Tag: Hope Solo

No One Gets in Hope Solo’s Way Like Hope Solo

Posted on by RJ Allen

When Hope Solo announced that she would be running for USSF president, two thoughts crossed my mind:

1) If anyone can turn a conversation in the direction they want, it’s Solo.

2) This will either go a long way toward rehabilitating the public’s opinion of Solo, or it will be the final nail in the public coffin of the greatest goalkeeper to have played the game.

After a month of Candidate Solo, it’s starting to become clear that the only person able to get in Hope Solo’s way, with seemingly ruthless effect, is Hope Solo.

Over the past few years, no one else has had so much success at tarnishing the image of the longtime WNT goalkeeper as Solo herself. At every opportunity, she makes the worst possible choices, as if listening to pundits drown her long legacy in endless hot takes about her character instead of her record and stats was her goal all along. When faced with what seems to be a clear and sensible path of action, she inevitably takes a hard left and veers off toward self-annihilation. And in her case? Taking the road less traveled has made all the difference over the past few years, as the world has watched her suspended from play in 2015 and then terminated from the WNT in 2016. 

Now, in her campaign, Solo continues to wreak havoc on her own ambitions.

There’s the interview she gave on the “Why I’m Not” podcast, which did not help her candidacy. At all. This is an interview where Solo manages to move seamlessly between important points about the future of American football with personal attacks on a former teammate, overly boastful sentiments on a second former teammate who is still teammates with the first.

Instead of making a case for Hope Solo as USSF Pressident, she ends up making herself look petty in the process. Once again, Solo falls victim to her fatal flaw–saying the absolute wrong thing at the absolute wrong time.

The tone taken in this interview is more akin to someone trying to get their name back in the press after a retirement in order to sell a book or shirt or tickets to a speaking tour than it is fitting someone who is running for USSF President. And while this interview was recorded before Solo officially threw her hat in the ring, she had to know it would come out after she had. Whether she ran or not.

Even if the host of the podcast was less than optimal in his line of questions and his own tone, Solo had a chance here to speak about platform ideas and details about how she would go about fixing the mess she sees USSF to be. Even if this was taped before she declared herself for the job, she could have framed the issues for her audience and given some thoughts on how to correct them. That would have gone a long way to show she has been thinking about the issues in detail.

Every interview when you are running for elected office, even before you are officially on the ballot, is a chance to talk about your platform and to make your case for why you are the best person for the job. Why someone should vote for you to do the thankless work and shoulder the enormous responsibility.

And when this opportunity came to Solo’s door, she faltered. 

But the podcast is not Solo’s biggest problem. A bad interview where she sounds more like a ex-player with a bone to pick than a natural choice for president is one thing.

No, the biggest problem with Solo’s candidacy is that she is unprepared, maybe even simply unwilling, to reign in her lesser angels. She seems almost hellbent on not only tarnishing her own own legacy but quiet possibly hurting the causes that she has spent years trying to champion.

I had hoped when Solo declared she was running for USSF President that she would somehow figure out how to control the part of her brain that seems to really enjoy putting her foot in her mouth. I thought maybe she would use a little bit of the relentless drive to be the best on the pitch to tighten up and to run the kind of campaign that would be willing to talk about overlooked issues.

But the campaign she’s running feels half baked at the best of times and utterly underwhelming at others. The rhetoric has been more vintage Solo than someone trying to be the President of USSF.

While not the singular authority on a candidate, their website should give some clue to the issues they care about and some vague idea of how they want to attack the issues they have identified.

Solo’s is both effective in the opening story about how her parents didn’t have the money to allow her to play in the Olympic Development Program but sparse of any real information beyond that.

Her section on women’s soccer for example gives little to no details about her thought process and what she plans to do if elected:

Become The Global Leader in Equality and Women’s Issues 

  • Achieve Equal Pay for the USWNT and all women in the USSF workplace
  • Push for the inclusion of women at all levels of the USSF executive and organizational hierarchy
  • Eliminate sexism and discrimination

While the push for more women in USSF is something that everyone should be on board for the details are left to our collective imagination. She also leaves out the league she played in for four years.

If the disappointment in Solo as a candidate was limited to an interview given before she was officially running, that would be one matter. But Solo hasn’t been the force for changing the conversation toward women’s soccer among candidates. Nor she has yet to put out any real plans or details about what she would like to accomplish if elected. She did take the US Soccer Athletes Council survey and gave her thoughts on questions they submitted to all candidates. Though details still are scant there. 

The one issue she has beaten the drum for over the last half decade is the better treatment of women athletes and upgraded standards for them. And yet when she has the biggest platform she could, she gives us a platform of 33 words, no details of how to achieve any of them, and more reasons to think she doesn’t have the understanding of how others perceive her.

When Solo entered the race, I was excited. I thought she could bring attention to an area of the race for USSF president that felt like it was being overlooked and given platitudes over substantial debate. A month later and I feel all the air has gone out of the room in terms of that excitement. I’ve made no bones about my feelings of her place in soccer’s landscape I still believe she is a first ballot hall of famer, the greatest goalkeeper in women’s soccer history. I don’t know if believing that Solo would be a force for changing narratives when she entered the race was foolish or idealistic. But with about a month left before the votes are cast it looks like Solo hasn’t learned how to get out of her own way off the pitch in order to be the force of good she often looks like she is trying to be.

Hope Solo is the only person that can get in Hope Solo’s way. She looks to be showing us one more time she’s as good at that as she is at goalkeeping. 

Where do the USSF Presidential Candidates Stand on Women’s Soccer?

Posted on by RJ Allen

Note: After this piece was published the US Soccer Athlete Council posted surveys taken by each of the candidates. Some of the answers touch on women’s soccer more deeply than their campaign sites. Their answers can be found here.

The race for the next USSF president has been about men’s soccer. The fate of the USMNT has been at the front and center of the race since the team failed to qualify for the 2018 Men’s World Cup. 

But the USSF president is not president of men’s soccer in the US. They aren’t MLS’s commissioner able to change the league to a different time table nor able to bend the league to their will on the issue of pro/rel or pay. 

No, the role of the president of USSF is part public face, part chairperson of the board, and part handling of unique challenges that they face while in the role. Their duties, official or not, do not include directly overseeing any one league. And when they have tried in the past to meddle, usually the outcry is deafening. 

Of the current crop of candidates for USSF President – Paul Caligiuri, Kathy Carter, Carlos Cordeiro, Steve Gans, Kyle Martino, Hope Solo, Michael Winograd, and Eric Wynalda – there are clearly those who have thought deeply about the issues facing women’s soccer. The platforms and websites through which they are disseminated show a split in just how much stock each candidate puts in needing a strong women’s soccer platform. 

A few notes before I break down each platform. I could not find a campaign website for Paul Caligiuri. While I could find a website for Eric Wynalda there was no platform I could find listed, just some links to interviews and a large bio page. 

