The National Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremony is upon us, with some of the best and brightest from the U.S. women’s national team set to be inducted.

Two-time World Cup champion coach Jill Ellis is set to be inducted Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, as are former USWNT players Kate Markgraf, Lauren Holiday and Hope Solo. On the men’s side, former players DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, and Slavisa “Steve” Zungul will be honored.

Jill Ellis

The winningest USWNT coach of all time, Jill Ellis helmed the team from 2014-19. She became the first coach to win two women’s World Cups, and she did so in back-to-back cycles, leading the USWNT to titles in 2015 and 2019.

She’s also a two-time FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year winner. 

Lauren Cheney Holiday

A member of the 2015 World Cup-winning team, Lauren Holiday is set to be the first member of that squad to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The USWNT great made 133 appearances for her country and also excelled as a member of the NWSL, winning MVP and Golden Boot in 2013 as well as back-to-back championships with FC Kansas City in 2014 and 2015. Holiday is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist. 

Kate Sobrero Markgraf

USWNT general manager Kate Markgraf is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after having played for the team in 201 matches.

She’s one of just 13 American female players to record 200 or more caps. She becomes the final starter from the 1999 World Cup-winning team to be elected to the Hall of Fame and is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Hope Solo

Former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo deferred her induction from 2022 after being arrested for impaired driving with her two children in the car, which she has described as “the biggest mistake” of her life.

In her 16 years with the USWNT, she helped the team to a 2015 World Cup and two Olympic gold medals.

Former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo refused to cooperate with police officers during her March arrest for driving while intoxicated, newly released video footage shows.

Police body camera recordings from Solo’s arrest were obtained under a court order by Fox affiliate Queen City News in Charlotte, N.C. She was found asleep in her car in a Walmart parking lot in Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 31, with her 2-year-old twins in the backseat.

Solo, 41, refused to exit her car when a police officer asked. After the officer pulled her from the car, she refused a sobriety test, then tried to pull away as they placed handcuffs on her.

When a police officer asked how much she had been drinking, Solo responded: “I have not. I’m perfectly fine, thank you sir.” But a blood test obtained by warrant found she was three times over the legal limit, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office.

“I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become,” Solo said in a statement posted to social media after her arrest. “The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly. Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful.”

In July, she pleaded guilty to driving while impaired. Charges for resisting arrest and child endangerment were dropped as part of a plea agreement, Forsyth County district attorney Jim O’Neill told the New York Times.

Her two-year prison sentence was suspended for all but 30 days, which she fulfilled at an alcohol rehabilitation facility.

She is serving two years of probation, during which time she will see a court-approved addiction expert and abide by any other court-mandated treatment. Her driver’s license has also been suspended for one year.

“This choice by media outlets to show this is very traumatic, and heartbreaking, embarrassing and shameful for me and my family to relive through again, and again, and again,” Solo said in a statement to Queen City News. “My family and I have already suffered great consequences. I have addressed my personal issues openly and honestly publicly.

“It’s hard enough to move forward without shame and embarrassment when making such a mistake, but my family and I remain strong and everyday we put it further behind us. I refuse to be broken.”

A member of the USWNT for 16 years, Solo was a member of the team that won the World Cup in 2015 and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

In June 2014, Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges following an alleged altercation with her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew, but those charges were dropped. She was later terminated by U.S. Soccer after calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo took issue with the landmark equal pay settlement her teammates reached with the U.S. Soccer Federation earlier this year.

Her USWNT teammates are pushing back, saying in a new court filing obtained by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan that Solo objected “on grounds that lack any merit.”

In 2019, a group of 28 USWNT players, including Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. Those players reached a proposed $24 million settlement in February, with a final approval hearing set for Dec. 5.

Solo filed an objection to the settlement in October.

“Without knowing how much each player … will be paid, or when we will get paid, it’s impossible for players to determine whether or not the proposed settlement and whatever payment we each receive is fair, adequate or reasonable,” she said in a statement.

A new court filing submitted Tuesday by the USWNT players responded to Solo’s complaints, particularly that she did not know how much money she would receive from the settlement.

“That information was always going to be provided,” the filing reads, “and she has been informed that her expected pro rata allocation of the settlement fund is $339,999 after attorneys’ fees and costs.”

Solo filed a separate lawsuit against U.S. Soccer in August 2018 for violating the federal Equal Pay Act. That case has not yet gone to trial, and the USWNT players make clear in the new filing that the structure of their settlement specifically allows for Solo to continue her individual legal claim.

