United States women’s football legend plays final game before retiring

Wambach officially retired after Wednesday’s match in New Orleans, receiving a standing ovation following her last match.

Speaking after the game, an emotional Wambach said: “I think it’s pretty fitting that I played 70 minutes and we weren’t able to score a goal”. “I don’t think there is a better way to celebrate it truthfully”. Her teammates still wanted her to finish with just one more. She’s not just saying goodbye. I grew up as a part of this whole system.

The 35-year-old Wambach – who since 2001 scored 184 goals in 255 worldwide matches and helped the USA win one World Cup title and two Olympic gold medals – was not able to capitalize on any of several promising chances.

“Watch out, Bourbon Street”, she added.

“I’m not bashing U.S. Soccer here”.

“I love where I come from I want all of you to know I have never forgotten about Rochester”, said Wambach.

Diskerud’s former USMNT teammate and American soccer icon Landon Donovan didn’t go quite as far as Wambach, but he did hit at some of the same themes as the USWNT star in an interview with SiriusXM FC’s Eric Wynalda on Wednesday, even mentioning German-born United States internationals Fabian Johnson and Jermaine Jones by name.

Wambach, meanwhile, believes the US men could learn a thing or two from their female counterparts.

“I wouldn’t feel as good about it if we had a team full of players that didn’t really grow up or didn’t really identify as being American”, Donovan said.

“The way that he has changed and brought in these foreign guys, it’s just not something that I believe in”, Wambach said. During her illustrious career, Wambach won U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year six times. “To go back to when I first got on the team, it was, ‘Kick the ball to Abby’s head, target forward, she’d lay it off to Mia (Hamm) and she’d figure out a way to score, ‘” Wambach said. “That’s something I’m really proud of and I’m proud of our coaches and U.S. Soccer for believing in this product and this program so that it can get better”.

Abby Wambach hugs forward Alex Morgan, facing, during a ceremony honoring her, before an worldwide friendly soccer match against China in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. “But I also think that overall as a culture we have been imprinted on the fact that women make less money, get fewer opportunities”. We love you, Abby. “We need a goal.’ I love teammates for wanting to give me the send off we all kind of envisioned”. She leaves the game as the greatest goal scorer in worldwide play.

“That’s the environment that it needs to be with the men’s team but they (the men) don’t have that, they don’t have that mentality that every single day is brutal, every single day is pushing yourself”.

When asked what she would fix about the men’s team, Wambach again called out Klinsmann, whose team suffered a surprise defeat to Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals earlier this year.

Many faces in the crowd were of young soccer players – girls inspired by Wambach. An openly gay player and a longtime advocate for women, Wambach has spoken out against inequalities between men and women both on and off the field.