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

Fri, Jan 20th 2012, 09:26

Abby wins US Soccer Player of the Year Award

For their excellence at the highest levels of the sport, U.S. Soccer named U.S. Men’s National Team forward Clint Dempsey as the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year and U.S. Women’s National Team forward Abby Wambach as the 2011 Female Athlete of the Year. U.S. MNT midfielder Brek Shea and U.S. WNT and U-23 WNT forward Sydney Leroux won the Young Male and Young Female Awards, respectively.

The U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award is the highest honor awarded to soccer players in the United States. Online votes registered at ussoccer.com counted for 50 percent of the total votes, while the other 50 percent was represented by votes compiled from members of the national media…

Wed, Jan 18th 2012, 15:30

Studio 90 part 2

Tue, Jan 17th 2012, 13:44

Abby Joins Studio 90

Tue, Dec 20th 2011, 11:18

Abby Wambach Named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year

U.S. forward Abby Wambach has been named the Associated Press 2011 Female Athlete of the Year.

Wambach’s inspirational leadership and goal scoring helped the Americans to the cusp of the World Cup championship this past summer, capturing the hearts and minds of the American public along the way during the team’s dramatic run in Germany.

The award, selected by members of The Associated Press, saw the 5-foot-11 striker receive 65 of the 214 votes cast, while teammate Hope Solo (38) was a distant second, and UConn basketball star Maya Moore (35) was third.

Wambach is the first individual soccer player — man or woman — to win one of the AP’s annual sports awards, which…

Wed, Dec 14th 2011, 11:07