Hope Solo has decided she will not play with her club team, the Seattle Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League, following her six-month suspension and contract termination by U.S. Soccer last week.

Hope Solo Takes Indefinite Leave From NWSL’s Seattle Reign

The 35-year-old goalkeeper’s suspension and contract termination — which came courtesy of U.S. Soccer after Solo’s remarks about Sweden’s women’s team at the Rio Olympics — only applied to her place on the US Women’s National Team.

After the USWNT crashed out of the Rio Games in a penalty shootout against Sweden in the quarterfinals, Solo lambasted her opponents as a”bunch of cowards” for their defensive playing style during that game on Aug. 12. She won’t be eligible for selection to the national team again until February. The stunning defeat marked the American women’s earliest exit ever from the Olympics.

Prior to a match last weekend against the Portland Thorns, the Reign announced Solo was granted an indefinite personal leave. Haley Kopmeyer took over in goal, and Seattle won 3-1.

“Coming to terms with the fact I was fired from the U.S. Women’s National Team after 17 years of service has been devastating. After careful consideration, I have decided to end my season with the Seattle Reign, an organization I love playing for,” Solo said Tuesday. “Mentally, I am not there yet. After watching the team’s win against Portland this weekend and seeing Haley Kopmeyer playing so well in goal, I truly believe this decision is what’s best for me and for the Reign organization.”

Reign head coach and general manager Laura Harvey released a statement saying that although the team was upset with Solo’s decision, they also understood and respected it.

“Hope has always wanted what is best for our team — she is a relentless trainer, a fierce competitor and demands from herself nothing less than excellence on the pitch,” Harvey said.

Sweden’s coach, Pia Sundhage, who led the U.S. team to gold medals in Beijing and London, replied to Solo’s postgame “cowards” comment by stating: “It’s OK to be a coward if you win.” Sweden went on to lose in the gold-medal match against Germany.

The goalkeeper became the subject of scorn in Rio di Janeiro even before her comments on Sweden’s team. In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, she posted several photos on social media of her wearing mosquito netting and armed with insect repellant as a way to openly express her concern over the Zika virus. Brazilian fans responded by booing her and shouting “Zika!” every time the ball came near her in each of the USWNT’s games.

Although a talented goalie who boasts a 17-year career with the U.S. women’s team, Solo has also proven to be a controversial person for years.

She still faces a possible trial on misdemeanor domestic violence charges after a 2014 incident at her sister’s home, when she was accused of being intoxicated and assaulting her half-sister and 17-year-old nephew. Solo said she was a victim in the altercation. Earlier this year, an appeals court in Washington state rejected Solo’s request to avoid trial.

In early 2015 while Solo was at a team training camp in Southern California, her husband Jerramy Stevens was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in a U.S. Soccer team van. Solo was with him at the time.

The former Seattle Seahawks tight end later pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and four years on probation. Solo was suspended by U.S. Soccer for 30 days.

Solo became the first goalkeeper with 100 international shutouts last month when the U.S. beat South Africa 1-0 at Soldier Field in Chicago. It also was her 150th career win.

A video was also released Tuesday showing Solo’s emotional reaction upon learning the news of her suspension.

Solo was part of a documentary series called “Keeping Score,” capturing the Olympic journey of some members of the U.S. women’s soccer team. That meant crews were still on hand when Solo heard about her termination, reports Dana Jacobson of CBS Sports Network.

In the video, the goalkeeper is shown to be very distraught and hugs her husband.

“Terminated contract. Not just a suspension,” Solo is heard saying in the video.

“How can they do both?” Stevens asks.

“It’s bull. Seventeen f—— years and it’s over,” Solo says.

During the Rio Games she made her 200th appearance in goal for the United States, an international record.

BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL – AUGUST 03: Hope Solo #1 of United States looks on during the Women’s Group G first round match between the United States and New Zealand during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Mineirao Stadium on August 3, 2016 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)

U.S. Soccer has announced that Hope Solo has been suspended from the U.S. Women’s National Team for six months following the goalkeeper’s comments on Sweden’s performance in the Olympic quarterfinal match that saw the USWNT eliminated from the Rio Games.

U.S. Soccer Suspends Hope Solo For Six Months, Terminates Contract After Olympics Remarks

Solo’s national team contact has also been terminated. The 35-year-old American goalie said following the quarterfinal match that she believed the Swedish women were “a bunch of cowards” for using a defensively-minded strategy to win the game, adding “the best team did not win.”

