Meet Hope Solo

After being an alternate for the 2004 Olympic team, Hope Solo has stormed her way to the top of the depth chart and has cemented herself as the U.S. Women's National Team's started goalkeeper. Her career highlights include a streak of 1054 minutes without allowing a goal from the run of play, a 32-4-7 record and a .67 goals against average. She took some time while cooling down after a sweltering practice to talk to Eurosport about the World Cup and some of her favorite things.

Is the National Team's unbeaten streak putting pressure on you and the rest of the team?

We don't talk about it much. It's funny, everyone else says it to us, whether it be reporters or journalists, but I don’t even think it phases us, I don't think we think about it at all.

Do you think the team would benefit from losing an exhibition match before the World Cup?

I used to think that, quite some time ago, thinking that every team can learn from a loss. Going into an event like this it might be good to get it out of the way, because every team is bound to lose. I used to think that. I don't think that anymore, though, because this team has such a strong winning tradition. That’s what's great about this team. We have confidence in our ability and we're going to find a way to win. I think that's the difference between us and many other teams.

Who do you think is the team to beat in the World Cup, other than the U.S.?

I've heard so much about North Korea, but I've never seen them play. I think we're pretty focused on our group play and not looking past North Korea and Sweden at this point.

What's your favorite video game?

Definitely FIFA. I know Brazil is the best team, but I try to keep it with Italy.

What's on your iPod right now?

I have all sorts of things on my iPod. I've been listening to pretty low-key music these days. Very into Michael Buble, which is a different genre for me.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate chip mint.

Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

Crunchy.

What's it like starting ahead of Briana Scurry, who has had so much success and is so experienced?

It's been a tough lead to follow, but never has it affected my confidence. I've known where I stood for a long time and I never steered away from my goals and aspirations. So personally it hasn't been that bad of a struggle, but I think it's been a surprise to a lot of other people. But at the same time Bri and I have a great relationship, all the goalies do, the five of us that are in the pool, and she learns from me as much as I learn from her and that's what makes it a great professional relationship.

What are your expectations for the new women's professional league?

I can't tell you how excited I am! I went to Sweden for a year to play to get better and hope to be the number one keeper for the U.S. team and after my stint in Sweden I went over to France and to be honest, I don't have that in me anymore, to go overseas and play. So this is just perfect timing for me, personally, because I'm ready to show the States who I am and what I can do and it does so much for the growth of the sport.

What's the coolest place you've ever been?

The coolest place? That's hard, I’ve seen a lot of different places. I really enjoyed my time in Vietnam for different reasons, but I think my all-around best vacation was Italy.

How do you feel about the new gold uniforms?

I love them. I know we don't have a lot of public support for them, but I absolutely love them just because this team stands out and we want to continue to stand out and I think it shows our confidence. It kind of just matches our personality.

So you like them symbolically, but do you think they look good?

Well, I know I don't look good in gold, so that's why I'm glad I wear green!