Paul Caligiuri – Former MNT player – No website found

I could not find a website or a full platform for Paul Caligiuri but I was able to find an open letter he wrote to USSF detailing his concern over the voting disparities between MLS and NWSL. He also brings up the lack of an NWSL commissioner at the end of the letter. 

The points brought up by Caligiuri are important ones. The lack of the NWSL commissioner has boggled the minds of most of the NWSL media for the better part of the time the league has been without one. Adding to that the voting disparity that he brings up solidifies a strong message of support for women’s soccer in the country.

Without a full platform to look at, it is hard to know what Caligiuri sees overall as a vision for USSF. But the points outlined here are some of the stronger views a candidate has come out with. 

Kathy Carter – President of Soccer United Marketing – Website Here

No one who votes for USSF President would be voting for Kathy Carter as a candidate to bring mass change to US Soccer. She is running as and is best viewed in the context of the “keep the ship steady, fix in small amounts what needs to be fixed, and let the system that is in place work as it has been” candidate.

What worries me most as I look at Carter’s platform and website is the shockingly sparse focus on women’s soccer. Going so far as to call the the 2026 FIFA World Cup “the most important event on the planet” along the way without mentioning the USWNT. She speaks to how important it would be to elect the first female president of USSF while doing shockingly little to show an understanding of any women’s soccer related issues.

The closest she gets is mentioning the USWNT at the start of her open letter.

And then again in 2011. The U.S. Women’s National Team – down 2-1 to Brazil, in the 122nd minute. Is it over? The call – “Rapinoe gets the cross in… Abby Wambach has saved the USA!!!”

Carlos Cordeiro – USSF Vice President – Website Here

After Caligiuri and Carter it is a refreshing change of pace to look at Cordeiro’s platform.

Not only does he have a platform that is comprehensive, he has a section titled “Develop World-Class National Teams” that focuses as much, maybe even a bit more, on the USWNT as it does on the USMNT.

Develop World-Class National Teams

The strength of our Women’s National Team and the new talent coming up the ranks of both the men’s and women’s programs show that U.S. Soccer can deliver excellence.  But disappointing results at several levels—including the heartbreaking failures of the Women’s National Team to win a medal in the Rio Olympics and the Men’s National Team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup—have revealed real problems that need to be addressed.

It’s time to Aim Higher. To make sure that our women can defend their World Cup championship in 2019, ensure that our men return to the World Cup in 2022 and that both our men’s and women’s teams achieve the highest level of excellence in 2026 and 2027 and beyond—Mission 26/27—we must align all levels of U.S. Soccer operations.  Specifically, we must:

  • Invest more resources in player development and world-class coaches, training facilities and infrastructure consistent with the highest competition, as well as provide additional support for all National Team athletes—male and female, Youth, Paralympians and Futsal, beach soccer, Power, deaf and amputee athletes;
  • Create a new Technical Department—run by new General Managers for our Men’s and Women’s programs and reporting to the CEO of U.S. Soccer—responsible for recruiting, selecting and managing all National Team coaches so that soccer experts run soccer operations;
  • Increase resources and investment in the women’s program—including working toward equal pay—so that our women have the best technical and training support, are no longer forced to play on artificial turf and have greater representation at all levels of Federation decision-making, because supporting our women’s teams is not charity; women deserve to be treated equally and investing in our women’s teams is one of the best ways to grow the sport; and,
  • Compete and excel on our home soil by winning our bids to co-host the Men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico in 2026 and host the Women’s World Cup in 2027.

The section on investment reads like the answers to 100 pieces written about the inequalities the USWNT faces. Artificial turf has long been an issue that the USWNT has fought against playing on and has long been forced to keep playing on. By very clearly stating that the USWNT is “not charity,” he is going to win over some women’s soccer fans on the spot.

The only area Cordeiro doesn’t venture in to is the NWSL. While that is not so much a strike against him, he will need to have some thoughts on the young league if he is to become USSF President.

Steve Gans – Lawyer – Website Here

Gans lays out a laundry list of issues he has with the current USSF president, Sunil Gulati, including a shot about the bad PR created;

Mismanaging the Women’s National Team pay equity issue, creating much bad will, and U.S. Soccer wound-up on 60 Minutes in a bad light;

Gans goes on to, in his Reform section, call for an review of much of the USWNT structure, and a desire to “make even the working conditions” between the two national teams.

I will immediately make even the working conditions for Women’s National Team players. The WNT will thereafter play on artificial turf only as rarely as does the Men’s National Team, and will in all other ways enjoy equal working conditions. A task force made up of key personnel in the soccer community will be formed to address the disparities in the women’s game. This would include: WNT training and facility needs, compensation review and recommendations at the WNT level, Director of Coaching and other coaching opportunities at the national youth team level and competitive club level, issues specific to the girls (youth) and women’s game, and the funding of the NWSL and how U.S. Soccer can better support it. There will be specific NWSL focus on how we can increase the chance for girls to aspire to an actual career as a soccer player or coach.

Gans seems to say more or less the right things here, but he seems to leave out the NWSL and women’s soccer when talking earlier in his platform. 

A soccer nation cannot be great and fully successful if it does not have a robust professional league and professional landscape. I will throw great support behind our professional soccer leagues. I will meet individually with each of the pro leagues, including MLS, NASL, and USL, in an effort to find common ground, and areas of mutual cooperation. 

Leaving the NWSL out of this section says more, to me at least, than a section later under Reform. 

Kyle Martino – Former MNT player – Website Here

Details are sparse on this site. While I do commend Martino for setting the bar higher for the women than the men when coming to his personal bar as president,

As players, coaches, and fans, we deserve better than this, and I will stake my presidency on my ability to deliver. Our challenge is to maintain the Womens’ team’s tradition of success while turning around the Men’s team’s recent struggles.  If our Men’s National Team fails to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, I will do the right thing and step aside. (I will do the same if we miss the quarterfinals in 2026.) Likewise for the Women, but with a higher standard: the semifinal round in all international tournaments from 2023 on. 

I do not get a sense reading his platform, or the interviews he linked to, that his ideas on women’s soccer are fully baked yet. He speaks a lot, as do many candidates, without understanding the issues women’s soccer faces. To him, as many, it seems secondary at times.

To be fair he does state that his “Progress Plan” will come in the following weeks. When this plan comes out I will update with any women’s soccer detailing.

Hope Solo – Former USWNT player – Website Here

Hope Solo is an incredibly difficult candidate to talk about in terms of women’s soccer.

On one hand her disagreements with USSF have left more than just a bad taste in people’s mouths, not to mention her legal difficulties. On the other hand she is the only candidate I have any confidence could name 20 non USWNT-paid NWSL players.