U.S. Soccer already has paid the first $5.5 million of the settlement into an account set up for that purpose, Linehan reported. The court filing also includes proposed amounts for every player who is part of the settlement.

Hope Solo gave her thoughts on professionalism in women’s soccer in the United States during a new episode of her podcast, “Hope Solo Speaks,” on Friday. The former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper’s comments come after the release of Sally Yates’ report on allegations of misconduct in the NWSL, which found “systemic” abuse spanning “multiple teams, coaches, and victims.”

In a clip posted to social media, the former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper tells the documentary’s director, Jen Strauss, “There was a culture of intimacy, of sexual innuendo, of poor taste in words and actions.”

“It shouldn’t have been OK to marry your coach in the ’90s, and it shouldn’t be okay now, yet the list of players marrying coaches goes on and on,” she said. “The list of players marrying players goes on and on. There was never an ounce of professionalism displayed by any professional league that I played in in America.”

Solo, who played for the Seattle Reign from 2013-16, also talked about her disappointment in the venues, coaches, league rules and guidelines, television contracts, and travel and accommodations that she experienced in the NWSL. Solo also played in previous iterations of women’s professional soccer in the U.S., including the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS).

In the days since the release of the Yates report, multiple people accused of misconduct or found to be complicit in covering it up have faced consequences. The Portland Thorns fired two executives and the Chicago Red Stars’ board of directors voted to remove owner Arnim Whisler as chairman, while players across the league call for more action to be taken.

Hope Solo spoke publicly about her March arrest for the first time Thursday on her podcast.

The former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper was found passed out behind the wheel in a Walmart parking lot in Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 31, with her two children in the back seat. She was arrested and later pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.

“About four and a half months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life,” Solo said. “I let alcohol get the better of me in a decision that I will never live down, a decision that has come at a great cost to me and my family.”

Solo, 41, opened up about the incident on “Hope Solo Speaks” after previously issuing a statement via social media. The episode comes three weeks after her guilty plea.

At the time of Solo’s arrest, her blood alcohol level was 0.24, which is three times the legal limit of .08 in North Carolina, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. Her blood test also showed THC in her system, prosecutors said.

“The reality of what this meant was horrific: The embarrassment, the shame, the financial loss, the thought of explaining this to my children when they’re old enough to search the internet,” she said on the podcast. “Mostly, I had to get to the bottom of why I found myself in that situation, in that moment, with a police officer knocking on my car window.”

Following her arrest, Solo spent 30 days at Hope Valley, an in-person rehab facility, something she called both “awful and great.” During that time, she said she had to come to terms with her journey since giving birth to her twins in March 2020.

The twins began their life in the neonatal intensive care unit, and they came home early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The isolation of the pandemic coupled with the lack of a support system at her new home in North Carolina led Solo to drink more heavily, she said.

“I was foolish to think I had it under control,” she acknowledged.

Solo said she was suffering through postpartum depression and the symptoms that come with it: unexplainable guilt, anxiety, restlessness and fatigue. She also withdrew from friends and family, she said, though she did not realize she was doing so at the time.

“I am proud of the work we have done in raising our children and all the hate on the internet or being mother-shamed around the world doesn’t have the ability to take that away,” she said. “Nonetheless, it resulted in stressful times, ones that were eased with a drink.

“In treatment, I was educated to the reality that my strength had become my weakness. My ability to compartmentalize and push forward through emotional pain in uncharted territory led me down a dangerous path… I found myself living the worst night of my life. I let alcohol get the better of me in this moment, on this god-awful day, and I will suffer the consequences for some time.”

Solo will now serve two years of probation, during which time she will see a court-approved addiction expert and abide by any other court-mandated treatment. Her driver’s license has also been suspended for one year.

“I will have to answer to my children in an honest, open discussion sometime in the future. I can’t just leave this behind me,” she said. “I can’t drive for an entire year, which is a massive inconvenience to my family and is a loss of independence. I have been used for s—- headlines once again, and once again, some accurate, many not accurate. But I gave the media and those who don’t know me a reason to actually talk s—. I was responsible for allowing this negativity into my family and upon my name.”

A member of the USWNT for 16 years, Solo was a member of the team that won the World Cup in 2015 and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

In June 2014, Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges following an alleged altercation with her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew. Those charges were eventually dropped. She was later terminated by U.S. Soccer after calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Hope Solo pleaded guilty Monday to driving while impaired four months after she was found passed out behind the wheel in a Walmart parking lot in Winston-Salem, N.C., in March, with her two children in the back seat.

