JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
RECIFE, Brazil (AP) — U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said the federation plans to speak with Hope Solo and her representatives by Thursday afternoon regarding the goalkeeper’s weekend domestic violence arrest in the Seattle suburbs.
Gulati spoke in Recife, Brazil, on Wednesday ahead of the Americans’ World Cup Group G finale Thursday against Germany with a berth in the knockout round at stake.
Solo entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance Monday and was released without bail. She was arrested Saturday at her sister’s home in Kirkland, Washington.
“We’ll be talking with Hope in the next 24 hours and her representatives, and I think it would be inappropriate for me to say anything else until some of these processes play out,” Gulati said during U.S. training at Arena Pernambuco.
Authorities said Solo was intoxicated early Saturday when she was accused of assaulting her sister and 17-year-old nephew. But her lawyer, Todd Maybrown, said she was a victim in the altercation.
Solo was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault. Kirkland police said in a report on the incident that a caller reported a female at the residence was hitting people and they could not get her to stop or leave the house.
Solo has been ordered not to have contact with the alleged victims and to refrain from drinking alcohol.
In the news for the wrong reasons again, some are already questioning whether Solo’s career could get off track one year out from the Women’s World Cup in Canada and four months before World Cup qualifying.
Solo married former University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens in 2012.
Stevens was arrested just before their wedding for investigation of assault after a disturbance involving Solo, but he was not charged. Maybrown also represented Stevens, who has a list of legal run-ins.
The 32-year-old Solo earned her 71st career shutout as the Americans beat France 1-0 in an exhibition June 14 in Tampa, Florida. That tied Briana Scurry for the women’s national team shutout record.
“It’s an amazing moment,” Solo said afterward. “It goes down in history. I’m happy it was against a great team. I earned it. I had a couple saves. That’s going to go down as a very memorable game for me.”
Solo didn’t play in the U.S. women’s 2-2 draw in another exhibition with France last Thursday in East Hartford, Connecticut.
She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national team and also plays with the Seattle Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League. She has 35 saves in 11 matches with four shutouts.
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