Abby Wambach

Lore & Background

Wambach was born in Rochester, New York, the youngest of seven children. She began playing soccer at age four after her sister Laura tried the sport. Her mother checked out a library book on how to play, and soccer became a family tradition. Wambach credited her large family for teaching her to compete, noting that her siblings never let her win. She was toughened by her elder brothers, who fired hockey pucks at her for target practice. At age five, after scoring 27 goals in three games in a youth league, she was transferred from the girls' team to the boys' team. As a pre-teen, she eluded defenders by heading the ball over them and running around them.

In college, Wambach played for the Florida Gators from 1998 to 2001, helping the team win its first NCAA Division I Championship in 1998. She set school career records for goals (96), assists (50), points (242), game-winning goals (24), and hat tricks (10). She was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-American. Professionally, she played for Washington Freedom, magicJack, and the Western New York Flash. She was named WUSA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and MVP of the Founders Cup in 2003.

Wambach is known for scoring goals with diving headers. At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, she scored a last-minute equalizer against Brazil from a cross by Megan Rapinoe, setting a record for the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match. The play won ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. She also won the tournament's Bronze Boot and Silver Ball. In 2011, she became the first soccer player of any gender to be named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.

Reader's Guide

Abby Wambach's significance lies in her prolific goal-scoring and her role in elevating women's soccer in the United States. With 184 international goals, she ranks second all-time among players of any gender, a testament to her consistency and impact over a 12-year national team career. Her six U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year awards and the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year honor underscore her dominance. Wambach's legacy is also defined by iconic moments, such as her 2011 World Cup diving header against Brazil, which became one of the most replayed goals in tournament history. She helped the U.S. win the 2015 World Cup and Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2012. Off the field, her autobiographies 'Forward' (2016) and 'Wolfpack' (2019) became New York Times Best Sellers, extending her influence beyond sports. Wambach's career bridged the collapse of the WUSA and the rise of new professional leagues, and she remains a symbol of resilience and competitive drive.

Did You Know?

• Wambach was the first soccer player of any gender to be named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press (2011).
• She scored 27 goals in three games at age five, leading to her transfer from a girls' team to a boys' team.
• Her 2011 World Cup equalizer against Brazil set a record for the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match.
• Both of her books, 'Forward' (2016) and 'Wolfpack' (2019), became New York Times Best Sellers.
• Wambach's 184 international goals place her second all-time, behind Christine Sinclair's 190.