Hope Solo Will Take ‘Personal Leave’ From Pro Soccer With Seattle Reign

Hope Solo will take a “personal leave” from her professional soccer career with the Seattle Reign according to the Washington Post. Solo’s announcement comes just days after Hope’s contract with the USWNT was terminated. As previously reported by Inquisitr, Hope’s USWNT contract termination was due to comments Solo made following the USWNT’s defeat by Sweden in the women’s soccer quarterfinals of the Rio Olympics.

The Seattle Reign afforded Hope the leave for Saturday’s game against NWSL rival the Portland Thorns. Neither Solo or the Reign commented on why the leave was necessary or for what length of time Hope would be out, only that she would not be available for Saturday’s match.

Hope Solo has been granted personal leave and will be unavailable for today’s match. Andi Tostanoski has been signed as a GK replacement.

— Seattle Reign FC (@SeattleReignFC) August 27, 2016

Hope Solo has been silent since Wednesday when she posted a lengthy comment on her Twitter account denouncing the actions of the U.S. Soccer Federation in suspending her and terminating her contract.

pic.twitter.com/z4lCvGnQDq

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) August 25, 2016

Seattle Reign Coach Laura Harvey discussed Hope’s USWNT situation with the Seattle Times on Thursday following the news of the suspension and termination from the national team and how it might impact Solo’s professional career.

“I don’t know whether they’re going to keep paying her to play in the league or not,” Harvey noted that Solo, a once highly marketable goalkeeper, may now be viewed as too costly for an already financially shaky NWSL. “At this stage, I honestly don’t know how that’s going to work out.”

Harvey went on to say that she was concerned first and foremost about Solo’s mental well-being after getting such devastating news, “As a human being, getting the information that Hope got yesterday, I’m sure it was devastating for her. I’m trying to be mindful of that more than anything.”

While Solo has vowed to fight the suspension and termination by the USWNT with the help of the player’s association, many have to wonder if Hope has played her last game. Despite Hope’s multitude of issues including a domestic violence arrest involving her sister and underage nephew, a one-month suspension from the USWNT following her involvement in a DUI arrest for her husband Jerramy Stevens and the USWNT van, and several other moments in which running her mouth has gotten her into trouble, Solo has been a formidable and highly decorated goalkeeper for the USWNT.

Some have criticized the U.S. Soccer Federation’s timing of their decision to suspend Hope and terminate her current contract. Hope Solo is 35 years old and will be close to 40 by the time the USWNT takes another stab at becoming world champions. If the USWNT wasn’t willing to suspend Hope for public drunkenness and domestic violence, it seems as though they simply could’ve let Solo’s “cowards” comment regarding the loss to Sweden slide and let Hope ride off into the sunset without picking her up on the next go around. Others have suggested the termination and suspension are a message, not only to Hope Solo but all members of the USWNT that are currently involved in a wage discrimination lawsuit.

Regardless of what the motivation truly is behind the suspension and termination of Hope Solo, Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey recognizes that, even though it was made clear that Hope was not forbidden from continuing to play in the NWSL, the decision to cut Solo from the USWNT would definitely have some sort of impact on Hope’s ability to continue to earn a living at the sport.

“It’s about someone’s livelihood. It’s about their career. Irrelevant of what the decision is and who made the decision, it’s somebody’s life and somebody’s career,” Harvey said. And despite all of her issues, it would be a shame to see someone with Hope Solo’s record-setting and highly decorated career end on such a low note.

[Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images]