U.S. Forward Abby Wambach retired from international soccer on Wednesday, as the United States fell to China, 1-0, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The loss marked the end of a 104-game home unbeaten streak for the Americans.
Despite the result, Wambach told USA Today it's time for her to leave soccer. "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 announced her retirement earlier this fall, with the intention of playing out the ten-game victory tour in celebration of the United States Womens World Cup victory in July. Despite a storied career with the USWNT, she voiced her opinion about the current state of the American soccer program on the Bill Simmons Podcast.
"I would definitely fire Jurgen [Klinsmann]," Wambach said to Simmons on Wednesday. "Sorry, Sunil [Gulati, U.S. Soccer president], sorry, U.S. Soccer, but I don't think the litmus test on him has worked."
Although Wambach admitted she enjoys watching German-born USMNT members Jermaine Jones and Fabian Johnson, according to CBC sport, as an ambassador of soccer for the United States, she wants to see the game grow organically.
"He hasn't really focused I feel enough attention on the youth programs. Although he says he has I don't think that he has," Wambach said.
Wambach won Olympic Gold medals with the United States in 2004 and 2012, was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2012 and added a FIFA Women's World Cup this past summer in Vancouver, B.C. She will be remembered as the ultimate team player, and will be missed sorely by the USWNT.
"We will never see another Abby Wambach," former USWNT member Jule Foudy told ESPN.
Hey, @AbbyWambach welcome to the #hasbeens. But better to be a has been than a never was. #uswnthasbeens pic.twitter.com/fzW0RRNdSG
— Julie Foudy (@JulieFoudy) December 17, 2015