Sweden earned the victory on Aug. 12 via a penalty shootout following a 1-1 tie in regulation.

U.S. women’s coach Jill Ellis and U.S. Soccer general secretary Dan Flynn met with Solo in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon and gave her the news, which comes with three months of severance pay. She will become eligible for reinstatement and a new contract in February 2017.

Solo, who received public criticism from teammates Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, as well as U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati for her comments, did not immediately apologize for them.

Instead, both Morgan and Rapinoe said they believed Sweden, as the underdogs, used the right strategy to play a team as strong as the U.S., the reigning women’s World Cup champions, almost hinting that the Americans would have also played more defensively than offensively had the situation been reversed.

“They played their cards right,” Morgan told USA TODAY’s Nicole Auerbach. “They did the exact same thing with Brazil. They’re in the final, so you can’t really doubt their strategy now.”

“I saw [Solo’s] comments but I feel like those are opinions I don’t share,” Morgan told Auerbach.

Rapinoe was more direct in attacking Solo for her comments.

“[I’m] really disappointed to be honest,” Rapinoe told NBC. “That’s not our team. That’s not what this team has always been. That’s not what this team will be in the future. It’s frustrating sometimes as an athlete. You’re thrust into the spotlight and I think this team has always done a really amazing job of understanding that we have this incredible platform. Let’s do something good with it. Let’s inspire. Let’s be [expletive]. Let’s be fierce. Let’s be competitive.”

“But we’re gracious and we are humble. We play the game a certain way. Whether we win or lose. We’ve been on the winning side quite and bit and when we find ourselves on the other side, we need to handle that graciously. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.”

Gulati then issued a statement of his own.

“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,” Gulati said in a statement Wednesday evening. “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 women’s national team has just two more matches scheduled for the remainder of 2016. Solo can still play for for her club team, Seattle Reign, during the suspension.

Gulati 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.”

Some reports have confirmed that, because U.S. Soccer also pays her club contract, only the national team portion of her contract was revoked.

“During our current National Team camp, Hope made a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. Soccer and her teammates,” Ellis said in a separate statement. “We feel at this time it is best for her to step away from the team.”

Of course, many will surely argue that the punishment handed to Solo seems excessive given her transgression, and others might even complain that a punishment this severe would probably never be given to a male player for making comments like hers.

Rich Nichols, executive director of the USWNT Players Association, is one such person who quickly rose to Solo’s defense.

Solo then responded to the suspension with an apology, saying: “I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the Federation who have always supported me,” she wrote. “I think it’s best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months, and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team.”

Solo also issued the following statement:

This is not the first time, however, that Solo has received punishment for something controversial she has said or done.

At the 2007 World Cup, U.S. coach Greg Ryan benched her for the semifinal against Brazil after she had started every game. Solo lashed out publicly after the U.S.’s 4-0 loss and was shunned by her teammates, but ultimately Ryan lost his job and Solo was welcomed back to the U.S. team under coach Pia Sundhage and won a gold medal in 2008.

Coincidentally, Sundhage now coaches the Swedish women’s team that Solo insulted.

After Solo’s standout performance at the 2011 World Cup, where the U.S. finished second, she became a breakout personality and ended up on Dancing With The Stars.

In 2014, however, she was accused of a fourth-degree domestic violence offense in an incident involving her nephew and half-sister. That case has yet to be resolved. In early 2015, Solo was suspended for 30 days by U.S. Soccer after she and her husband, Jerramy Stevens, were stopped in a U.S. team van that Stevens was driving in Los Angeles. He was charged with DUI and served three days in jail.

Solo and the USWNT have won one World Cup (2015) and two Olympic gold medals in a U.S. career that has included 202 national team appearances and 102 clean sheets. Both are the most ever internationally for a goalkeeper, male or female.

BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL – AUGUST 03: Hope Solo #1 of United States looks on during the Women’s Group G first round match between the United States and New Zealand during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Mineirao Stadium on August 3, 2016 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)

One year after winning the World Cup, the United States women’s soccer team has suffered a shocking upset.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Out Of Rio Olympics After Shocking Quarterfinal Shootout Loss To Sweden

After three consecutive gold medals, the American women fell to Sweden in a penalty shootout in the Olympic quarterfinals on Friday.

