Wambach warming up for an international friendly match against Canada, September 2011
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Mary Abigail Wambach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | June 2, 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Rochester, New York, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994–98 | Our Lady of Mercy High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995–97 | Rochester Spirit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998–2001 | University of Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002–2003 | Washington Freedom | 37 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009–2010 | Washington Freedom | 39 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | magicJack | 11 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013–2014 | Western New York Flash | 29 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 116 | (70) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001–2015 | United States | 255 | (184) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | magicJack (Player-coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 13, 2015. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 16, 2015 |
Mary Abigail "Abby" Wambach (born June 2, 1980) is an American retired soccer player, coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on the U.S. women's national soccer team from 2003 to 2015, earning her first cap in 2001. As a forward, she currently stands as the highest all-time goal scorer for the national team and holds the world record for international goals for both female and male soccer players with 184 goals. Wambach was awarded the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, becoming the first American woman to win the award in ten years. She was included on the 2015 Time 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world.
Wambach played college soccer for the Florida Gators women's soccer team while attending the University of Florida and helped the team win its first NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. She played at the professional level for Washington Freedom, magicJack, and the Western New York Flash. Wambach has competed in four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments: 2003 in the United States, 2007 in China, 2011 in Germany, and 2015 in Canada, being champion of the last edition; and two Olympics tournaments: 2004 in Athens and 2012 in London, winning the gold medal on both. All together, she has played in 29 matches and scored 22 goals at these five international tournaments.