Why Abby Wambach Should Continue as a Substitute for USWNT

By Michael Cummings
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 13, 2015

In an unfamiliar role against a well-known foe, Abby Wambach very nearly proved Pia Sundhage—her former national team coach—correct. With issues to fix in the United States attack, Jill Ellis—her current coach—would do well to take note.

Wambach, the all-time leading scorer for U.S. soccer, started on the bench Friday night as the Americans played out a scoreless draw with Sweden. It was perhaps a slight disappointment for the U.S., which had a chance to seal progression to the knockout phase, exact revenge for a loss to the Swedes in the last World Cup and beat now-Sweden coach Sundhage—all in one evening.

But taken in perspective, the result was still positive for the Americans, who remain atop Group D with one match left to play. In addition, a few key lessons emerged. The first and most important was that the U.S. defense, especially center-back Julie Johnston, appears set for a deep run in the tournament.

Another takeaway was that the substitute's role appears ideal for Wambach at this stage of her career.

Featuring as a substitute is unfamiliar terrain for Wambach. According to ESPN's Paul Carr, the veteran striker had not started a World Cup match on the substitutes' bench since 2003. But after playing the full 90 minutes of the opening U.S. game against Australia, the 35-year-old was not physically prepared to start again, especially on artificial turf.

In the buildup to the match, Sundhage told Sam Borden of the New York Times she would use Wambach as a substitute.

"The best sub ever. But a sub," Sundhage said.

That little statement caused enough of a stir that the former U.S. coach had to clarify and even reverse course, as she told ESPN:

You have players starting the game, but you have players that will end the game. And Abby is a player that will make the difference [at the end of games]. So I wou...

Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!