Solo’s credentials in women’s soccer are written more in World Cup and Olympic medals, of being a pro women’s soccer player, than they are detailed on her website. She is the only candidate in the bunch to play as a USWNT player and a pro women’s soccer player. And yet her platform on her site is simple, if not maddeningly so.

Become The Global Leader in Equality and Women’s Issues

• Achieve Equal Pay for the USWNT and all women in the USSF workplace

• Push for the inclusion of women at all levels of the USSF executive and organizational hierarchy

• Eliminate sexism and discrimination

Before Solo was running for USSF president, back during her playing days in the NWSL, she penned a blog post about the ways the league needed to be fixed that fits in nicely with what candidate Solo has said. But we’ve yet to see details of how she might achieve any of her stated goals.

Michael Winograd – Former College Soccer Player, Lawyer – Website Here

Winograd’s statement on women’s soccer is strongly worded.

Equal Treatment for Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer must be treated equally. Full stop. Forcing the US Women’s National Team to play on substandard fields, travel under sub-standard conditions, or accept lower pay is absolutely unacceptable. Arguments to the contrary based on revenue flow are not only factually misleading, but they ignore and contradict the mission and spirit of US Soccer. What’s more, the budgetary increase necessary to provide equality is only a fraction of the current total spend on our National Teams.

I have to give Winograd credit for slapping down a common trope used to discredit the women’s side, “Arguments to the contrary based on revenue flow are not only factually misleading, but they ignore and contradict the mission and spirit of US Soccer.” Here he does show an admirable willingness to target a commonly used argument from men’s soccer fans.

Winograd, like others, does ignore the NWSL but with only 3 points to his platform it is maybe more understandable.

Eric Wynalda – Former MNT Player – Website Here

Wynalda’s website is styled more about him personally than what he plans to do for USSF and those under its umbrella.

There is an “About Eric” tab at the top but no where on the site is even the barest platform for any soccer, let alone women’s.

He has a series of videos up, one of which he does talk about women’s soccer, that spends 1:50 on the subject.

After reading all of the candidates platforms and doing my best to get a sense of what each would do in terms of women’s soccer, I believe a few things are true.

1) The candidates for USSF President do more or less agree on the aspects of women’s soccer that need to be addressed, which I think most reasonable women’s soccer supporters would agree with as issues.

2) Nearly every candidate talks about soccer and then women’s soccer in a way that makes their rhetoric around equality a little less believable.

3) Ideas and simple statements are a lot easier to put up than details. Details mean others can hold those details over your head later on after all.

4) NWSL who? Nearly everyone has forgotten to at least mention the pro league.

5) It feels like they all got the same answer to a question asked by their sports science teacher and each changed the answer to it a little to make sure they didn’t get failed for turning in the same work.

With 8 people in the race for USSF president, some legit contenders and some fringe candidates there to try to shake up the system, it will be a very interesting few weeks until the election.

It seems that each candidate has a unique challenge when it comes to women’s soccer and the election.

Solo has the women’s soccer experience, but it’s unknown if she can get out of her own way enough to get elected, or if she would excel at the job if she were. Wynalda seems more interested in selling how good of an interview he is than running for the job.  Carter speaks about the power of electing a woman without speaking about the power of women’s soccer on top of the SUM connection.  Cordeiro’s platform is well done but he doesn’t tend to get spoken about in the same breath as some of the others.  Caligiuri, Gans, Martino, and Winograd all have gaps or rather short statements on women’s soccer in their platforms.

I hope each candidate will put out more details, or any in some cases, about their vision for the future of women’s soccer in the US. There is work to be done even with all the success that the women have had in the past.

While the USMNT not making the Men’s World Cup in Russia this summer is an issue that must be addressed, it can’t suck all the air out of the room less the whole house of cards comes down around our ears.

U.S. Soccer Announces Presidential Candidates

Posted on by RJ Allen

U.S. Soccer has announced that eight candidates who submitted documentation to enter the presidential race have met the requirements to stand for election.

To be placed on the ballot, candidates were required to complete a background check and submit at least three letters of nomination from Organization Members and/or one of three Athlete Members of the Board of Directors.

 

  • Paul Caligiuri – Caligiuri’s career with the USMNT spanned over a decade, during which he earned 110 caps and scored five goals as a defender and defensive midfielder. 
  • Kathy Carter – Most recently the President of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Carter has experience both as a player and soccer industry executive. A founding member of Major League Soccer (MLS), Carter has also served as the U.S. representative on FIFA’s Committee for Women’s Football. 
  • Carlos Cordeiro – A retired business executive with over 30 years of experience in international finance, Cordeiro has served as a USSF volunteer for the past 10 years, and represents U.S. Soccer on the CONCACAF Council and FIFA’s Stakeholders Committee. 
  • Steve Gans – A partner in the Boston law firm Prince Lobel Tye LLP (focusing on business, sports and employment law), Gans is a principal of Professional Soccer Advisors, an international soccer consulting agency. 
  • Kyle Martino – A former MLS and USMNT player, Martino has been an MLS studio analyst and color commentator for Fox and ESPN, and was most recently covering the English Premier League for NBC. 
  • Hope Solo – A World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT, Solo has extensive experience in the U.S. Soccer system, playing at youth and senior levels and in every iteration of women’s professional soccer in America, including the WUSA, WPS, W-League, and NWSL. 
  • Michael Winograd – A former Division I collegiate and professional player, Winograd currently is an adjunct law professor at Fordham University. 
  • Eric Wynalda –  Currently a television analyst covering soccer events for ESPN and Fox, Wynalda is a three-time World Cup veteran. Wynalda has 106 caps and is fourth on the all-time scoring list for the USMNT. 

 

 

The election will take place during U.S. Soccer’s National Council Meeting on Feb. 10. 

A Human Right’s Approach to U.S Soccer: Hope Solo’s Platform

Posted on by RJ Allen

Discussion around who will succeed Sunil Gulati as the next President of U.S Soccer has been intense, particularly since the current president announced that he would not be running for re-election. Ever since the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a few questions have been circulating: how did this happen? And how can we ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Hope Solo shook up the conversation even more when she declared her intentions to join the race.

The former U.S. goalkeeper has a checkered past with both U.S. Soccer and it’s supporters, but Solo’s entry into the race deserves more attention than just her name. When Solo announced her candidacy via Facebook, she laid out a platform fundamentally different than that of other candidates. Her message was clear: yes, she wants to win matches. But she also wants to bring U.S. Soccer in line with principles of human rights.

Solo starts her announcement by talking about her own childhood. She talks about her own experiences with what has been deemed the “pay to play” system. She had to overcome a lot to find success—too much for most young athletes. It was clear in Solo’s announcement that her experiences in the youth system shaped her as both a player and a person, and will be critical to her approach as a business executive.

