Abby Wambach

Q & A

Got a Question for Abby Wambach? Ask it here.

Recent Q & A

Question:

Any advice for kids just starting out?

Answer:

Yeah. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not simple. It’s hard work. The sport itself is difficult to learn. I mean, look at us. We’re still making mistakes and we’ve been at it for the past 20 years. My advice to any newcomer is just to be patient and to work as hard as you can, because if you work as hard as you can, you won’t be able to look back with regrets. That’s how the women on this national team got here.

Question:

Have you thought about what you want to do after you’re done with soccer?

Answer:

I want to do a lot of things. I want to travel the world in a different capacity. Not as a soccer player but as a humanitarian, a philanthropist. I want to own restaurants, own real estate, stuff that I’m working now to afford and achieve.

Question:

Do you enjoy the travel?

Answer:

The travel is easy. When you’re younger it’s easy. The older you get, the more you start wanting to get a family and settle down. I’m not there yet. I’m really loving this whole experience. It’s not going to last forever. That’s something I’ve known since I got here, that I’m not going to be a soccer player forever. This is a very short time in the lifespan of a person. Soccer has given me a lot. All I can do now is keep playing well and hopefully give back to my country what it’s given me.

Question:

Who are some of the people who were influential in helping you advance in your career?

Answer:

I had a trainer at Florida named Randy Brower. Jerry Smith, the Santa Clara University coach, he was my Under-21 National Team coach. These people gave me the tools to be successful. It was then up to me, because at some point you have to accept the information and all the help you’re getting from the outside world and internalize it and put it into a product on the field. Obviously, as role models, the people I looked up to were Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, and obviously Kristine (Lilly). They paved the way for me to have an opportunity.

Question:

Was there a point at which you realized you had a special talent?

Answer:

I didn’t realize until late in my college career that it was actually something I could do after college, maybe for a living and as a career. Even then, you still had to be the best in the world. I was afforded the opportunity to play in the WUSA, which gave me the environment to learn at the next level what to do to achieve the success that you need to be on the national team. From there it steamrolled.

Updates

Thu, Aug 12th 2010, 15:00

12 in '12: London hopeful Abby Wambach

Olympic gold medal. Two FIFA Women’s World Cup bronze medals. WUSA Founders Cup MVP.

Abby Wambach’s tough style and goal-scoring abilities earned her a spot on the women’s national team at 21. She won gold at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, alongside several of her soccer idols. Wambach was unstoppable on the field and is among the top-scoring players in history. She was expected to help lead the team to gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but her teammates would have to do it without her after Wambach broke her leg in a collision with a Brazilian player in the final game before the start of the Beijing Games. She has made a full…

Fri, Jul 23rd 2010, 10:31

Abby on the Daily Line

Sun, Jul 18th 2010, 22:37

Abby Scores Twice as U.S. Defeats Sweden 3-0

The U.S. Women’s National Team finished their two-game series with Sweden this evening with a convincing 3-0 victory at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

After drawing 1-1 with Sweden earlier in the week, the No.-1 ranked U.S. put on an impressive display against the fourth-ranked team in the world as Megan Rapinoe ignited the scoring when she finished off a rebound in the 33rd minute and Abby Wambach scored career goals No. 108 and 109 with her head.

The performance was Wambach’s 27th multi-goal game of her career and third of the year. It also gave her 10 goals in 13 games since returning from her broken leg. Wambach passed Tiffeny Milbrett on the all-time points list with 262, good enough…

Wed, Jun 30th 2010, 09:48

Wambach a leader in more ways than one

Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach did not make the starting lineup for the Women’s Professional Soccer All-Star Game last summer, earning a place only by coaches’ votes.

This year, the U.S. Women’s National Team’s leading scorer was the top overall vote-getter and will captain one of two teams that face off today at KSU Soccer Stadium in Georgia.

Lingering effects from a broken leg sustained just before the 2008 Olympics hampered Wambach in last year’s inaugural season, but that is ancient history.

“The leg break was a big deal,” Wambach said. “I was still feeling it the first bit of last season. Now moving forward, it’s nice to know it’s not going to hamper me, which I thought it would for the rest…

Mon, Jun 28th 2010, 09:57

Who should Abby Pick?

With a unique All-Star Game format chosen for 2010, each captain will select their starting team together with the All-Star Game head coaches. Wambach will choose “Abby’s XI” with Philadelphia Independence Head Coach Paul Riley, while Marta will chose “Marta’s XI” with FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya at a unique playground pick-em event for fans on Monday, June 28 prior to the 2010 WPS All-Star Game.

Abby wants to know who YOU would pick if you were in her shoes. Now is your chance to play captain and let Abby know what you think.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

After you vote, be sure to tune in to the WPS All-Star Pick ‘Em. WPS will offer live…