Abby Wambach - The Mentor

SOCCER - STRIKER - USWNT - NWSL

ARCHETYPE: THE MENTOR

Day 135/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Abby Wambach is a soccer icon, one of the greatest forwards of all time, and the all-time leading scorer of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Growing up, Wambach played multiple sports and as the youngest of seven siblings, she learned to be tough, gritty, and a good teammate. At age 5, Wambach played in her first girls’ soccer league, but was transferred to the boys’ league after scoring 27 goals in just three games. It was the start of what would continue to be her legacy as a goal-scorer.

By high school, Wambach was a national standout. She played four years of varsity, scoring 142 goals. Before graduating, Wambach was NSCAA Regional Player of the Year, NSCAA State of New York Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions New York Player of the Year, and a Parade All-American. She was voted National High School Player of the Year by both Umbro and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

As the top recruit of 1997, Wambach could have had her pick of playing at any college. She chose the University of Florida—a developing program, only 3 years old—over titans like the University of North Carolina so that she could have a bigger impact on how the program and team developed. In 1998, as a freshman, Wambach led Florida to win the NCAA title over UNC, a 15-time champion. She was selected as SEC Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American.

Wambach’s career at Florida continued to be successful, leading Florida back to the Final Four in her senior season (2001). She won SEC Championships and was named First-Team All-SEC for all four years. She was named SEC Player of the Year twice and an All-American three times. Wambach graduated Florida with career records for goals (96), assists (50), points (242), game-winning goals (24), and hat tricks (10). She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2012, and still holds the all-time goal scoring record.

Following her college career, Wambach made her way into multiple fledgling professional soccer leagues, including the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2002 and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2008. Both leagues folded, meaning any records Wambach set or could have set have folded with them. This is one of the many losses when there’s a failure of investment in women’s sports. With each new league, every player starts again from scratch.

Wambach had also been building her résumé on and for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She earned her first cap in 2001, but became a permanent fixture and primary option by 2003, when she made her first World Cup roster and scored three goals in the tournament. In 2004, Wambach helped the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, scoring four goals in the tournament—a USWNT record. With the retirement of stars like Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and Kristine Lilly, having Wambach there to receive the torch meant a bright future for the USWNT.

In the first game of the 2007 World Cup, Wambach scored in the 50th minute, putting the USWNT up 1-0 over North Korea. Minutes later, she collided with a defender from the North Korean team, resulting in a bloody head injury. She stood on the sidelines for 10 minutes, receiving five stitches, watching as the understaffed USWNT conceded two goals. With her head stitched up, Wambach re-entered the game and helped the team earn a tie. Throughout the rest of the tournament, Wambach dominated, scoring six goals in six matches.

Wambach played out of her mind in the 2011 World Cup, delivering one of the most memorable goals of her career, or any career, in the 122nd minute of the quarterfinal match against Brazil—the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup game. Megan Rapinoe served up a perfect cross into the box, where Wambach smashed a header into the netting, allowing the USWNT to move on to penalty kicks, where they defeated Brazil and advanced to the next round. This moment won the 2011 ESPY for Best Play, and solidified Wambach’s status as a legendary goal-scorer. Despite the USWNT losing to Japan in the final, Wambach won the Bronze Boot and Silver Ball for the World Cup tournament.

In 2011, she was named Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year and AP Athlete of the Year—the first soccer player to ever win the award. And in 2012, she was named FIFA World Player of the Year.

Shockingly, Wambach’s first and only World Cup title came in 2015, when she was no longer a starter for the USWNT. Though coming off the bench was difficult for Wambach, she never let her personal feelings impact the team chemistry. Her primary focus and interest was in ensuring the team was successful, even at the expense of her minutes. In particular, Alex Morgan noted that Wambach was instrumental in her development into the forward she has become today—demanding the ball, expecting to win, and delivering results with confidence.

In the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, USWNT players wore jerseys tributing heroic women who have inspired them. Morgan, who remains a star forward on the team, wore Wambach’s name across her back, saying the following about why she chose Abby:
“…when I think about who has had the greatest effect on my career and my life, I think of my family and my teammates. And when I think of my teammates, there’s no one who has helped guide me or give me advice and confidence more than Abby. I’ve never had that sort of partnership with someone like I had with Abby. She made me believe in myself at times when I didn’t. She instilled this confidence in me. She was always there for me, and as teammates sometimes fighting for the same position, you can sometimes be selfish, but she was completely opposite of that. She wanted to have success, but she also outwardly told me that she wanted me to have more success than she ever had. She wanted me to break whatever records she set. Having someone that really fought and believed in me and told me about her belief in me was pretty incredible. I’ve never come across someone like that."

