July 3 – The 2026 World Cup may have been awarded to North America but according to outspoken US women’s goalkeeping legend Hope Solo, the men’s game has gone backwards.
Solo has been added to the list of World Cup pundits on Irish television but in her unrelated Women Rule podcast did not mince her words about the state of the game in her country.
“Soccer in America has become the rich white kid’s sport,” charged Solo.
“U.S. Soccer should be helping coaches get their licenses, should be helping youth players play on different clubs. It’s sad. That’s why soccer in America is just a mess right now.”
“That is why we are not one of the best countries in the world on the men’s side – because we have alienated so many people,” she said, referring to the failure of the US men’s team to qualify for Russia.
Solo, who stood for election to the USSF presidency in February and who represented her country for 16 years, made over 200 international appearances and won the 2015 women’s World Cup, had an interested debut on RTE’s World Cup panel for the last-16 game between Brazil and Mexico.
Asked about Brazil’s prospects of winning the World Cup, Solo said “they have a huge task ahead of them when they meet France in the semi-finals”, seemingly dismissing the chances of every other team left in the competition on that side of the draw.
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