Abby Wambach at peace with retirement: 'I'm not questioning my decision'
NEW ORLEANS — The fact the U.S. women’s national soccer team had better scoring chances Wednesday night when she left the field said all people needed to know, according to star striker Abby Wambach.
The player with more international goals than any man or woman said the thing that messed up the American team in its 1-0 loss to China in New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome was trying to get her a goal.
"At one point in the first half I just started yelling at my teammates, saying, 'We need to get a goal! Forget about me scoring a goal!' " Wambach said after the game. "We got to 70 minutes and didn’t score and you know, that says it right there. It’s time to walk away."
Wambach left the field as the captain for the night of the reigning women’s World Cup champions and, as a player who scored goals in every Olympics (2004 and 2012) and World Cup (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015) in which she played, it was actually a fitting end to a storied career, in her opinion.
"I know that introspectively I’m trying to find meaning in things," she said. "I scored a lot of goals. I’m happy, I’m content. It was always about a search for significance, not scoring, and tonight was just a celebration."
Her teammates’ relentless effort to set her up for a goal actually messed up the Americans’ attack. Wambach, who started Wednesday but at 35 had been coming off the bench for some time, noted it’s been a long time since the team practiced with her as a featured striker.
Just what the future will feature remains wide open, Wambach said. Scandal and indictments have rocked FIFA, the sport’s governing body, and Wambach acknowledged she wants to be a part of the reform movement. E-mails have been exchanged between her and top soccer officials in Switzerland, and if there’s a role available for her at FIFA, Wambach said she’d like to pursue it.
For the moment, however, her powers of concentration were focused on more American pleasures. Bourbon Street beckoned, and Wambach said she would answer its call.
"In the locker room my teammates were saying ,'We’re so sorry,' about me not scoring, and I said, 'There is nothing to be sorry about,' " Wambach said. "I’m celebrating now not just my career but all the chances I’ve had with my team and my teammates. I’m happy I kept it together (on the field), but when we got in the locker room it was a little different. But they were all happy tears. I’m not questioning my decision to retire."
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