U.S. was shelled 4-0, Solo commented that she would have saved Brazil’s goals. Her teammates read that as a shot at Scurry, and Solo was suspended from the third-place game and booted from the flight home from China, outcast and ostracized.
“What doesn’t break you makes you stronger. That’s my whole life story. I struggled through, whether it be certain family issues or hard times in life, losing my dad, whatever it may be,” Solo said in a TV interview. “I’ve always found myself to come out stronger than before. If you don’t let something break you, you’re going to come out better in the end.”
When current U.S. coach Pia Sundhage took over the squad in late 2007, she backed Solo and has gotten a world-class keeper in return
“Of course I’ve talked about the last World Cup with her, and between then and now we had the Olympics in 2008 and the way she played, saving a ball in the final,” Sundhage said. “Right now I’m very happy with what I see.”
Fast forward to Sunday, when Solo — regarded by many as the world’s best female goalie — saved Daiane’s penalty kick to help give the U.S. a 5-3 win over Brazil in PKs.
“On the field, she leads by example, which is important,” Sundhage said. “She’s a winner and wants to win.”
That dramatic win over Brazil made the team instant media darlings, none bigger than Solo. The 1999 U.S. team that won the World Cup pushed the sport into the limelight and made a star of Mia Hamm, who earned $8-10 million annually at her endorsement peak, according to TheBigLead.com. If the U.S. wins, Solo — as well as forward Abby Wambach — could each rake in an estimated $4 million.
“Somebody told me [my Twitter account] went from 10,000 to over 100,000 followers,” Solo said. “[Social media] is obviously huge.”
Solo and the U.S. will have to be at their focused best tomorrow against Japan, a team inspired by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation in March.
“They’re playing for something bigger and better than the game,” Solo said. “When you’re playing with so much emotion, so much heart, that’s hard to play against. It’s going to be an incredible final.”