Hope Solo hints that she'd like to play for USWNT at 2019 World Cup
Hope Solo is 35 years old and, after the 2016 Olympics, will have to decide whether she wants to stick around for three more years to play in the next major women's international tournament -- the 2019 World Cup. But while she did not outright say that she intended to do so, she did give a very strong hint to Sports Illustrated that she wants to stick with the United States and play in that tournament.
Clearly, Solo didn't say "yes, I'll be there in 2019" and instead qualified it with "as long as my commitment level and mind want to," but she gushed about the 2019 World Cup and it's tough to read that and imagine her deciding to retire before the tournament. Obviously a lot can change in three years, but based on that answer, it sure seems like Solo wants to be the American backstop in France.
It will be interesting to see if Solo can still be a great goalkeeper in 2019, when she will turn 38 years old. Briana Scurry made it to 36 years old before her international career came to an end, but she tailed off at the end and wasn't near her best. The same was true of Germany's Nadine Angerer, who retired last year at 36 years old.
Solo is the best goalkeeper in the world and arguably the Americans' biggest advantage over any other team. If she can stay at this level of play, the U.S. would undoubtedly love to have her in 2019. Whether she can is still to be determined, but it sounds like she'll try.
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