"It has been my pleasure and my honor to represent you all, the fans, for as long as I've been able to. "I love this team," Wambach said in comments delivered on the field to fans after the game. New kids Jaelene Hinkle, Emily Sonnett, and Stephanie McCaffrey - who came on for Kelley O’Hara, Julie Johnston, and Meghan Klingenberg, respectively - all made rookie mistakes, none worse than Hinkle’s leaving Wang Shuang poorly marked in the box for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.The career scoring leader in international play - for men and women, with 184 goals- kicked off her cleats and hugged each teammate on the field before walking to the bench, smiling, to embrace her coaches and remaining teammates as the crowd chanted her name. Press, Lindsey Horan, and Crystal Dunn, all major contribtors of late, were ineffective off the bench. Alex Morgan did nothing before leaving in the 31st minute with what appeared to be a hamstring or groin pull. Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath repeatedly launched shots that sailed six feet over the top of the net, except when they sailed 10 feet over the top of the net. team played like it was tired or distracted or just out of sync. The unbeaten streak would have survived the Abbyfest had anyone else been able to finish on those rare occasions when the ball wasn’t sailing Wambach’s way. Only when Wambach signaled to the bench that she was gassed - something obvious to anyone watching the game - was she taken off for Christen Press. She didn’t pull the beloved icon even after China took the lead in the 58th minute. coach apparently got caught up in Abbymania. Her 72 minutes were more than she’d played in the last six Victory Tour games combined.Īccording to the Fox Sports broadcast team of JP Dellacamera and the endlessly yammering Cat Whitehill, Jill Ellis said before the game that Wambach would play only 50 minutes or so. Wambach, slow and out of shape, didn’t get a clear strike with her head or her foot on any of the balls sent her way. It was a moving gesture, but a poor strategy. players tried over and over to feed the ball to Wambach - who started, wore the captain’s armband and played 72 minutes - in hopes that she could add one more goal to her record total of 184.įans at the USA vs. On Wednesday, against a disciplined, organized Chinese defense, the U.S. That was the final game for Mia Hamm, the legend whose mantle was passed to Wambach.) (In a turn with some irony, the unbeaten streak began the next month with a 5-0 rout of Mexico on Dec. 6, 2004, when Denmark beat them 3-1 in Philadelphia. The loss ended a home unbeaten streak that had lasted more than 11 years, covering 104 games. women’s team, more focused on giving Wambach a fitting sendoff than on winning a soccer game, lost 1-0 to China before almost 33,000 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans. 16) marked the end of Abby Wambach’s illustrious career, the World Cup champions’ Victory Tour, and a record that may never be broken. Hope Solo embraces Abby Wambach as Wambach walks off the field for the last time, in the 72nd minute of a match against China in the Superdome in New Orleans on Dec.
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