Unsurprisingly, Solo’s first point in her announcement was about creating a “winning” culture in U.S. Soccer. On the surface, this might seem a bit obvious. But the language that she uses is crucially different from that of her opponents. Solo proposes a focus on diversity in youth soccer as a path to developing a “winning” culture. By talking about diversity in this section of her platform, Solo alludes to the idea that the strength of the U.S team will come through its diversity. In fact, you could say that by including this statement in the ‘Know How To Win’ section, Solo is suggesting that everyone benefits from diversity and that U.S. Soccer cannot succeed without it.

Solo’s second point is about equal pay and women’s rights. She expands the concepts of equal pay and equal opportunity to the U.S Women’s National Team and all USSF female staff members. She draws on principles of non-discrimination, made clear when Solo writes that one of her goals is to “eliminate sexism and discrimination.”

The third point of Solo’s platform focuses on the youth system. She states that she wants to “address the issue of ‘pay to play.’” She wants to make soccer financially accessible to all, and demands socioeconomic diversity. This is perhaps the most intriguing point on Solo’s platform. From a human rights perspective, these statements once again draw on principles of non-discrimination, but also on the concept of a “right to play.” The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has a right “to engage in play and recreational activities.” In this point of her platform, Solo places the responsibility to fulfill this right on U.S Soccer.

But this point is flawed as well. It’s not clear how Solo plans on making soccer “financially accessible” to all. The vagueness of the term makes it difficult to imagine what achieving that goal might look like. Is her goal to make youth soccer free? If not, will U.S. Soccer be giving out scholarships for kids who cannot afford even a reduced price? How can we truly ensure that every child is given the opportunity to play soccer?

Solo’s final point in her platform states that she will make U.S. Soccer a “transparent” organization. The promotion of transparency implies that Americans who consume or partake in soccer have a right to participate in the decisions being made. This does more to bring people into the conversation and to forge a genuine connection between soccer consumers and the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Earlier in the announcement, Solo alludes to the idea that U.S Soccer has a corruption problem. She asks how a “profitable” non-profit with millions of dollars at its disposable had not made soccer accessible to all. She also points to many sources of revenue and says, “I certainly don’t know” where that money ended up. Corruption is a difficult problem for anyone to tackle, let alone someone who is new to this sort of leadership role. Her allusions should be concerning for everyone involved in U.S. Soccer, but one might raise the question of whether or not she’s ready to handle that sort of responsibility.

Solo’s platform prioritizes human dignity over capitalism. She seems to promote a rights-based approach to U.S. Soccer not only because she believes that it will help their teams win, but because she understands that respecting and promoting both equality and participation makes U.S. Soccer a stronger and better organization.

But Solo’s platform still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Her statements are vague, and so far we have not seen a clear plan as to how she plans to achieve these objectives. Considering her lack of experience, those plans are even more critical for her to prove she can do the job.

In addition, one must mention Solo’s isolating history with U.S Soccer. She tells a genuine narrative about her childhood and her struggle to get to the senior national team. But the fact remains that some U.S. Soccer fans will not be able to look past the accumulation of incidents that led U.S Soccer to terminate her contract after the 2016 Olympics. Regardless of what you think of Solo, the question remains—will her agenda be overshadowed by her personality?

Should Solo succeed in her campaign, it could have radical effects on the sport, both nationally and globally. In her announcement, Solo speaks of “shedding a mentality that is no longer acceptable” and “the importance of sports in the world order.” We all know that corruption and discrimination exist in FIFA, but Solo’s election could be the shove the world needs to start making necessary changes.

Minimally, one hopes that even if Solo is unsuccessful, maybe she can start some important conversations surrounding U.S. Soccer. Regardless of the way the election goes, she has made her goal clear.

“Soccer is the World’s game,” she wrote on Facebook. “I want to share it with all of America.”

Hope Solo probably shouldn’t be the US Soccer president, but it’s good that she’s running

Posted on by RJ Allen

To the average fan of US Soccer, the job of president is defined primarily by big decisions on high profile issues. Who should be the head coach? How should money be spent? How should resources be collected?

But the reality is that the job is far more prosaic than these big decisions. The president is not a dictator who can simply set policy as she wishes, nor does she necessarily exert significant influence over the Board of Directors or the federation as a whole. Given the diversity of interests at stake in the membership of these groups, the day-to-day job of president is primarily a matter of managing factions, massaging egos, and facilitating coalitions. Those are all things that Sunil Gulati – the retiring president – did well. And whether or not you like the ultimate results, there’s no denying that Gulati was effective at the job.

Now, with news that Hope Solo has put herself into the race to become Gulati’s replacement, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the job, and her quality as a candidate for the position.

Being a good president means more than having good ideas

In my day job as a political scientist, we tend to be quite skeptical of ‘message’ campaigns. According to their standard-bearers, simply winning the election will create a bank of ‘political capital,’ which will help drive the agenda through. But it turns out that winning elections is often the easiest part of the job. When the electorate is dissatisfied, the promise of ‘change’ is powerful. But once decisions are being taken about resource allocation, vested interests settle into their trenches, and defend their fiefdoms with equal doses of aggression and patience. A charismatic message can certainly win votes, but when the rubber hits the road, things get much trickier.

None of this means that the president plays no role in setting overall strategic objectives. It’s more to say that broad policy goals often falter on lack of successful management. Weak executives make for weak policy – something just as true for administrative entities like US Soccer as it is for political entities like the United States federal government.

Ultimately, this means that any choice for president of US Soccer should pass three distinct tests.

  • First, what is their strategic vision? What would they seek to accomplish in their tenure? Where would the resources go? How would the finances work? What goals would they set? What priorities would they outline?
  • Second, can they outline a plausible pathway for achieving those objectives? How would the finances work? Why would relevant parties be willing to buy in? Do they have contingency plans where things inevitably go off track?
  • Third, do they have the skills to actually succeed at managing time, resources, and interests? Can they build coalitions? Do they have good social networks, or can they create them? Will people lead where they follow?

The core point here: having a powerful message is only one part of the equation. It’s an important part, to be sure, and a candidate can make a big difference even if they don’t offer anything more. Simply putting issues on the table may force other candidates to speak to them or even shift their position in order to head off the threat from the challenger. This is the classic role of the ‘protest’ candidate: there to make a point, not necessarily to win. But protest candidates rarely win, and for good reason. Failure to fill in the details in these second and third is a powerful signal that someone might be good for the race without necessarily being good for the job.

Solo is a better candidate than it might seem, but is that enough?

Taking that as a framework of a viable campaign, where does Solo fit?

On the first test, she makes for a strong and important candidate. Her statement announcing her candidacy was powerful, and spoke to a range of interests that have been overlooked by the other candidates. In her time as a player, Solo was forthright and aggressive about the need for reform in US Soccer, and she makes an excellent standard-bearer for that message now.

