Hope Solo is still glowing from her team’s World Cup win, and the soccer star has no plans to exit the spotlight – even if she has to share it!
The 33-year-old sat down with Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Wednesday’s Access Hollywood Live to chat about the thrill of long-awaited victory, and continuing the celebration with her teammates at the ESPY Awards.
However, Hope knows they’ll probably need to make room in the winner’s circle for another famous Olympian.
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“I’m a little upset with Caitlyn, because she’s stealing the show!” Hope joked of the ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipient and reality star Caitlyn Jenner.
“I have some beef with her,” she continued. “I’m going to tell her, ‘We just won the World Cup, so step aside.'”
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Hope went on to express support for Caitlyn’s personal journey and athletic accomplishments, recalling how welcoming the fellow gold medalist has been to the soccer phenom throughout her career.
“I knew Bruce, and I’ve done several interviews with him throughout the Olympics. … And I love him,” Hope said. “I had such good rapport with him, and I respected him so much as an athlete and as a person. He always went out of his way to talk to me and kind of mentor me. So, I’m really excited to see Caitlyn and see how it goes tonight.”
The U.S. women’s soccer team hadn’t won a World Cup since 1999, and this most recent tournament was Hope’s third attempt at the title.
“I said it wouldn’t quite feel right if I retired without having a World Cup in hand,” the goalie said. Despite feeling “complete,” she added, she’s set to keep pushing her momentum and go “another round.”
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“I’m not retiring, but I said it wouldn’t feel right because all my life I’ve tried to go after the World Cup,” she explained. “It’s the epitome of soccer. That’s truly what it is — it’s about the World Cup. It’s not necessarily about the Olympics, it’s about the World Cup.
“It was so triumphant. It was beautiful what our team did,” she continued. “We’ve come so far. We’ve been through a lot. It’s been hard. … We always believed, which was powerful for us. We always believed, and then in the end we just blew everybody away.”
As for her appearance at the ESPYs on Wednesday, Hope said she can’t wait to “wear a dress” and show fans that she and her colleagues do have a glamorous side.
“These athletes show up and they just rock their bodies. It doesn’t matter if we’re a size zero or a size two. This is our party, and it’s about celebrating being professional athletes. You’re going to see all my teammates rocking their beautiful dresses. They have muscles, and it’s okay and it’s awesome and I love it.”
The ESPYs air Wednesday, July 15 at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC.
— Erin Biglow
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