OT: Abby Wambach’s Last Game

[JavaMan]

The Women’s World Cup Champion United States Women’s National Team, will square off against China in New Orleans on Wednesday, December 16 in the final match of its victory tour. The match starts at 7 p.m. central (8 p.m. eastern) and will be televised on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO.

The match will be emotional because it will be Abby Wambach's last with the team. The veteran forward, who has scored more international goals than any other player, is retiring.

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Wambach joins several national team players who have retired following the World Cup, including Lauren Holiday, Laurie Chalupny,and Shannon Boxx. Fortunately for the U.S., we have a number of young, upcoming, and promising superstars-in-training. The victory tour not only celebrates the World Cup title, but it serves as preparation for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament next February in Texas.

For me, the WNT of international soccer is the UConn of NCAA WBB. If Geno Auriemma coached women’s soccer instead of women’s basketball, Abbey would have been his Daina Taurasi.

Here is a [LINK] to the WNT upcoming schedule as they prepare for the summer Olympics and another gold medal.

 

[Aluminny69]

If Geno coached women's soccer, he'd be Anson Dorrance. Oh, wait a minute, there already is an Anson Dorrance.

 

[huskyd]

The Women’s World Cup Champion United States Women’s National Team, will square off against China in New Orleans on Wednesday, December 16 in the final match of its victory tour. The match starts at 7 p.m. central (8 p.m. eastern) and will be televised on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO.

The match will be emotional because it will be Abby Wambach's last with the team. The veteran forward, who has scored more international goals than any other player, is retiring.

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Wambach joins several national team players who have retired following the World Cup, including Lauren Holiday, Laurie Chalupny,and Shannon Boxx. Fortunately for the U.S., we have a number of young, upcoming, and promising superstars-in-training. The victory tour not only celebrates the World Cup title, but it serves as preparation for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament next February in Texas.

For me, the WNT of international soccer is the UConn of NCAA WBB. If Geno Auriemma coached women’s soccer instead of women’s basketball, Abbey would have been his Daina Taurasi.

Here is a [LINK] to the WNT upcoming schedule as they prepare for the summer Olympics and another gold medal.

Good analogy, J-man: comparing the US national soccer team to UConn women. Everything that I love about the Huskies, I also admire in the ladies' soccer team: teamwork, sharing, organization, maximum effort, sportsmanship--and, of course, a history of success. Men have a lot to learn from women athletes.

 

[meyers7]

Supposedly she'll be starting and captaining the team. Not sure how long she'll play though.

 

[meyers7]

Good analogy, J-man: comparing the US national soccer team to UConn women. Everything that I love about the Huskies, I also admire in the ladies' soccer team: teamwork, sharing, organization, maximum effort, sportsmanship--and, of course, a history of success. Men have a lot to learn from women athletes.

Eh, two very different things. Especially when you are talking soccer/football.

 

[meyers7]

Bump so people don't forget. Tonight.

 

[VAMike23]

Bump so people don't forget. Tonight.

Hopefully they'll have a good field to play on ...

 

[stamfordhusky]

Supposedly she'll be starting and captaining the team. Not sure how long she'll play though.

Hopefully not long since it looked in other games that she didn't have the stamina to last much more than 20 minutes

Abby has obviously been a great scorer and good player for the U.S. for many years. However if you're looking for the best all-time U.S. player, she ranks behind Hamm, Akers, and Lilly.

 

[meyers7]

Hopefully not long since it looked in other games that she didn't have the stamina to last much more than 20 minutes

Abby has obviously been a great scorer and good player for the U.S. for many years. However if you're looking for the best all-time U.S. player, she ranks behind Hamm, Akers, and Lilly.

hmmm, no Maybe, maybe behind Akers, but she's passed Hamm and Lilly.

 

[stamfordhusky]

hmmm, no Maybe, maybe behind Akers, but she's passed Hamm and Lilly.

I don't think she is close to having surpassed Hamm or Lilly as an all-around player. Wambach is a great scorer and especially good in the air - but not a great passer or great defender. Hamm and Lilly were far better in those areas.

 

[meyers7]

I don't think she is close to having surpassed Hamm or Lilly as an all-around player. Wambach is a great scorer and especially good in the air - but not a great passer or great defender. Hamm and Lilly were far better in those areas.

Well Wambach is a FW and a CF at that, so defending really doesn't matter. Except for setpieces where she's light years ahead of Hamm and Lilly due to her aerial prowess. If you combine goals and assists, she's fairly close to Hamm and way ahead of Lilly, in many fewer games.

I guess one can argue Hamm and Wambach, but I'd probably even maybe put like Fawcett above Lilly. Lilly is mostly known for her longevity.

 

[BigBird]

What a mess of a game. First, due credit to China, a clearly desserving side. Team USA, while excessively funneling the ball to Wambach and concerning itself with Abby's "big moment" forgot that great quote from Herman Edwards: "You play to win the game."

We played without a meaningful game plan in the first half, and used the second half to debut players many have never heard of. Not a shining moment for Jill Ellis. Everything I have seen from her (and yes, I include the WC) supports the notion that she is in over her head.

Had they really wanted to give Abby a memory to last a lifetime, how about a win instead of getting shut out.

 

[meyers7]

What a mess of a game. First, due credit to China, a clearly desserving side. Team USA, while excessively funneling the ball to Wambach and concerning itself with Abby's "big moment" forgot that great quote from Herman Edwards: "You play to win the game."

Agree, they kind of botched that by trying to get Wambach her goal for so long.

We played without a meaningful game plan in the first half, and used the second half to debut players many have never heard of. Not a shining moment for Jill Ellis. Everything I have seen from her (and yes, I include the WC) supports the notion that she is in over her head.

Players maybe you've never heard of. But there were no debuts there last night. They need to find replacements for Wambach, Holiday, Boxx, Van Hollebecke, Chalupny, who've recently retired. Along with Rapinoe (injured), and probably Rampone too (she's 40). This Victory Tour was their chance to blood some newer players before Olympic Qualifying in Feb.