Coach Taylor's

Keepers Corner

"Excerpts from an interview with US National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo in
the October 2006 issue of Fair Game magazine:

How is your training different from field players?
Obviously it’s a lot more plyometrics. It’s a lot of diving and getting up and diving and
getting up which a lot of times people don’t realize is just as taxing on your legs and on
your body. You still have to be fit. I like to compare it to more of wrestler-type fitness
not necessarily aerobic-type fitness. It’s definitely a fitness that we have to have. More
endurance. The game has evolved to this day where we have to be good with our foot
skills. We need to have quick feet just like a field player. There are times at training
where we still jump on the field with the team.

What qualities do you think all great goalkeepers possess?
The number one thing that I think a goalkeeper should have and should always work on is
their footwork. A lot of people think that having good hands is the key but really your
feet are what make you cover the entire goal. Mentally, every great goalkeeper has
courage.

Do you have any pre-game rituals that help you to focus?
I used to be pretty superstitious and I guess I kind of grew out of it. The only thing I
really do now is make sure that I wear a hat on the bus ride on the way to the game. My
warm up I always cut short so that I can go relax right before we go out onto the field.
What do you do to calm your nerves after you’ve been scored on?
It really is just sucking it up mentally and it’s gotten easier as I’ve gotten older. When I
get scored on, I pick up a handful of grass, I throw it as hard as I can and I let all my
frustrations out with that and then I just take a deep breath and settle back into the game
and know that I have to be just as prepared as I was five minutes before.

Do you ever get mad at your teammates when they make a mistake that causes you
to get scored on?
That’s a good question. I don’t get mad at my teammates when they mess up or an
individual messes up because that’s just part of the game. They do it. We all do it. I do,
however, get the most upset when I can tell that we’re not mentally engaged. What I
mean is maybe we’re not thinking to shift early enough and we’re reacting instead of
preparing. That’s really when I lay on my defenders. It’s my job to make sure that
everyone is in place early and where they need to be and when I sense a let down is when
I really get on them.

What’s the best advice you can offer a young goalkeeper?
Keep working on your foot skills. That’s one of the most important things in the game.
I’m not only talking about with the ball. I’m talking about quick feet and foot work.
People think it’s all in the hands but you’ve got to get to the ball".