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 9th 2012, 21:34

Golden Girls: USWNT are Olympic Champions!

The U.S. Women’s National Team captured the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics with a 2-1 victory against Japan in front of a crowd of 80,203 at the famed Wembley Stadium.

U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd, the gold medal hero of the 2008 Olympics, led the way once again with both goals for the United States as they upended 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Japan and captured their third-consecutive Olympic championship.

The USA won its fourth gold medal in the five Olympic competitions featuring women’s soccer. The U.S. has also taken the overall soccer gold medal lead for combined women’s and men’s Olympic Games. Both the men’s soccer teams from Great Britain and Hungary have earned three gold…

Tue, Aug 7th 2012, 07:49

On to the Olympic Finals!

Alex Morgan scored the game-winning goal in the 123rd minute of the Olympic semifinal match as the U.S. Women’s National Team overcame three deficits during regulation to defeat Canada 4-3 in overtime in one of the most exciting and dramatic matches in Olympic history.

The USA advances to its fifth straight gold medal game where it will face Japan in a rematch of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. Japan defeated France 2-1 in the other semifinal.

The gold medal match between the U.S. and Japan kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 9, at Wembley Stadium in London. The match will be televised on the NBC Sports Network.

Midfielder Megan Rapinoe scored the first two goals for the USA...

Fri, Aug 3rd 2012, 16:43

Abby nets another as US advance to Olympic Semis

The U.S. Women’s National Team downed New Zealand 2-0 in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 Olympics as Abby Wambach scored in the first half and the USA’s youngest player – forward Sydney Leroux – tallied a clinching goal in the 87th minute.

The win kept the USA’s record intact of advancing to the semifinals of all five Olympic Games in which women’s soccer has been contested. The USA has also advanced to the semifinals of all six FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.

In the semifinal on Monday, Aug. 6, at Old Trafford in Manchester, the USA will face the winner of the Canada vs. Great Britain quarterfinal. The match will kick off at 2:45 p.m. ET and can be watched live…

Sun, Jul 29th 2012, 12:17

Abby becomes top US Olympic scorer in win over Columbia

The U.S. Women’s National Team took firm control of Group G and assured itself a spot in the 2012 Olympic quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory on Saturday against Colombia at Hampden Park.

U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe scored her first Olympic goal in the 33rd minute that proved to be the game-winner while Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd added second-half goals to pace the USA. With their second straight victory, the U.S. sits atop Group G with six points and will head into its final group match against Korea DPR on July 31 (5:15 p.m. local / 12:15 p.m. ET live on NBC Sports Network) at Old Trafford in Manchester needing a win or a tie to clinch first place in the…

Wed, Jul 25th 2012, 22:18

Abby scores 139th US goal to help US past France in opener

The U.S. Women’s National Team earned a huge three points with a 4-2 victory against France in the first Group G match for both countries at the 2012 Olympics.

After falling behind 2-0 after just 13 minutes when France struck for two goals in a three-minute span, Abby Wambach started the USA’s historic comeback with a header off a corner kick in the 18th minute. Alex Morgan pulled the teams equal in the 31st minute and the wild first match of the Olympic tournament went into halftime tied at 2-2.

Carli Lloyd, who had replaced the injured Shannon Boxx just 17 minutes into the game, tallied the winning goal on a brilliant strike from distance in the 55th minute and Morgan finished…