Back in Goal!

As the US Women prepare for their second game of the Four Nations Tournament, meeting Finland in the next few hours, Hope Solo took a few minutes to share her thoughts about being back in the goal.

Well it's been a long 3 1/2 months since I've stepped inside the goal mouth, at least in an actual game. A lot can change in that time. September I was at my peak, playing some of my best soccer. Now after a long needed break for many of us, we are starting over, starting from scratch, trying to get ourselves back in shape, and mentally trying to get our competitive spirit back.

The intensity leading up to the game wasn't quite the same, but I was still nervous about how I'd respond, but the moment I set foot on that field, the reasons why I play came rushing back. It felt good to be back out there. It was fun, which is why we are out there, to play and have fun?

Organizing the back line, coming out for crosses in crowds of people, and doing everything to keep the ball out of the back of the net was a challenge, and I’ve always welcomed challenges. That’s what makes sport so enjoyable. We had smiles on our faces, and we played relaxed. We enjoyed ourselves. We connected from the backline to the midfield up to the forwards. It was soccer with all 11 players on the field being apart of every play.

Of course there are things that could have been a little sharper. Our passing is still a little rusty after our long break, but those things will come. It's nothing to stress over. It's the ideas that we can be proud of. This is a new system of play for us, so we didn’t do things perfectly, but it's nice to see us thinking of new ways to attack, it's nice to see us being confidant in playing out of the back, making small passes in the midfield, and taking chances. It's just nice to see us play as a team.

It couldn't have been a more fitting first game in 2008 under our new leader Pia. Not only did we want the victory for our own selves and for our country, but for our coach as well. It looks as though she's already got 20 followers behind her! It’s just a few short months until qualifying, but I am certain we are all committed to being the best team we can be.