Wambach retired in 2015 as a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2013). She was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a FIFA Women's World Cup champion, Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and recipient of the ESPY’s Icon Award, standing alongside Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant.

Character Archetype: The Mentor

Abby Wambach is a soccer icon, one of the greatest forwards of all time, and the all-time leading scorer of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Growing up, Wambach played multiple sports and as the youngest of seven siblings, she learned to be tough, gritty, and a good teammate. At age 5, Wambach played in her first girls’ soccer league, but was transferred to the boys’ league after scoring 27 goals in just three games. It was the start of what would continue to be her legacy as a goal-scorer.

By high school, Wambach was a national standout. She played four years of varsity, scoring 142 goals. Before graduating, Wambach was NSCAA Regional Player of the Year, NSCAA State of New York Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions New York Player of the Year, and a Parade All-American. She was voted National High School Player of the Year by both Umbro and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

As the top recruit of 1997, Wambach could have had her pick of playing at any college. She chose the University of Florida—a developing program, only 3 years old—over titans like the University of North Carolina so that she could have a bigger impact on how the program and team developed. In 1998, as a freshman, Wambach led Florida to win the NCAA title over UNC, a 15-time champion. She was selected as SEC Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American.

Wambach’s career at Florida continued to be successful, leading Florida back to the Final Four in her senior season (2001). She won SEC Championships and was named First-Team All-SEC for all four years. She was named SEC Player of the Year twice and an All-American three times. Wambach graduated Florida with career records for goals (96), assists (50), points (242), game-winning goals (24), and hat tricks (10). She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2012, and still holds the all-time goal scoring record.

Following her college career, Wambach made her way into multiple fledgling professional soccer leagues, including the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2002 and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2008. Both leagues folded, meaning any records Wambach set or could have set have folded with them. This is one of the many losses when there’s a failure of investment in women’s sports. With each new league, every player starts again from scratch.

Wambach had also been building her résumé on and for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She earned her first cap in 2001, but became a permanent fixture and primary option by 2003, when she made her first World Cup roster and scored three goals in the tournament. In 2004, Wambach helped the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, scoring four goals in the tournament—a USWNT record. With the retirement of stars like Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and Kristine Lilly, having Wambach there to receive the torch meant a bright future for the USWNT.

In the first game of the 2007 World Cup, Wambach scored in the 50th minute, putting the USWNT up 1-0 over North Korea. Minutes later, she collided with a defender from the North Korean team, resulting in a bloody head injury. She stood on the sidelines for 10 minutes, receiving five stitches, watching as the understaffed USWNT conceded two goals. With her head stitched up, Wambach re-entered the game and helped the team earn a tie. Throughout the rest of the tournament, Wambach dominated, scoring six goals in six matches.

Wambach played out of her mind in the 2011 World Cup, delivering one of the most memorable goals of her career, or any career, in the 122nd minute of the quarterfinal match against Brazil—the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup game. Megan Rapinoe served up a perfect cross into the box, where Wambach smashed a header into the netting, allowing the USWNT to move on to penalty kicks, where they defeated Brazil and advanced to the next round. This moment won the 2011 ESPY for Best Play, and solidified Wambach’s status as a legendary goal-scorer. Despite the USWNT losing to Japan in the final, Wambach won the Bronze Boot and Silver Ball for the World Cup tournament.

In 2011, she was named Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year and AP Athlete of the Year—the first soccer player to ever win the award. And in 2012, she was named FIFA World Player of the Year.

Shockingly, Wambach’s first and only World Cup title came in 2015, when she was no longer a starter for the USWNT. Though coming off the bench was difficult for Wambach, she never let her personal feelings impact the team chemistry. Her primary focus and interest was in ensuring the team was successful, even at the expense of her minutes. In particular, Alex Morgan noted that Wambach was instrumental in her development into the forward she has become today—demanding the ball, expecting to win, and delivering results with confidence.

In the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, USWNT players wore jerseys tributing heroic women who have inspired them. Morgan, who remains a star forward on the team, wore Wambach’s name across her back, saying the following about why she chose Abby:

“… there’s no one who has helped guide me or give me advice and confidence more than Abby. I’ve never had that sort of partnership with someone like I had with Abby. She made me believe in myself at times when I didn’t. She instilled this confidence in me. She was always there for me, and as teammates sometimes fighting for the same position, you can sometimes be selfish, but she was completely opposite of that. She wanted to have success, but she also outwardly told me that she wanted me to have more success than she ever had. She wanted me to break whatever records she set. Having someone that really fought and believed in me and told me about her belief in me was pretty incredible. I’ve never come across someone like that."

Wambach retired in 2015 as a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2013). She was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a FIFA Women's World Cup champion, Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and recipient of the ESPY’s Icon Award, standing alongside Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant.