Former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo is set to return to the soccer pitch this summer for The Soccer Tournament (TST), an annual seven-a-side competition popular with retired players.
The 43-year-old will lead Solo FC at the tournament, which has a $1 million prize pot, as a player and general manager, while it will also be the first time she has played since her retirement in 2016. TST will take place from June 4-9 in Cary, North Carolina.
The competition is entering its third year, although last year was the first time women’s teams were featured separately. Solo FC will compete against 15 other teams and the former goalkeeper is set to recruit a varied group of players.
Solo will also be pitted against her former teammates as Heather O’Reilly’s U.S. Women’s squad will also be competing and is set to feature former icons such as Ali Krieger and Carli Lloyd.
“I am incredibly excited not only to enter Solo FC in The Soccer Tournament, but also make my comeback to the field at one of the most exciting events in soccer right now,” Solo said in a statement this week. “TST has done some amazing things to grow the game for women and I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m as competitive as ever, and I can’t wait to unveil the team that will win the $1 million grand prize.”
“We are excited to welcome one of the greatest women’s soccer players of all time to Cary,” TST Founder and CEO Jon Mugar added. “Watching Hope take the field again will get fans on their feet and add another layer of excitement to TST.”
Solo spent 16 years of her playing career representing the USWNT and earned over 200 caps, winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold in both 2008 and 2012.
At club level, the goalkeeper was allocated to the Seattle Reign FC in 2013 ahead of the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She played there until her retirement three years later, despite links to English club Manchester City.
Solo’s career had its ups and downs and ended prematurely after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The USWNT were knocked out of the competition by Sweden at the quarter-final stage and she described the opponents as a “bunch of cowards” due to their defensive approach, which resulted in U.S Soccer suspending and ultimately terminating her contract.
READ THE LATEST WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS, PREVIEWS, ANALYSIS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former USWNT Goalkeeper Hope Solo Set for Return to Soccer Pitch .