Injured Abby Wambach instills faith in U.S. team
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Wambach remains resolute in her confidence in the U.S. Olympic women's soccer team, even though the injury will keep the pivotal midfielder from competing.
Abby Wambach began to heal the instant after she fractured two bones in her left leg during the U.S. women's soccer team's final match before the Beijing Games.
Wambach, a prolific forward and vocal leader, knew immediately that her collision with a Brazilian defender last Wednesday in San Diego had wiped out her Olympic visions.
"My knee was pointing up and my foot was pointing in a little bit of a different direction," she said.
But she didn't cry on the field, and she didn't weep after undergoing surgery the next day to insert a titanium rod and screws to stabilize the leg and begin a recovery that might take 10 months.
Wambach, eerily calm then, was equally composed Monday during a conference call with reporters. Her initial reaction may have stemmed from shock, but she also was determined to keep a stoic face for her teammates and not distract them from winning that game -- or give them reason to think they can't win the gold medal without her bold play on the ground and in the air.
"It was an all-encompassing moment for me," she said of accepting the devastating nature of her injury.
"I wasn't freaked out about what was ahead, what was in store for the team. Yes, I know I'm a very important player for the team. But in the moment, it made me realize even more how insignificant one player is in a team environment.
"It really does take a team to win championships. That was my experience in 2004. The team that's going to Beijing wants to win a gold medal, and that's the only way they'll be able to do it."
Wambach joked that substitute Natasha Kai did exactly as Wambach instructed by scoring the winning goal. She also said she called her replacement, UCLA standout Lauren Cheney, from the hospital and urged Cheney to seize the moment.
Whoever fills her role, whether Kai, Cheney or USC star Amy Rodriguez, "I know all three of those players are totally capable of scoring goals because they have all this year," said Wambach, the top U.S. scorer with 13 goals and 10 assists and among the all-time scoring leaders with 99 goals in 127 games.
"So many more people are getting involved. And I'm excited to see how it all turns out. Truthfully, I really can't wait to know."