The question is how far she can push the issues. After all, everyone is already willing to sign up for platitudes like ‘equal pay’ and ‘fairness.’ But her announcement went into much more detail, discussing the problems with elite youth clubs, with profit-driven incentive structures, with the secretive role of Soccer United Marketing (SUM) at the heart of US Soccer, and with gender equality. That sort of detail is critical, and suggests that Solo is serious, at least on this level. It also shows why having someone like her in the race is critical—to call attention to issues that otherwise might be swept under the rug by the rest of the field.

But this is where things get trickier. On the second prong—filling in the details about how to produce the desired change—we haven’t seen much so far. That said, we are still early in the process, and there’s some possibility that a more complete picture could emerge. It is never a good idea to underestimate Hope Solo. We know that was true on the field, but her efforts behind the scenes organizing the team’s collective action campaign on pay equality suggests that she is more than capable of carrying that same level of determination and focus into the management side of things.

Certainly, the work Solo had to do to capitalize on her fame and talent compares favorably to the efforts of male players like Wynalda and Martino—who were provided with a far more established infrastructure.

Only time will tell here, and the proof will ultimately be in the pudding, but there’s absolutely no reason to dismiss Solo’s case ex ante. At a bare minimum, she deserves the same level of respect accorded to other candidates—few of whom have done much to establish their bona fides on this front.

Moreover, there is a case to be made for focusing significantly more attention on the big picture questions. The president has most control over the direction of the agenda, and increasingly less control as the details grow more fine-grained. Gulati has been a hands-on president, but his successor might reasonably chose a less directly involved approach—setting broad policy objectives while handing over day-to-day responsibilities to a cadre of bureaucrats.

Here, though, is where the case for Solo becomes quite rocky. The third leg of the table—capability to organize, manage, collaborate, and enable—is where her body of work ceases to be an advantage and becomes a liability. No one doubts her ability to fight for her goals. But the job of president requires a great deal of subtlety in the application of force.

There is more than one way to lead an organization, but the more diverse the interests involved, the harder they will be to bulldoze. US Soccer is extremely diverse, and leading it effectively will take a great deal of personal sublimation. To be successful, the next president will need the full range of persuasive skills, particularly if he or she hopes to institute significant reforms. Those vested interests are likely to resist, and fighting them directly without building a broad and durable base of support is more than likely to end in disaster.

To say the least, Solo’s history on this front is hardly encouraging. She tends toward black and white views of issues, bluntness (to the point of abrasiveness), and a commitment to speaking the truth as she sees it regardless of potential consequences. These are admirable qualities in some circumstances, but rarely the mark of a successful leader.

Now, it is important to acknowledge the role that gender expectations play in this conversation. Solo is a controversial figure partly for reasons that are idiosyncratic and specific, but it’s impossible to fully disentangle her personal history from the larger context of a social landscape in which women are scrutinized far more heavily (and less generously) than men.

Nevertheless, as a player she experienced several run-ins with the law (a domestic violence charge as well as an incident in which her husband drove her in a team van while intoxicated), not to mention a suspension from the national team after her comments in the 2016 Olympics. These are not solely the product of unfair gender expectations.

Solo has a lot to prove, but don’t count her out just yet

We will learn a lot in the coming days, and that may help us better understand where Solo fits into this campaign. Already, Julie Foudy is reporting that Solo does not in fact have the necessary three nominations to become an official candidate. If that bears out, then this campaign will end almost as quickly as it began. If not, we will have a chance to follow her over the next few months as she makes her case, and responds to criticism.

There is no doubt that Solo’s presence in the race is a big deal. She is one of the most famous players in US Soccer’s history, a powerful advocate for equality and fairness, and a charismatic figure in her own way. The question is whether she can draw on those strengths and overcome her weaknesses. There is a lot of baggage in her record, and it will take serious effort to exhibit the grace, poise, and skill needed for the job.

At the moment, I remain skeptical. But I have also learned that it’s rarely a good idea to bet against Hope Solo. So I am excited to see what she has to offer.

Raising the Game: Solo for President

Posted on by RJ Allen

In the early hours of Friday morning Hope Solo announced her candidacy for US Soccer Federation President.

She isn’t the right person for the job. In fact, she is the exact wrong person for the job. She is controversial, polarizing, and has an extreme lack of filter in rather inopportune moments. She should not be elected to the position.

But that does not mean that her candidacy is meaningless. It actually may be the most important and game-changing event that has happened in this race. And Solo running may create more influence on the future of the US Soccer than any other candidate ever has.

Why is that? Well, because she is Hope Solo.

Solo is loud. She is demanding. And she is captivating. Whether you love her or you hate her (because there is no in between) she forces you to sit up and listen when she speaks. And she is looking to speak as a candidate. And the issues that she wants to speak about with regards to US Soccer are pertinent. They are issues that other candidates don’t want to touch. They are issues that many candidates don’t have answers to. But they are issues that Solo will refuse to shy away from – ones that she has no problem bringing to the forefront.

Her candidacy looks to bring awareness to what is clearly being ignored. And her voice speaks for those that do not have a platform – the underprivileged, the minorities, the underdogs. Because Solo has had a very different upbringing than most of her US counterparts. She didn’t grow up with money. And that fact makes her realize better than anyone else how hard it is to develop your soccer skills in the US when you don’t come from an upper middle class family. She understands the struggle of young players who are good enough to play, but whose families don’t have extra thousands of dollars every year to allow them to do so. She has a stance on pay for play, and she recognizes the disparages between the classes and how that effects the talent pool for the sport. Other candidates cannot say the same.

She also gets to speak from first hand experience to the inequalities that women face in the soccer world. She has been a part of the major lawsuits. She has lived the life of a female athlete on the National level. And she knows exactly how differently she was treated in comparison to the men. No other candidate brings that. And for the most part, no other candidate really has any concrete ideas on how to improve the women’s side of US Soccer. But you best believe that Solo does.

The greatest thing that Solo brings to the table though is her ability to get the other candidates to talk and give their opinions. They have been good at dodging anything really concrete so far, but Solo will demand it of them. She can get answers from them – answers that we all want, but may not have been able to get without her. Because she will take a stance on the issues. They may not be the best stances, or the ones that US Soccer needs, but they will put the other candidates on notice to do the same. If they don’t…well, she’s Hope Solo – she’s never afraid to call anyone out.

And that is probably her biggest downfall as a candidate. It’s why she shouldn’t be the head of the US Soccer Federation. Tact isn’t always her strong suit. When her emotions run high she tends to say the wrong thing. She fails to have the ability to take a breath, compose herself, and think of the consequences before speaking. She just reacts. And she was the bad girl of the soccer world for a reason – she didn’t care who it was, if she had beef she would say something. Brandi Chastain. The Swedish National Team. And even the US Soccer Federation on a few occasions. Mirror that with her antics off the pitch and it becomes even more difficult to make a case to support her candidacy. It could create issues with other Federations and with the cohesiveness of ours. It could throw us into chaos in a worst-case scenario. It could set us back.

