Hope Solo has been granted personal leave from Seattle Reign FC. (Photo Copyright Erica McCaulley for The Equalizer)
Goalkeeper Hope Solo will not be available for Seattle Reign FC’s crucial home match against Portlan Thorns FC on Saturday after she was granted a personal leave, the club announced just hours before kickoff.
On Wednesday, Solo was suspended for six months by U.S. Soccer and had her U.S. women’s national team contract terminated. Per terms of the memorandum of understanding between the federation and the players’ association, Solo will still be paid to play in the NWSL despite her national-team contract being terminated. Whether or not her absence from a gameday roster affects her payments is unclear.
The extent of Solo’s leave remains unclear, a source familiar with the situation tells The Equalizer.
[LAULETTA: Thoughts on Hope Solo’s suspension and contract termination]
U.S. Soccer noted that the decision to terminate Solo’s contract was based on an accumulation of misteps by the goalkeeper, though her comment that Sweden’s tactics were those of “a bunch of cowards” after the U.S. fell to the Swedes in penalty kicks at the quarterfinals of the Rio 2016 Olympics earlier this month was the clear tipping point.
Asked how the contract termination and suspension could affect Solo’s playing future — and if the goalkeeper would ever play again — Seattle coach Laura Harvey said she wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know,” Harvey said, per the Seattle Times. “This is life-changing for her. We’re all very mindful of that. We’re very conscious that we want to have conversations with her privately about what this means to her and what she’s thinking before we even think about what that might mean for us in the long term.”
Tostanoski played in two matches for the Reign previously this season, both against the Western New York Flash on July 9 and July 16. She is expected to be the backup to Haley Kopmeyer.
