Hope Solo used her time at the mic during the U.S. Soccer's 2018 Annual General Meeting Saturday to deliver a passionate speech in support of change and equal pay between the men's and women's national teams.
One of eight running for president of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), Solo pleaded with voters to unseat what she referred to as "the establishment" and the "status quo", calling out fellow candidates former USSF vice present Carlos Cordeiro and Soccer United Marketing CEO Kathy Carter by name in the first contested election since 1998.
MORE: U.S. Soccer elects Carlo Cordeiro as next president
Solo's bid fell short as Cordeiro won the presidency, garnering nearly 70 percent of the vote, but her message didn't fall on deaf ears. The 16-year veteran of the national team reiterated sentiments she'd expressed in a complaint to the United States Olympic Committee, that the federation has patently its purpose grow the game at every level.
"For those of you who think the state of soccer today in the U.S. is good enough, then you should vote for more of the same," she said. "The establishment is backing two candidates who represent continuity, who represent, not change, and who will deliver more of the same—failure on the pitch, chaos and conflict off of it and not the progress that we need. The two establishment candidates Carlos Cordeiro and Kathy Carter have not just been part of the system, they have created and shaped U.S. soccer into what it is today. A vote for either one of them is a vote for the status quo, disunity, discord and more failure."
Solo cited earning $40,000 less than than USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard in 2008 despite playing 15 more games and winning the World Cup and winning league keeper of the year honors when Howard didn't win anything, approves unequal playing conditions and pay among the men's women's professional ranks as evidence of the federation/s ineptitude under Cordeiro. Solo said Carter refused to furnish U.S. senators with a breakdown of breakdown of revenue for the men's and women's national teams she refused.
"We can't be here four years from now, realizing we made big mistakes," Solo said.
You can view Solo's entire speech below. She begins speaking at the 2:13:49 mark.