Yes, her election to USSF President could have momentous repercussions, but her candidacy could also usher in a new level of meaning to the position. One where the candidate must have thoughts, and take stances, and be able to communicate the steps to achieve their visions for the future of the Federation. It wouldn’t just be a popularity contest or a contest to see who has the biggest bank account. No, her candidacy helps ensure that this race means something. Her candidacy holds the rest of the candidates accountable.

And that was all done simply by her throwing her hat in the ring. Because she is Hope Solo. She has always demanded excellence of herself. So there is no doubt that she will demand excellence from her competition as well. The stakes were already high. But she just raised them.

Kickbacks: Five Things about the Roster for Russia

Posted on by RJ Allen

Earlier this morning, US Soccer released a 24-player roster in anticipation of the Women’s Team’s upcoming friendlies against Russia.

The two-leg set will open in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX on April 6, and be followed-up with a match on April 9 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX, a homecoming game of sorts for Houston Dash players Morgan Brian, Kealia Ohai, Carli Lloyd, and 2017 draftee Jane Campbell.

Included in the roster are:

24-player roster of call-ups for April 2017 matches against Russia

As we look at the roster, some things are immediately apparent.

Keepers: No Hope Solo

Solo’s suspension from the USWNT concluded in February, and she is eligible again to be called into camp by Ellis. However, having undergone shoulder surgery in late 2016, the long-time US #1 is only partially through the rehabilitation process. Her absence on the roster could indicate that Jill Ellis and US Soccer really have moved on from Solo or that she is not yet cleared and ready to return. Ellis, on her part, has been mum about her intentions toward the goalkeeper even with Solo’s declaration that she wants and expects to return.

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando), and Jane Campbell (Houston) have all been called back into camp for the friendlies. With Solo out of the picture right now, Harris and Naeher are neck-and-neck for the top spot at the moment, with Naeher probably having just the slightest edge over Harris after being named to the Rio roster while the Orlando Pride GK was relegated to the Alternates list. Campbell, on the other hand, seems to be in for a great period of mentorship under the two during the drive towards France in 2019, and it wouldn’t surprise us to see her slowly earning caps over the next two years. Will we see her take the field against Russia? Probably not as a starter, but I think it’s probably a good bet we see her take the pitch in the 46′ if the US has–as they should–built up a good lead.

The Backline: Allie Long, Midfielder, and Megan Oyster’s First Call-Up

Despite being played in the centerback position of Ellis’ experimental three-back backline, Allie Long (Portland) continues to be listed in the midfield on the released rosters. This could be because, say it with us now, Allie Long is a midfielder. She’s not comfortable in the backline–much less as being the pivot or anchor that stabilizes and directs the shape of the backline. Continuing to list her as a midfielder seems like a concession to those of us who don’t see a future for her in the three-back system.

In a related note, Megan Oyster (Boston) has been called into camp for the first time. Oyster is a consistent centerback who played that role for Washington until the recent off-season when she was traded to Boston. Oyster’s performance for Washington was fairly solid but she was benched when the Spirit suffered a bit of a lag in the 2016 season and then continued to sit when Ali Krieger and Shelina Zadorsky returned from national team duties in Rio. Oyster was a part of the starting XI in the Spirit’s failed bid for the NWSL championship last October, where she played centerback in a three-back that featured Krieger and Alyssa Kleiner (and sub Caprice Dydasco) on the wings.

What does Oyster’s call-up mean for the team? Could be a couple of different things. First, of course, it could represent a return to the four-player backline that held the US up throughout the 2015 road to their third Women’s World Cup. With Julie Johnston (soon to be Julie Ertz) out of the roster for her wedding and honeymoon, Oyster and Sauerbrunn could find themselves the center of a classic four-back formation.

Or, it could mean that Ellis’ experiment with Allie Long is finally over, and she’s exploring other options to anchor her three-back. Oyster did very well in that formation for the Spirit in 2016’s final match, with Ali Krieger on her right running up the wings to move the ball and even make some attacking moves. A three-back with, say, Krieger on the right, O’Hara on the left, and Oyster in the center? Now that’s something I’d really love to see.

Midfield: The Return of Rapinoe

When Megan Rapinoe (Seattle) was left off the roster for the 2017 She Believes Cup, there were people (including us) wondering if her career with the national team was over. Certainly it was in jeopardy after last year’s performance, where she failed to make an impact in her two games off-the-bench in Rio, as well as the few later friendlies in which she was rostered. And, of course, there was also the stir she made by supporting Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest during the National Anthem, taking a knee on the sidelines at a friendly against the Netherlands in September. With the official position of US Soccer made public earlier this month in a billboard announcement during a She Believes Cup match, it seemed as if Rapinoe’s absence had a bit of a sharp edge to it.

https://twitter.com/stuholden/status/838109929802063872

But, maybe we all assumed too much? Because Rapinoe is back, and just before the NWSL season where she’ll take the field for the Seattle Reign again too.

Forwards: Rodriguez Back, Still No Leroux

Amy Rodriguez (Kansas City) has been called back to the third consecutive camp of 2017 after taking time off in 2016 to give birth to her second son. Rodriguez was left off the final roster for the She Believes Cup in March, but this latest call-up would suggest that Jill Ellis isn’t counting her out at all as the team moves forward toward the next WWC cycle. Sydney Leroux (Kansas City), also out in 2016 for the birth of her first child, has been training hard with FCKC as well but hasn’t yet received a call-up to return to camp with the national team at this point. This is in no way to suggest that her international career is over either, of course. We fully expect to see her back in the USWNT lineup when she’s ready. Both, it needs to be noted, tallied a goal in FC Kansas City’s recent preseason match against Missouri Women’s Soccer, so there’s no doubt that both players are eager to lace up their boots and drive up their numbers.

One name that has made a return to the roster is Kealia Ohai (Houston). Ohai made her senior team debut just last fall, in a friendly against Switzerland at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. Ohai took the field in the 82′ and scored her first international goal just 48 seconds later, breaking a record set by Lynn Williams (North Carolina) set just days before (Williams’ goal was 49 seconds after she took the field for the first time in the 46′). Ohai’s breakout season with the Dash last year–scoring nine goals in seven games–earned her a look from Ellis and the senior team, and we anticipate that she will continue to find the back of the goal at both levels of play.

 

Grading USWNT Clothing Lines

Posted on by RJ Allen

It seems that more and more athletes are creating their own clothing lines lately and the U.S. Women’s National Team is no exception. Even though many players have had clothing lines in the past, most have since discontinued them. Currently, only four players have clothing lines that are available through their personal websites or through a direct affiliate website. Of the existing four, I have examined each of the clothing lines and in my unprofessional fashion opinion and professional fan opinion, graded them on a scale of A-F.  During the process, I will keep in mind each line’s marketing strategies, options, and overall appeal.

