You won't have to travel to London to see the nucleus of the U.S. Olympic women's soccer team playing games. Several players are now on the Seattle Sounders W-league roster, including star goalkeeper Hope Solo.

The Richland, Wash. native and former Washington Husky is excited to be coming back to her soccer roots.

"I really owe a lot to the fans here and the friends that I've made in the soccer community," Solo said during a practice last week. "Not only was it the right thing to do, but I've always wanted to come back and finish my career in Seattle."

Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Sydney LeRoux, and Gig Harbor's Stephanie Cox were all part of the American team which finished runner-up to Japan in last year's World Cup. They will play a few matches for Seattle this summer, with a trip to the Olympics sandwiched in between.

Coach Sigi Schmid welcomed the women's team to the same practice facilities they share with the Seattle Sounders FC men's squad.

"I think the women's national team has always drawn a lot of attention and notoriety, and it's great to have players from this area be prominent on that team like Hope has," Schmid said.

Solo sees this as the perfect time to promote and elevate the women's game in a city which already loves soccer.

"I believe in the soccer community and the organization here in Seattle. With that said, I know it can be even better," she said. "It's incredible what the men's Sounder team does. There's room to grow the women's game, and that's what I'm here to do."

The Sounders women are coached by another Seattle-area soccer legend, Michelle French, and play their home matches at Starfire complex in Tukwila.

Their first action is a "friendly" (exhibition match) Monday night against Seattle Pacific University.

Follow Bill Swartz, 710 ESPN Seattle

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