The all-time leading scorer in international soccer will be calling it a career in December.
US women's national team striker Abby Wambach has announced her retirement plans, with the Americans' Dec. 16 Victory Tour match vs. China serving as her final game. Wambach, 35, will end a 15-year international career that has seen her win the Olympics as well as this year's World Cup.
"After much deliberation and talking with my friends, family, teammates and our coaching staff, I've decided to finally bring my soccer career to an end," said Wambach in a prepared statement. "While we still have more work to do for women's soccer, after bringing the World Cup back to the United States this summer, I'm feeling extremely optimistic about the future of our sport. It's been an amazing, wonderful ride and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings."
Wambach currently has 252 caps for the US and 184 goals. The latter figure is the most scored by a man or woman at the international stage.
"Abby is a player who has transcended our sport and her legacy as one of the world's greatest players is set forever," said US head coach Jill Ellis in the same statement. "What she has done for women's soccer and women's sports overall with her amazing talents on the field and her personality off it has been inspiring to watch. I am just extremely happy that she could end her career with that elusive World Cup title and go out on top, right where she deserves to be."