 

Grading Scale:

A- Great job. Might only need one or two slight improvements.

B- Overall good. Could improve in a few areas.

C- Not the best. Could significantly improve in many areas.

D- Clear flaws. Needs a lot of help.

F- Why did you do this?

 

For each clothing line I will be doing an “initial grade” and a “final grade”. I did this to show that my perception of each line changed after analysis and overall comparison.

 

Ashlyn Harris

 

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-2-00-33-pm

Initial Grade: A-

 

I was aware that Ashlyn had a fairly popular line. I had seen a few of her items on Instagram, but I wasn’t aware of the extent of her line. 

Overall, her items are great. They are trendy, unique, and refreshing in a non-traditional sense–the clothing isn’t limited to articles simply featuring her name and number. 

Currently, her items are only available through her page in Sqor Sport’s Sqor Shop. And at first, this turned me off. I felt that Ashlyn having her own personal domain would be more advantageous for her as a brand. But, after browsing through Sqor Sports’ website, I realized how much foot traffic they get. They also carry other items from athletes like Odell Beckham, Jr., Peyton Manning, and Cristiano Ronaldo. This has to be helpful for her in terms of exposure and accessibility.

Ultimately, Ashlyn’s offbeat and eclectic line remains as one of the best among the four and receives a final grade of an A.   

 

Final Grade: A

 

Ali Krieger

ak11_primary

Initial Grade: A

You have to give Ali Krieger credit. Her clothing line, available at AliKrieger.com, is always sold out. Always.

I joke that it’s harder to get her snapback than it was to buy tickets to Hamilton when the original cast was still intact.

I also obviously have a massive amount of respect and love that she is receptive to fan’s critiques, but at what point does the unavailability of her line become more inconvenient than exclusive? Her brand also only carries one hat, one T-shirt, and one cinch bag.

While all of these items are popular, I can’t give a higher final grade than a B for a line with only three items. Even if they are, apparently, topnotch.

 

Final Grade: B-

 

Hope Solo

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-2-05-09-pm

Initial Grade: B

 

I’m not sure if the recent events that have transpired around Hope make her ineligible for this article (I’m trying to stick to current and active players), but I’m going to include her because her line is still available through her website.

All in all, Hope’s clothing line seemed pretty traditional. Shirts and hoodies with her name, “Hope.”, are in the forefront of her website’s store. Even though this seems pretty standard, Hope does include other items that are more sentimental and amusing.

One of my personal favorites (that I didn’t realize was a thing!), is the #GetTheGoals T-Shirt. Any true Hope Solo fan knows this is a reference to a quote from her late grandmother, who was arguably the biggest national team fan in the country. Hope gets bonus points for this alone. But, in the long run, even though her line defied a few of my expectations, I can’t give her more than an A- for a clothing line that lacks a little excitement.

 

Final Grade: A-

 

Megan Rapinoe

rapinoe

Initial Grade: C

 

With the catchy hashtag of #BeYourBestYou, and a logo that is both simple and smart, I’m sure you’re wondering why I initially rated Megan Rapinoe’s clothing brand so low.

My reasoning is this: Social. Media. Spamming.

At first, I couldn’t handle it … “Made the Olympic Squad! #BeYourBestYou,” “Flying to Madrid! #BeYourBestYou,” “Getting my hair done! “BeYourBestYou,” “Tore my ACL! #BeYourBestYou.”

Okay, the last one clearly didn’t happen, but you get my point. Like those friends you have on Facebook who sell body wraps through pyramid scheme companies, I couldn’t help but feel that she has overcompensating for an under-performing clothing line.

One day, I finally took a leap and clicked one of her many posts on Twitter …  and guys … her clothes are actually kinda cool. I respect that not all of the items have her name plastered across the front. Most of them have her message: “Be Your Best You.” It may sound campy, but it carries a meaning that is universally understood. She also carries an assortment of items from tanks and tees to beanies and track jackets.

I also love that every item is unisex and can be worn by whatever gender you may be. So, ultimately, I’m going to apologize to Megan Rapinoe. I judged your clothing line pretty harshly, but then bought my husband and myself one of your tanks and we can’t deny that they are both very soft and very versatile in terms of appearance.

I am upgrading you to an A+.

 

Final Grade: A+

(Scape)GOAT: On Hope Solo’s Suspension and Termination

Posted on by RJ Allen

In an unexpected announcement Wednesday afternoon, US Soccer revealed that long-time goalkeeper Hope Solo had been suspended for six months after comments made regarding the playing of Sweden in the quarterfinal loss in Brasilia on August 12. Solo’s comments, widely reported as variants on “Hope Solo Calls Sweden Cowards,” were, in context, much less offensive than the media or casual observers wanted to believe. But the Federation apparently disagreed, referring them as “conduct that is counter to the organization’s principles” in the official statement.

Asked her thoughts on the loss by Grant Wahl, Solo said that she believed the US played a “courageous game,” referring to the team’s many attacks on goal, but suggested that Sweden’s defensive strategy was representative of their opponent’s acknowledgement of their inferior offensive skills when faced with Fifa’s top ranked women’s team. But it’s so much easier to boil down a good point (with a questionable choice of word) to a biting headline than to engage into the tactical discussion that Solo wanted.

Let me be clear–I do not excuse Hope Solo’s comment. If I were in her position, I hope that I would not have used the word “coward.” But at the same time, her position was not exactly wrong–Sweden’s defensive tactics worked. But they worked at the cost of their own offensive opportunities, and when they finally encountered a team their defense couldn’t stymie in Silvia Neid’s German squad, they did not possess the offensive mind necessary to win the Gold medal game.

So despite the outrage displayed by media heads–including ex-USWNT player Julie Foudy for NBC–an immediate censure from the USSF, and, later, criticism from fellow USWNT teammates, Solo’s comments were not inherently offensive in the way they were portrayed and disseminated. When questioned by the media, Swedish player Lotta Schelin made a statement insisting that the comment was made in the heat of the moment, and that their personal relationship remains positive and friendly. Kosovare Asllani concurred, stating that while Solo should apologize, she should be allowed to speak her mind, and acknowledged that sometimes a person says more than they mean. And Pia Sundhage, former USWNT coach and current coach of the Swedish WNT, laughed Solo’s words off, saying, famously now, “I’m going to Rio, she’s going home.”

The issue today with the Federation’s response to Solo’s comments–a six-month suspension and, as reported by Grant Wahl, the termination of her National Team contract–however, is that such a decision, in this age of social media and 24-hour news cycles, does not occur in a vacuum. This comes in the wake of months of unrest between the players and US Soccer regarding the imbalance in compensation between the men’s and women’s teams, including an EEOC lawsuit with Solo’s name on it. It comes after increasing concerns regarding the safety and treatment of players in the NWSL, including the conditions of fields and training equipment, and the poverty level at which many of the league’s players live near.

