Hope Solo book a best-seller

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Aug 23, 2012

By Mike Woitalla & Paul Kennedy

"Solo: A Memoir of Hope," by Hope Solo with Ann Killion, will debut at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list, the highest ever for a soccer book.  “The Beckham Experiment,” by Grant Wahl, held the previous record when it debuted at No. 9 on New York Times list in 2009.

Solo celebrated her second gold medal two weeks ago when she helped the USA beat Japan, 2-1, in the final Aug. 9. The book, published by HarperCollins, was released five days later.

The memoir made immediate headlines because of Solo’s account of the controversy surrounding being benched for the 2007 World Cup semifinal, in which the Americans were routed, 4-0, by Brazil. During a hotel room meeting when Coach Greg Ryan told her Briana Scurry would start instead of her, Solo writes that when she got up to leave, Ryan “leaned over and pushed me back down on the couch. Hard.”

Ryan has denied doing so.

Solo’s popularity after the USA’s runner-up finish at the 2011 Women’s World Cup led to an appearance on “Dancing With the Stars.” In the memoir, she accuses her partner, the professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, of slapping her in the face.

Solo recounts her integration into the U.S. team after its 1999 World Cup win, when the Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and Co., had reached unprecedented heights for female athletes in the USA. She also reveals in detail a difficult childhood marked by the relationship with her father, who was at times imprisoned and homeless.

GOLD CUP RADIO DEAL. Futbol de Primera will again be the exclusive Spanish-language radio broadcaster in the United States of the 2013 and 2015 editions of the Gold Cup.

FDP, which has carried the Gold Cup since 2007, will transmit the competition on its more than 100-affiliated stations across the country. The Gold Cup broadcasts will be anchored by legendary announcer Andres Cantor.

Futbol de Primera also holds Spanish-language radio rights to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and all Mexican national team games. Its syndicated daily show, hosted by Cantor, is the country's longest-running Spanish-language radio show of its kind.
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