The US women’s team, currently led by Jill Ellis, captured the gold medal in 2004, 2008 and 2012, with the last two coming with Pia Sundhage as the American coach. However, Sundhage went home to coach Sweden after the London 2012 victory, and in Brasilia on Friday, an American team that included more than six of her former players found itself denied the opportunity to earn a fourth straight Olympic title.

Sweden gained a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute after a solid passing sequence led to a breakaway for Stina Blackstenius, whose hard, low shot beat Hope Solo and fell into the right corner of the net.

Sixteen minutes later, the U.S. responded, with a tad bit of luck. A pass from Tobin Heath bounced off the face of a Swedish defender and landed right at the feet of Alex Morgan, who fired a left-footed shot to tie it up 1-1.

In the final part of regulation, the Americans dominated, as they had much of the game, and nearly scored again on an effort from captain Carli Lloyd, but ultimately couldn’t finish.

Then came a 30-minute overtime. Lloyd scored again on a header, but was quickly ruled offside in what some judged to be a questionable call. Moments later, Sweden’s Lotta Schelin had her own goal disallowed, also due to an offside call.

Neither team came close again, which meant the game would be decided via a penalty shootout. Solo was forced to deal with one more shootout in a tournament during which she had been continuously jeered by local fans for Twitter photos and comments she posted implying concern over the Zika virus. And she did her best.

Morgan had the first shot blocked by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl. However, on the Swedes’ third shot, Solo kept her team even by guessing right on Linda Sembrant’s shot and hitting the ball away.

Solo guessed right again on the following shot, diving to her left and nearly knocking away a shot by Caroline Seger. But the ball went in and after four rounds of the shootout it was still tied, 3-3.

Christen Press took the fifth shot for the U.S. and fired it straight over the top of the goal. That meant the pressure was on for Solo to block one last shot, or let it hope it was missed by Sweden somehow. She stalled, attempting to ice the Swedish shooter, but Lisa Dahlkvist sank the ball into the back of the net to secure the crucial victory for the Scandinavians.

The loss was the earliest exit from a World Cup or Olympics for the Americans since the international tournaments began in 1991 and 1996, respectively. The U.S. has finished at least third in every World Cup and won every gold medal game in the Olympics prior to this year, winning four golds and one silver.

BRASILIA, BRAZIL – AUGUST 12: Alex Morgan #13 of United States controls the ball against Nilla Fischer #5 of Sweden during the Women’s Football Quarterfinal match at Mane Garrincha Stadium on Day 7 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 12, 2016 in Brasilia, Brazil. Sweden won 1-1 (4-3 PSO) against the United States. (Photo by Celso Junior/Getty Images)

The U.S. women’s soccer team faltered early thanks to an unlucky and embarrassing goal allowed by goalkeeper Hope Solo, then blew a lead in the 90th minute to finish with a 2-2 draw against Colombia at the Olympics in Manaus on Tuesday.

Hope Solo’s Mistake Leads US To 2-2 Tie With Colombia

The Americans began strong, controlling possession and creating scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes.

Nevertheless, it was Colombia who opened the scoring. In the 26th minute, Catalina Usme fired a left-footed low shot on a free kick that slipped through Solo’s legs into the back of the net. The goal was the first the U.S. allowed in the Olympics, and Solo will surely remember this one for long time.

The U.S. then fought back to tie the game. In the 30th minute, Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn had a deflected cross that bounced off the crossbar and fell to Megan Rapinoe, who had her shot saved by Colombian goalie Sandra Sepulveda. 

Rapinoe, who was subbed out three minutes later, played in her first game of 2016 after suffering a torn ACL in December 2015. The Seattle Reign midfielder played just over 30 minutes.

The Americans then scored late in the first half. After captain Carli Lloyd’s shot was saved and deflected off the crossbar, 24-year-old Dunn raced into the box to score the rebound and tie it up 1-1. Dunn celebrated with a samba dance in midfield. 

The U.S. then took the lead in the 59th minute, when 18-year-old Mallory Pugh broke into a crowded box and fired a left-footed shot past Sepulveda to become the youngest soccer player to score for the U.S. in Olympic history. It was also the fourth international goal for the Olympic rookie.

Two minutes later, Pugh found yet another scoring opportunity on a two-on-one, but the former U-2- women’s national team forward fell offside before receiving the final pass. Colombia also nearly tied the game on a free kick but the ball hit the crossbar.