The former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, according to the District Attorney’s Office, but an officer later obtained a search warrant for a blood sample.

Solo’s blood alcohol level was 0.24, which is three times the legal limit of .08 in North Carolina. The test also showed THC in her system, prosecutors said.

Solo was charged with driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and misdemeanor child abuse, but the latter two charges were dropped as part of her plea agreement, Forsyth County district attorney Jim O’Neill told the New York Times. Her two-year prison sentence was suspended for all but 30 days, which have been fulfilled through 30 days spent at Hope Valley, an in-person rehab facility.

In a statement Monday, Solo, 40, called the incident “the worst mistake of my life.”

“I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become,” she said. “The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly. Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful.”

In April, Solo’s induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame was postponed so that she could enter an alcohol treatment facility.

She will serve two years of probation, during which time she will see a court-approved addiction expert and abide by any other court-mandated treatment. Her driver’s license has also been suspended.

A member of the USWNT for 16 years, she was a member of the U.S. team that won the World Cup in 2015. She also won Olympic gold with the team in 2008 and 2012.

In June 2014, Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges following an alleged altercation with her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew. Those charges were eventually dropped. She was later terminated by U.S. Soccer after calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Hope Solo has requested a postponement of her Hall of Fame induction ceremony, announcing on Twitter that she is entering an alcohol treatment facility.

“I have contacted the Hall of Fame and respectfully requested a postponement of my Hall of Fame induction ceremony to 2023. I will be voluntarily entering an in-patient alcohol treatment program to address my challenges with alcohol,” Solo said Friday, “At this time, my energies and focus are totally directed to my health, healing and taking care of my family. I want to thank the Hall of Fame for their support and for understanding my decision.”

The former USWNT goalkeeper was arrested on March 31 on charges of misdemeanor child abuse, resisting arrest and impaired driving after she was allegedly found passed out behind the wheel with her 2-year-old twins inside the car.

On Friday, the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced the postponement of Solo’s induction.

“Legendary USWNT goalkeeper and 2022 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Hope Solo has chosen to defer her induction until 2023. The NSHOF fully supports her decision and looks forward to honoring her and her historic achievements at next year’s induction ceremony.”

The 40-year-old is due in court on June 28 following the March incident.

In her 16 years with the USWNT, Solo helped the team to a 2015 World Cup and two Olympic gold medals. The celebrated goalkeeper, however, endured controversy during her national team tenure.

In June 2014, Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges after an alleged altercation with her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew. The charges were eventually dropped.

U.S. Soccer later terminated Solo’s contract in 2016 after she called the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” following the USWNT’s loss in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Former USWNT star goalkeeper Hope Solo was arrested Thursday in North Carolina and charged with driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and misdemeanor child abuse, USA Today reported.

She was taken into custody at the Forsyth County jail in Winston-Salem, N.C. Solo’s two children were present in the car at the time of her arrest, according to the Washington Post.

A statement from Rich Nichols, Solo’s legal counsel, was issued Friday on Hope Solo’s Twitter account:

“On the advice of counsel, Hope can’t speak about this situation, but she wants everyone to know that her kids are her life, that she was released immediately and is now at home with her family, that the story is more sympathetic than the initial charges suggest, and that she looks forward to her opportunity to defend these charges.”

In June 2014, Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges after an alleged altercation with her half sister and 17-year-old nephew. The charges eventually were dropped.

A member of the USWNT for 16 years, she helped the U.S. win the World Cup in 2015. She has also won Olympic gold twice, in 2008 and 2012.

She was later terminated by US Soccer after calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” after the Olympics.

Solo recently began her own podcast called “Hope Solo Speaks.” The podcast’s first guest, Carli Lloyd, made headlines when the two discussed the team’s culture and Lloyd saying she “hated” playing for the USWNT in recent years.

Carli Lloyd knows that there’s still a bit of work to be done when it comes to the recent equal pay settlement between US Soccer and the USWNT. Speaking on the first episode of “Hope Solo Speaks,” a new podcast hosted by former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo, she addresses the contingency placed on the deal.

Lloyd said Wednesday that she doesn’t know how the current CBA negotiations are going, having been completely out of it since she retired from the USWNT in November. Calling it a “relief” to have certain aspects of the battle between the USWNT and U.S. Soccer settled, she still acknowledges that the fight is still not over. The two sides’ recent equal pay settlement agreement is contingent on USSF and the USWNTPA ratifying a new CBA.