And it occurs in a moment when an Olympic athlete can egregiously lie about events that occurred–making a false report to the police about being held up at gunpoint–and be escorted safely away to the United States, given a Primetime interview, and fielding a request to join the next season of Dancing With the Stars. In the light of all this, hearing that Solo’s off-hand remarks have effectively ended her career with the USWNT is not only disheartening, but discouraging.

For some, outright infuriating.

Because Hope Solo is not the only soccer player in the US system whose conduct has come under review by the USSF. Nor is she the only player who has made comments that could be considered to be counter to the principles of the organization. But, in these other cases, the disciplinary action taken by the Federation has been much milder.

Zero action was taken for comments made by Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Bedoya on the subject of former USWNT member Abby Wambach’s suspected DUI earlier this year, despite the fact that their tweets targeted both Wambach and then-current USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo, referencing Wambach’s statements about dual-nationality players on the USMNT and a 2015 DUI incident in which Solo’s husband Jerramy Stevens was driving a team van while under the influence (and for which Solo was suspended from the USWNT for 30 days).

Altidore, in addition, is also known for his sexist comments toward fellow US soccer star Alex Morgan. Comments which, considering the fact that they are colleagues, cross over into the realm of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones, on the other hand, were each suspended in 2015 when their conduct on the field for their club teams threatened the safety of the referee. In a US Open Cup game on June 16, 2015, Dempsey approached the referee after a controversial call, took his notebook, and ripped it up. This earned him a three game suspension from his MLS team and, eventually, a six game (or two-year) suspension from US Open Cup play by the US Open Cup Adjudication and Discipline Panel. Dempsey’s MLS suspension, however, was short enough that he was able to compete with the USMNT in both the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup that same summer and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. And, as Ethan Swenson pointed out in an article for Sounder At Heart, the USSF could penalized him with a suspension of at least three months on their own, finding him guilty of violating US Soccer’s policy regarding threats and violence against referee personnel. Of course, that might have jeopardized the USMNT’s performance in their tournament play, considering the fact that Dempsey is one of their headline players.

The charge against Jones of “making contact with a referee” earned him a six match suspension from his MLS team in October 2015, a suspension that also prevented him from playing in other soccer competition or tournaments while it was in effect.

The misconduct involved Jones putting his hands on the referee multiple times, upset at a call that had awarded a penalty kick against his team. Any intentional threat or assault against a referee is punishable by a mandatory six game suspension according to USSF policy and bylaws, while a three game suspension is mandatory for milder misconduct, including “verbal and nonverbal communication which […] implies or directly threatens physical harm” to any of the referee staff. Unlike Dempsey’s suspension, which did not keep him from National Team duty, Jones’s prevented him from playing in the USMNT’s two World Cup qualifiers in March of this year.

And in the larger world of soccer, beyond the USSF, there are more chilling offenses that have received far less attention and were certainly penalized to a lesser extent than Hope Solo’s post-game comments.

There is John Terry, for example, of the English Men’s National Team and Chelsea FC. Terry has been accused of misconduct on and off the field–including drunkenly accosting American tourists at an airport immediately after the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. But it’s the accusations of racism against Terry that found him suspended for four games and removed as Captain by England’s Football Association in 2012.

Luis Suarez has also been held accountable for racist comments on the field. Specifically for his comments toward Patrice Evra in 2011, where he was suspended for eight games for his comments. “I never asked for Evra’s forgiveness,” Suarez wrote in his memoir, Crossing the Line, “because I felt I had done him no wrong.” But Suarez is also the same player whose Wikipedia article has to number his biting incidents in order to keep them straight. An Uruguayan National Team player who was traded to Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014, he has been disciplined for biting opponents during matches a total of three times. “I know biting appalls a lot of people, but it’s relatively harmless,” Suarez wrote, seemingly unaware of why he was sentenced to a seven game suspension for the first incident and a ten game suspension for the second. For the third, the biting of Italian player Giorgio Chiellini in the 2014 World Cup, he was given a four month suspension by Fifa that forbade him from stepping foot into a stadium, much less practicing or training with his teams.

What, one might ask after reading about Suarez and his habit of biting people, is misconduct worthy of having one’s contract terminated?

Until yesterday, I thought the line was set fairly high. As in the case of Romeo Parkes, Jamaican international and member of the USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds, whose contract with the club was terminated in May 2016 after he kicked Karl Ouimette, New York Red Bulls II player, in the back after Ouimette received a red card and was sent off the field. The owner of the Riverhounds released a statement indicating that the player’s conduct was “not representative of what our organization and its Academy stands for in regards to helping promote and grow this sport,” and Parkes was immediately suspended by the USL, a suspension that was later extended worldwide until late October by Fifa, preventing him from joining the Jamaican team in their Copa America Centenario play this past summer.

What do all these examples have to do with Hope Solo and the punishment handed down by US Soccer yesterday?

I should think it’s obvious.

Look, I’m not saying that these male players deserved more or less in terms of punishment for their actions, but I am saying that there is a double standard in the way misconduct of male players is handled when compared to misconduct of female players. I am saying that Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Bedoya are allowed to speak their minds, but Hope Solo has to watch what she says. I’m saying that Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones can threaten and intimidate referees, but Hope Solo’s words are considered too damaging to allow her to wear the US kit. I’m saying that Luis Suarez and Romeo Parkes can cause physical harm to their opponents but receive minor suspensions, or terminations from their 3rd-tier club with only a temporary ban on their international play, but Hope Solo’s mere presence on the National Team is dangerous to the philosophy and principles of the USSF.

I’m saying that Hope Solo’s six month suspension and termination are at odds with the USSF’s own bylaws and policy manual, which make no claims about player misconduct beyond what receiving yellow or red cards during a match means for their upcoming play, or what the consequences for harming or threatening a referee will be (and in the case of Dempsey–even when they apply that standard they do so inconsistently). I’m saying that there is no official policy on “conduct that is counter to the organization’s principles,” and certainly not one that, lacking transparency, appears to penalize Solo at a much higher rate than her male colleagues.

Finally, let me leave you with this.

During the 2016 Euros in France this past summer, Cristiano Ronaldo exited a rough 1-1 draw with the underdog Iceland National Team with some harsh comments about the opponent that Portugal had been expected to thrash:

“Iceland didn’t try anything,” Ronaldo said, “They were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counterattack. It was a lucky night for them. We should have three points but we are OK. […] When they don’t try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.”

But in the end, Ronaldo and Portugal took home the Euro Cup. And Madeira announced that it will rename their international airport in his honor.

Hope Solo got a tersely written letter from her Federation.