It looked like the Americans had secured another victory until the 90th minute. Usme found the net again off a free kick from the right flank. The ball flew in over the outstretched hand of Solo. This wasn’t as egregious of an error as the first goal, but Solo still could have potentially saved it.

The draw gives the U.S. seven points in group play as it finishes at the top of Group G. They will play again on Friday, against an opponent to be determined. Colombia has now been eliminated from the Olympics in soccer.

Meanwhile, France defeated New Zealand 3-0 in the other Group G match.

Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan each scored to propel the U.S. women’s national team to a 2-0 victory over New Zealand at the Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on Wednesday in their Olympic opener.

Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan Lead USWNT To 2-0 Win Over New Zealand

The U.S. is seeking to become the first reigning Women’s World Cup champion to win the Olympic gold medal. Wednesday’s victory means the Americans will have the maximum three points when they face World No. 3 France in their second group stage game on Saturday.

Lloyd, who is the team’s co-captain alongside Becky Sauerbrunn, opened scoring in the ninth minute. Following a stellar cross from just outside the left side of the box by Tobin Heath, the Houston Dash midfielder jumped to head the ball in from just a few feet away, sinking the ball right inside the left post to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead with her 89th international goal.

The last time Lloyd played for the women’s national team, she scored three goals in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 World Cup Final. Funnily enough, the 34-year-old began the 2012 Olympics on the bench and only entered the game when an early injury arose. She capped that gold-medal run with two goals in the finals.

ESPN Stats & Info revealed just how close Lloyd is to breaking former USWNT player Abby Wambach’s Olympic scoring record:

Lloyd recently told Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl that she wanted to win a gold medal this year, another World Cup three years from now, and then one more gold medal in 2020 before finally retiring. She is the reigning World Player of the Year.

Morgan doubled the lead just one minute into the second half. Morgan Brian fed the Orlando Pride forward a short ground pass into the box, and the fast Morgan fired a low left-foot drive just inside the near post and past goalkeeper Erin Nayler. 

The U.S., led by coach Jill Ellis, dominated possession (64-36), although it struggled to figure out New Zealand’s defense aside from the two goals.

Beginning in the second half, goalie Hope Solo was booed by local supporters at Estádio Mineirão, with fans chanting “Zika” every time she cleared the ball from her penalty box.

The controversial goalkeeper has been outspoken about her concerns over traveling to Brazil due to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Earlier this week, she posted a photo of herself on Twitter wearing a beekeeper’s mask and holding a giant bottle of insect repellent. Solo’s picture was widely reported by the Brazliian media.

Former national team player and NBC analyst Kate Markgraf insisted the U.S would use the Solo taunts as motivation.

“The last thing you want to do is to give any reason for the U.S to come together,” Markgraf said. “You give them something to focus on instead of getting worried about how they will perform, that can only be a positive for them.”

Solo made one save on Wednesday.

France will surely prove to be a much tougher opponent for the USWNT. Les Bleus went to the quarterfinals of last summer’s World Cup and recorded a win over the Americans in 2015. The USWNT won the last meeting between the two teams, 1-0.

Despite strong competition, some still believe the USWNT is the favorite to win the Olympics.

New Zealand picked up three yellow cards. After France, the US will then face Colombia on Tuesday.

CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 10: Carli Lloyd #10 of the United States controls the ball against Colombia at Talen Energy Stadium on April 10, 2016 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The United States defeated Colombia 3-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Thirty-one United States senators are demanding that the U.S. Soccer Federation pay players on the Women’s National Team the same as their male counterparts, who are paid significantly more for equal work.

U.S. Senators Demand Female Soccer Players Receive Equal Pay

The U.S. senators, which include Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats representing California, wrote a letter to U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati on Wednesday, imploring him to ensure that members of the U.S. Women’s National Team receive pay equal to members of the men’s team.

In March, five players of the USWNT filed a federal equal-pay complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which they claimed to be paid substantially less than their under-performing male counterparts.

The senators stated they were shocked by the massive gender pay gap existing in America between top-tier professional male and female soccer players. The same heated issue has also been debated in other professional sports, like tennis.

The senators quoted the EEOC complaint, which states that “a 20-game winning top tier [Women’s National Team] player would earn 38% of the compensation of a similarly situated [Men’s National Team] player.” The overall average ratio of the men’s earnings to the women’s earnings is 4 to 1.

