Hope Solo | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Hope Solo has released a statement after being suspended from the U.S. Women’s National Team for six months for her comments at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 35-year-old soccer star called the Sweden soccer team “cowards” after their loss.

“For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the U.S. Women’s National Team and did the job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how – with passion, tenacity, an unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my country, but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes,” Hope said on Twitter. “In those commitments, I have never wavered. And with so much more to give, I am saddened by the Federation’s decision to terminate my contract.”

Hope Solo has been suspended from the U.S. Women’s National Team for six months.

The 35-year-old pro soccer player called the Sweden soccer team “cowards” after losing to them in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

“The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said. “Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions.”

The statement continued, “Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action.”

As a result, Hope will not be eligible for the team until February of 2017.

Hope Solo trashed the Swedish soccer team after the U.S. Women’s National Team was defeated in the quarter-finals at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

“I thought that we played a courageous game. I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart,” Hope said in a post-game interview (via SI.com). “We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team.”

“And I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The better team did not win today. I strongly believe that. I think you saw American heart. You saw us give everything we had today,” Hope added.

When asked why she thought the Swedish team played cowardly, she said: “Sweden dropped off. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game. Exactly what they wanted and exactly what their gameplan was. They dropped into a 50. They didn’t try and press. They didn’t want to open the game. And they tried to counter with longballs. We had that style of play when Pia [Sundhage] was our coach.”

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team looks defeated after their shocking loss in the Women’s Football Quarter-final match during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on Friday (August 12) at Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil.

The team, led by star plays like Hope Solo and Carli Lloyd, lost in a penalty-kick shootout against Sweden.

USA has won the gold medal in the tournament for the past three Olympics games and the team was the clear favorite to win again this year.

“A dissapointing end, but as always, THANK YOU, #BestFansInTheWorld. Your support is incomparable. #OneNationOneTeam,” the team wrote on Twitter after the loss.

Hope Solo catches a ball while playing in the Women’s Group G first round match between the United States and New Zealand during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games held at Mineirao Stadium on Wednesday (August 3) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

The 35-year-old goalkeeper helped her team to victory 2-0.

During the game, the Brazilian crowd booed her every time she touched the ball and chanted “Zika” from the stands.

This all refers to Hope‘s recent tweets about how she was preparing for the Games with a mosquito net on her head and a big bottle of insect repellent, which you can see below.

“I was pretty focused on the game,” Hope said after the game. “What goes on around me in the stadium, honestly, it doesn’t really matter.”

35+ pictures inside of the U.S. women’s soccer team playing in Rio…More Here! »

Rachel McAdams shows some shoulder in a strapless gown while attending the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on Saturday (April 30) in Washington, D.C.

The 37-year-old Spotlight star was joined by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, as well as Wendi McLendon-Covey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jenna Fischer, Regina King, and Billy Eichner.

Also in attendance were athletes Tony Romo (with wife Candice Crawford), Hope Solo, John Cena, and Carmelo Anthony (with Lala).

FYI: Rachel is wearing a Giorgio Armani gown, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, and EFFY Jewelry. Gugu is wearing a Lela Rose dress. Wendi is wearing Forevermark Diamonds. Regina is wearing a Kayat gown.

15+ pictures inside of Rachel McAdams, Tony Romo, and more at the 2016 WHCD…More Here! »

Five members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team – Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo – want equal pay to the male players and have filed a federal labor complaint against U.S. Soccer with their rights and demands.

The five players represent the team as a whole and filed the papers on Thursday (March 31), the New York Times reports. The women allege they are paid 40% of what male players are making.

“I think the timing is right,” Carli said on the Today show. “I think that we’ve proven our worth over the years. Just coming off of a World Cup win, the pay disparity between the men and women is just too large. And we want to continue to fight.”

“We believe now the time is right because we believe it’s a responsibility for women’s sports, specifically women’s soccer, to really do whatever it takes for equal pay and equal rights and to be treated with respect,” Hope added.

U.S. Soccer responded on the Today show, stating, “We’re disappointed about this action. We’ve been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we’ve made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years.”

Click inside to watch the video from the Today show appearance…More Here! »