Assuming the USA advances through qualifying for the Rio Games, Wambach said she is “going to be a fan and watch, for once, and it’s going to be awesome”. “He says he has, I don’t think that he has”, said Wambach, whose 255th and final worldwide was a 1-0 defeat against China in New Orleans on Wednesday. “I played 70 minutes, and we don’t score a goal”. “They’ve allowed me to express who and what I wanted to be and be the dreamer that I’ve always been”, Wambach said.
Advertisement
Her team may have lost, Wednesday may have been an ending, but not a final chapter. Wang Shanshan controlled the balll on the right flank and drove toward the end line.
Despite the criticism, though, ESPN notes that spending on soccer in the US has increased under Klinsmann.
When the final whistle blew Wednesday night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Abby Wambach, the most prolific scorer in worldwide soccer history, officially called it a career.
She handed the armband to Carli Lloyd, then hugged each of her teammates. Wambach’s team, too, spoke about their admiration for the star player, fighting back tears while describing the massive impact she’s had on their lives and as a role model for girls and soccer fans everywhere.
It was apparent from the outset that the Americans’ plan of attack was based in part on sending high crosses into the penalty area in hopes of connecting with Wambach for one of her trademark headers. Coming only hours before Wambach is scheduled to play her final match before retirement (USWNT v China, 8pm on FS1), it’s unlikely that she’d want to draw any negative spotlight on what should be a momentous occasion for both her and US Soccer. “It’s unfortunate to lose the match but at the same time this is a celebration of Abby and what she’s done for the team and I think that’s what matters”.
Retired U.S. men’s national team icon Landon Donovan and current U.S. midfielder Mix Diskerud were among those to weigh in on the topic, with Diskerud posting a pointed message on his Instagram feed in response to Wambach’s remarks.
Klinsmann was named coach of the US men’s team in 2011 and his desire to seek out dual-citizen players is nothing new in the United States or in other countries who commonly use the strategy as a way to bolster their national teams.
Wambach said her teammates apologized profusely to her afterward, but she told them, “There’s nothing to be sorry about”.
She won two Olympic gold medals (2004 and 2012) and a World Cup (2015).
It’s a fine way to pay tribute to the greatness that Wambach showed in her 15-year career on the field, and to acknowledge the challenges that women in sports face without ever having to take anything away from who Wambach was as a player, and what her accomplishments meant. During her illustrious career, Wambach won U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year six times.
Advertisement
“This team is going to be just fine, because it always has been”, Wambach said. I feel the men get paid way more than the women in soccer, yeah, I understand logically the argument about the ratings and that is more global. “He says he has, I don’t think that he has”.
