Hope Solo hasn't been tested much at World Cup but will be vs. Germany

MONTREAL – It has been a strange and for the most part silent Women's World Cup for Hope Solo. Ever since the furor surrounding the domestic violence saga hanging over her erupted again at the start of the competition, Solo has had nothing to say and hardly anything to do.

With five games in the books and just two more victories needed for the United States to clinch the title, Solo has been largely a spectator, with the team's defensive dominance meaning she has scarcely been called into action.

That will likely change Tuesday, when a date with destiny against tournament favorite Germany beckons in the semifinal at Olympic Stadium.

"Germany is a great opponent and a great transition team and obviously have a lot of attacking personality on their team," said midfielder Heather O'Reilly. "We need to be prepared and ready."

There is no question that the USA's defensive fortitude has been the highlight of its campaign. The entire unit defends stoutly as a collective, the resistance to opposition force beginning with the forwards hustling back to apply pressure. Get past that and the midfield and there is the backline, marshaled by central duo Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston, two players with smiling dispositions but the grim ruthlessness of NFL linemen when it comes to their unwillingness to let an intruder past.

And behind all that is Solo, possibly the best goalkeeper in the world. Not that she gets to show it very often.

"I think Hope is very happy with that," right back Ali Krieger said. "I think she is prepared no matter what. She is the best goalkeeper in the world and she is prepared and professional enough to be ready whenever that moment comes. She is always on her toes, always prepared and ready for a big play. I have no concern about that."

There is one school of thought that it would have been beneficial for Solo to have been tested at least a little more in the build-up for a critical semifinal against a German side that will attempt to bring sustained pressure.

Her opposite number, Nadine Angerer, is certainly battle-hardened, having withstood 120 grueling minutes against France in the quarterfinal before ending up as the hero thanks to the game-winning save in a nail-biting penalty shootout.

Solo made an important stop against Australia early in the team's opening match, and let in her only goal of the tournament to Lisa De Vanna soon after. Since then, the backline has resembled a fortress, going more than seven hours of play without conceding. Sometimes Solo wanders far out of her goal area, perhaps to take a better look at the action primarily taking place way off in the distance.

Such luxuries are unlikely to arise on Tuesday. Germany has two of women's soccer's most devastating forwards in Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic and a slick style that allows for swift counter attacks.

The world No.1 will indeed provide the ultimate test, even though the U.S. has built steady momentum and emerged from the toughest group of the event.

Whatever happens, in the final week of the tournament Solo's quiet time is about to come to an end.

Until now, the past couple of weeks have been spent in relative peace, with surely no one on the team more grateful for the self-imposed bubble coach Jill Ellis has used to insulate and isolate her squad.

Solo has been protected by her teammates, who have not a bad word to say about her, and by team officials, who have routinely ushered her through media interview areas without a word.

Her husband, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, has been a near-constant presence. Stevens angrily told USA TODAY Sports there was a "witch hunt" against Solo after the first two games of the tournament, but the pair looked relaxed and content when spotted wandering the picturesque streets of Ottawa's old town the night before the quarterfinal.

It is remarkably rare for an American women's national team player to adopt the Marshawn Lynch approach to media relations, but Solo has taken that stance since the release of ESPN's Outside The Lines report pertaining to her arrest in 2014 over domestic violence allegations.

The only comments she has given recently came through U.S. Soccer, which released a video after the quarterfinal with China.

"I feel we are peaking at the right time so we are right where we need to be, so hopefully we are going to beat Germany and head into the final," said Solo, who now holds the record for most appearances and most wins by an American goalkeeper. "It is strange to have these records in the World Cup because I want the focus to be on the team."

While the first week of the tournament was the Hope Solo show, with each new day seeming to bring a fresh element to the controversy, the past fortnight has indeed seen the spotlight drift away from her.

Yet with her biggest challenge approaching and with her abilities and nerves not yet tested, now the glare beckons once more.

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