Abby Wambach begins final World Cup journey - SFGate
During a much earlier part of her career, U. S. women’s national team forward Abby Wambach wouldn’t have considered watching the game from the sideline. Wambach, 35, remains a central figure in her team’s chance at winning its first title since 1999. U. S. opponents might see Wambach in doses, but as usual, they will be strong ones. “As a competitor, I want to play every minute of every game,” Wambach said. Wambach raved about how coach Jill Ellis and her staff used several combinations in their matches leading up to the World Cup. “Their mind was on Games 5, 6 and 7” in the World Cup, Wambach said. “It will all be for naught if we lose Game 5 in the World Cup. Make no mistake: Although Wambach has announced this would be her final World Cup, she plans on playing to the end. That means Game 7. Wambach is the world’s all-time leading international goal scorer with 182. Of those goals, 77 have come in the air. Germany 10, Ivory Coast 0: In Ottawa, Celia Sasic scored the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history and Anja Mittag also scored three goals to spark the top-ranked Germans in a Group B match that was the second-most-lopsided. Source: www.sfgate.com
