It’s not easy filling Mia Hamm’s shoes and one can argue that it will never be done. Some may say that it’s like trying to find Michael Jordan’s heir apparent, well, good luck with that. Sure there are players such as Kobe and LeBron but there will never be another Mike.
In the case of women’s soccer in the U.S., finding someone to take over for Mia Hamm was never going to be an easy task but one woman has come close to that – Abby Wambach. The leading scorer in international soccer, male or female, announced her retirement from the game yesterday. Wambach will step down after playing the final four matches of the national team’s 10-game victory tour. Her final match will be Dec. 16 against China in New Orleans.
Wambach, 35, said earlier this year that she will retire after playing in the World Cup, which United States ended up winning this summer by beating Japan 5-2 in the final. Wambach began the tournament as one of the starters but selflessly decided it was better for the team if she came off the bench later on in the tournament. While she didn’t have the greatest tournament in Canada by her own standards, winning the title is all that mattered to her and it gave her a chance to retire the only way she knew how to – as a champion.
Wambach was a menace during her playing days scoring 184 goals in 252 international matches. She appeared in four World Cups and won two Olympic gold medals while collecting the 2012 FIFA Player of the Year award. She scored 14 World Cup goals and only trails the legendary Marta in that category, but most people will always remember Wambach for scoring the incredible equalizer in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup against Brazil. In the 122nd minute Wambach connected on Megan Rapine’s cross to force the game to penalties , which United States ended up winning 5-3.
She was honored on Tuesday at the White House with the rest of her United States national team and announced her retirement shortly thereafter in a statement.
“After much deliberation and talking with my friends, family, teammates and our coaching staff, I’ve decided to finally bring my soccer career to an end,” Wambach said in a statement. “While we still have more work to do for women’s soccer, after bringing the World Cup back to the United States this summer, I’m feeling extremely optimistic about the future of our sport. It’s been an amazing, wonderful ride and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings.”
United States’ most famous player of all time, Mia Hamm, took to Twitter yesterday and thanked Wambach for her incredible career.
“Congrats @AbbyWambach for an amazing career. You have given every ounce of your being to this game, your team, fans, and the U.S. jersey.”
It’s only fitting that the greatest player in the history of United States soccer before Wambach is the one who gets the final word.
We will all miss you Abby, no one more so than the sport of soccer itself.
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