Former Reign Goalkeeper Hope Solo on Ballot for National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2022
Former Reign and U.S. WNT goalkeeper Hope Solo has been selected for the final National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2022 ballot. The Hall of Fame Selection Committees will meet over the next several weeks and then vote to determine who will be in the Class of 2022. A maximum of six individuals can be elected to the class of 2022 – three Players, two Veterans, one Builder. The 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2022.
Solo played for the Reign from 2013 to 2016. She was one of three members from the United States Women’s National Team allocated to the Reign for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League, as part of the NWSL Player Allocation in 2013. Though she missed a portion of the season due to injury, she returned to the team and made an impact in the net, helping the team finish with a 5-14-3 record. She started in every match she played that season, making 81 saves in her 1,260 minutes on the pitch.
The next season, Solo returned to the Reign and was a part of the iconic 2014 squad that set a league record unbeaten streak of 16 games in the beginning of the season, earning a 13-0-3 record. The Reign finished the regular season first place and clinched the NWSL Shield for the first time in club history. The team made it all the way to the NWSL championship final, but ultimately fell to FC Kansas City. Solo was an integral part of the Reign’s success and was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team, having earned 65 saves through 20 games and a .900 goals against average.
In 2015, Solo played eight games for the Reign, earning 720 minutes of playing time. Despite missing a portion of the season for the World Cup, she made 20 saves and earned a goals against average of 1.13. She stepped up for the Reign at the end of the season, helping the team to once again claim the NWSL Shield and a berth to the NWSL championship final.
Solo finished off her career with the Reign in 2016. She played eight games with the team, conceding only five goals and making 22 saves. She earned a staggering 80.8% save percentage throughout the season.
Solo’s eligibility for the National Soccer Hall of Fame is based on her 202 appearances for U.S. Women’s National Team. She starred in the U.S. Women’s National Team for more than a decade, winning two Olympic gold medals and a Women’s World Cup championship. Solo played 202 full internationals for the United States between 2000 and 2016. Those included 17 games at the Women’s World Cup in 2007, 2011 and 2015, 16 games at the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and six World Cup qualifiers in 2006 and 2014.
She played every minute of all seven United States games during its victory at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and also played for the United States in the 2007 and 2011 Women’s World Cups, reaching the final in 2011. She played every minute of all 12 United States games in its victories at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, and also played in the 2016 Olympics. Solo was the winner of the Golden Glove awarded by FIFA to the outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament at both the 2011 and 2015 Women’s World Cups, and was named the USSF female athlete of the year in 2009.
Complete information about election and eligibility procedures is available at nationalsoccerhof.com. The selection process is administered by National Soccer Hall of Fame staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.