Abby Wambach Prepares For Final World Cup Appearance: ‘All I Care About Is Winning’
USWNT player Abby Wambach will be chasing more than a soccer ball this Sunday as she prepares for her fourth and final World Cup appearance. While Wambach has two Olympic gold medals, a Silver Ball, a Bronze Boot, and the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year awards under her belt, the World Cup has eluded Wambach her entire career.
“All I care about is winning this World Cup,” Wambach stated during a press conference with the USWNT, “Of course it being my last World Cup chance, we’re one game away and it excites me.”
Wambach has had limited play time during this World Cup, but she went on to express the confidence she has in her teammates to pull off the win that will put the feather in the cap to Wambach’s success.
Even though Wambach has been used on the field in a limited capacity, it is clear that Wambach’s leadership has proven to be a driving force behind the USWNT success. During an epic half-time speech at the United States versus China game, Wambach was accidentally caught on camera telling her teammates that she wanted them to “get a f***ing goal” in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Seven minutes later, Carli Lloyd was happy to oblige Wambach.
While Wambach’s World Cup dreams have remained elusive over her decorated career, Abby’s accomplishments are nothing short of amazing. Abby Wambach currently holds the record for the most international goals scored by a man or woman, and she is a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year Award.
Wambach’s accomplishments have even commanded respect from one of U.S. Soccer’s most iconic players, Landon Donovan.
Love the enthusiasm and veteran presence of @AbbyWambach despite not playing much. That kind of leadership is priceless during a WC
— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) July 1, 2015
Wambach states she doesn’t know if she will be starting or even playing in Sunday’s World Cup final, but in true Wambach fashion, she will be ready to work.
“I have to prepare as if I’m starting. I have to prepare that if I’m not starting that I’m going to go on the field and make the difference. Big players show up for the big moments.”
Whether she plays or not, it is clear that Wambach has made an impression on her teammates that is everlasting. Fox Soccer recently shared a lighthearted video of several USWNT members hilariously doing their own Abby Wambach impersonations. Still, while they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, a World Cup victory may be the sincerest “goodbye” and “thank you” the USWNT can give Abby Wambach.
Watch the USWNT Abby Wambach impersonations here.
Will Abby Wambach’s World Cup dream come true? Tell us what you think!
[Image courtesy of Business Insider.]