According to the EEOC complaint filed by Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Rebecca Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan, a player on the Men’s National Team receives a bonus for each victory ranging from $6,250 to $17,625, while a player on the WNT is awarded only a $1,350 bonus for each win. For each loss, the men’s players still earn roughly $5,000, while the women’s team earns nothing. The women are also constantly forced to play on astroturf, even at the World Cup, while the men’s team never plays on turf.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein took to Twitter Wednesday to highlight players’ documentation of  “disparities in pay, including salaries, win bonuses and daily travel allowances” between male and female soccer players on the U.S. team.

The WNT won its third World Cup title in July 2015 after defeating Japan. The team is also ranked first in the world, and has won four Olympic gold medals. The Men’s team only reached the round of 16 of the last two World Cups, and are ranked 30th in the word. The 2015 Women’s World Cup Final also broke the record for the most-watched soccer game in US history, between men or women. The women also claimed in the complaint that they earned $2,000,000 for their World Cup win last year, while the men earned $9,000,000 for losing in the Round of 16.

And yet, despite all these accomplishments, the female players still receive much lower compensation than the US male players.

According to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s most recent annual report, the federation had projected a combined net loss for the national teams of $429,929 for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2016, but the federation ended the fiscal year projecting a $17.7 million net profit. The complaint alleges that profit is “thanks almost exclusively to the success of the WNT.” This seems accurate, given that according to the five female players who filed the complaint, the men’s team lost $2 million in profits for the federation just last year.

In fiscal year 2017, the women’s team is projected to net about $5 million in profit while the men’s team is projected to have a net loss of about $1 million, according to the complaint.

Both male and female players are required to play at least 20 games per year. A female player could earn as little as $72,000 a year, whereas a male player could earn a minimum of $100,000 a year for the same number of games played.

However if a female player won all 20 games she couldn’t make more than $99,000 a year, yet a similarly situated male player can make about $263,000 in a year. The female player would receive just 38 percent the compensation that a male player who won the same numbers of games would receive.

In their letter to Gulati, the U.S. Senators cited the Equal Pay Act, which requires employers to pay men and women equally for doing the same work.

PHOTO: VANCOUVER, BC – JULY 05: Christie Rampone #3 of the United States of America holds the World Cup Trophy after their 5-2 win over Japan in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 Final at BC Place Stadium on July 5, 2015 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Five superstars from the US Women’s National Soccer Team, the defending 2015 World Cup champions, have filed a federal labor complaint against the sport’s American governing body, U.S. Soccer, claiming they are being paid only 40 percent as much as their male counterparts, despite creating tens of millions more in revenue.

Five US Women’s Soccer Team Stars File Federal Complaint

Co-captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn, forward Alex Morgan, midfielder Megan Rapinoe and goalie Hope Solo all filed the paperwork on Thursday on behalf of the entire U.S. Women’s National Team, according to a press release from Winston & Strawn LLP, the law firm co-chaired by the women’s lead attorney, Jeffrey Kessler.

The complaints demands that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigate U.S. Soccer.

“We have been quite patient over the years with the belief that the federation would do the right thing and compensate us fairly,” Lloyd, the MVP of last year’s Women’s World Cup, said in a statement released by the players and Kessler.

Solo spoke more bluntly, directly comparing her team with the men’s national team.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Solo said. “We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, four Olympic championships, and the U.S.M.N.T. get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships.”

Kessler claimed the players on the women’s team were shortchanged on everything, from bonuses and appearance fees to per diems.

“This is the strongest case of discrimination against women athletes in violation of law that I have ever seen,” Kessler stated.

The New York Times reported that the women’s team players are salaried employees, the top players earning about $72,000 a year by the federation. Nevertheless, the women contend that even with that extra income, their bonus structure means they earn far less than their male counterparts, who receive money from U.S. Soccer only if they are called to the national team.

A men’s team player, for example, receives $5,000 for a loss in a friendly match but up to $17,625 for a victory against a top opponent. A women’s player receives $1,350 for a similar match, but only if the United States wins; women’s players receive no bonuses for losses or ties.

The women’s national team Women’s World Cup victory last summer was America’s first World Cup victory in 16 years. The men’s team made it past the round of 16 in the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

The heated debate on cross-gender wage inequality has also recently arisen in other sports, most notably in professional tennis.

Caption: FRISCO, TX – FEBRUARY 10: Alex Morgan #13 of USA scores a goal in the first minute of play against Wendy Acosta #20 of Costa Rica during the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying at Toyota Stadium on February 10, 2016 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)