“It’s also contingent on the men agreeing for the same deal that the women are gonna get,” she said. “So there’s a lot of variables.

“I would hope that U.S. Soccer would figure it out. To go down this route and leave the CBA hanging and not be in agreement with everything the players want would almost be going backwards.

“I think everybody’s feeling good about it right now. But there’s still a bit of work to do.”

There’s also work to ensure that the new CBA is an improvement from the old one, which both Lloyd and Solo agree was not a good deal.

“When we signed the latest CBA in 2017, you and I, we knew that it wasn’t a good deal,” Lloyd said. “We knew, and we expressed that. And you expressed that over and over again to everybody on the team, the way that they tiered the contracts, the amount of contracts. It looked like we were getting more of a guaranteed contract – which we were – but each year the contract numbers would decrease.”

According to Solo, the number of players who were under contract also decreased, which meant that they weren’t taking care of a larger pool of players.

“When I saw that contract after I was fired, I was in shock,” said Solo.

“The way that those contracts were structured out — how do you have less contracts in a World Cup and an Olympic year?” Lloyd added. “You have less contracts than the roster actually allows. The Olympics are 18, World Cups are 23, how did we go backwards? So some of those players that were on the World Cup team, the Olympic team, didn’t even have those guaranteed contracts.”

The 2017 CBA allowed the players’ association to control group likeness rights for licensing and non-exclusive sponsorships where USSF did not have sponsors. Additionally, there was an increase in direct compensation and bonus compensation, as well as enhanced travel, per diem and financial support for players looking to have children. At the time, players like Becky Sauerbrunn used the word equitable to describe the CBA, something that Solo called out on Wednesday.

“Everything we had been doing to fight — and then for the team to sign a less than equal contract and then use words like, ‘well it’s equitable,’” she said. “We were fighting for equal. Not something close but not equal.”

Two years after the CBA was ratified, the USWNT players filed their equal pay lawsuit, alleging gender discrimination by US Soccer.

Current CBA negotiations have been extended through at least March 31 after the previous agreement expired in 2021.

Hope Solo is launching a new podcast in partnership with SiriusXM called “Hope Solo Speaks.” The podcast will debut across all platforms March 2.

The former USWNT star goaltender and National Soccer Hall of Famer will discuss a variety of topics, including her relentless fight for women’s rights and gender equality, motherhood and family, changing trends in sports and more. She will be joined by guests that include world-class athletes, artists, and influencers for conversations about their experiences, passions and current topics.

“The perceptions of me have been off target time and time again, and now it is time for me to speak my truths on my new SiriusXM podcast,” said Solo. “Most people know me as a two-time Olympian and World Cup champion goalkeeper, but I am so much more than that and can’t wait to dive into the most important issues in sports and beyond with my weekly guests and listeners.”

The podcast will air every Wednesday on podcast channels as well as SiriusXM’s dedicated soccer channel, SiriusXM FC.

The most decorated goalkeeper in US Soccer history, Solo amassed 202 appearances, 153 wins and 102 shutouts, all of which are USWNT records. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, she added a World Cup championship in 2015 before retiring from professional soccer in 2016.

“Throughout her illustrious playing career, Hope was always one of the most candid and spirited voices among her peers, and now she’ll be one of the most outspoken voices in podcasting,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming and Podcasts. “Her experiences in life and sports give her an important perspective on many matters on and off the field, and we’re looking forward to her sharing what’s on her mind on Hope Solo Speaks.”

In the podcast’s debut episode, Solo will discuss the recent equal pay settlement between the USWNT and US Soccer, which she has critiqued on social media.

“The reason for my sadness, the reason I feel gutted, kicked in the stomach, the reason why I feel betrayed and a bit hopeless is because the settlement is pathetic,” Solo says on the first episode of the podcast. “After fighting for years for equal pay starting in 2015, the players still went on and agreed to a less than equal CBA. They continued to believe in the promises of the federation. They were outclassed, out maneuvered, and then finally, after pumping the brakes and doing a 180 in the fight of our life, they decided to show up to the party and they got hustled.”

She’ll be joined on the first episode by Carli Lloyd, one of the USWNT’s best who recently retired from professional soccer.

“It was really tough and challenging to play these last several years,” Lloyd says on the podcast. “To be quite honest I hated it. It wasn’t fun going in. It was only for love of the game, really, for me. I wanted to win and wanted to help the team, but the culture within the team was the worst I had ever seen it.”