US women"s soccer and Hope Solo go for gold in Rio

Hope Solo ● Saves2016 ● HD

Matt Renoux, KUSA 8:43 PM. MDT August 06, 2016

Hope Solo

RIO - Whether it"s practice under a warm California sun or the stepped-up competition of World Cup soccer, the U.S.A National Team and player Hope Solo are always shooting for intensity.

At the end of the day its about winning and you cant win without being intense, said Solo.

Intensity this team is looking to unleash on the world at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. They hope to make history by becoming the first team to ever win the World Cup and then go on and win gold at the Olympics.

We like to do things no other team has done before, said Solo.

It"s something Solo already knows a lot about. She has earned Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 and is now on the USA National Team, ranked first in the world heading to Rio.

These teams know on any given day the Americans will be the best in the world, said Solo.

Solo is the U.S. team"s goalie. A position she didnt like at all as a kid.

Goal keepers were known to be out of shape and who were not fit and were not very good with the ball at their feet, said Solo.

Over the years she has not only changed how the goalie position is played but also the type of athlete who stands in the net by turning the game into one of inches.

I found a lot of success in the inches of the game. One small inch left or right with my angles could mean the ball is in the back of the net, said Solo.

She also studies hours of video, not just of her competition but of herself.

I expect more from myself day in and day out. I look at the video and if its not good enough I go back out and I train harder, said Solo.

It"s work thats made Hope Solo one of the best whos ever played. At the 2015 World Cup she went 540 minutes without giving up a score and still Solo says the sun is far from setting on her career.

Today she is as intense on the field as ever, practicing into the night ready to show the world it has yet to see the best.

I dont think the world has seen the best Hope Solo yet, said Solo.

She has also seen a lot of controversy on and off the field.

In 2014, Solo was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault in the fourth degree against her half-sister and her nephew. She says she was defending herself and the charges were dismissed but prosecutors brought those charges back in appeal and she will face a trial in January.

Copyright 2016 KUSA

Source: http://www.9news.com/sports/olympics/us-womens-soccer-and-hope-solo-go-for-gold-in-rio/253289221