'Shut up'? That's not Wambach's style
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Shortly after Pia Sundhage took over as coach of the U.S. women's team in 2008, she was holding a team meeting at which forward Abby Wambach was going on at considerable length about some topic or other regarding the team. Which is not unusual for Wambach, who readily acknowledges, "I can talk. I'm a talker."
But at some point during that particular day four years ago, Sundhage had reached her limit of Abby-isms, so she turned to the forward and said, "Just shut up."
"I don't remember what Abby said, but she was talking too much," Sundhage recalled with a laugh this week. "I clearly remember it. She was sitting there and it was, 'Rah! Rah! Rah!' For me it was too much, too many English words. She was good about it. I think she was a little surprised and, more importantly, the team was surprised. And they laughed a little bit and we went on."
And after last year's World Cup, Sundhage named Wambach co-captain behind team captain Christie Rampone (the precise flowchart is unclear).
"I think Pia sometimes regrets it because I tell her exactly how I feel," Wambach said. "The first day I say, 'How about this and this and this,' and she's like, 'Oh god, here we go.'"
Well, maybe sometimes, but not too often.
"It's a pleasure to be around Abby," Sundhage said. "She wants to help the team so badly, sometimes I have to tell her, 'Chill out, take it easy.' She has the biggest heart. She has her opinions. She cares. You can tell. Sometimes I go and listen to what she says to the media and I think, 'Wow, that's a good way to put it.'"
A good example was Tuesday, when the Americans completed an undefeated round of group-stage play at this week's Olympic qualifying tournament by winning their three games by a combined 31-0. Wambach, however, immediately gathered her teammates after Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Mexico and told them the win meant squat, that absolutely nothing was accomplished until the team won Friday's semifinal game against Costa Rica.
Friday's game is key because the winner goes to the Olympics and the loser stays home. Despite the possibility that U.S. goaltender Hope Solo might miss the game with a sore quadriceps muscle, the team is a heavy favorite against Costa Rica, which has never defeated the Americans.
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Being a good leader, Wambach is already fretting that the team not peak too early; because, for as much energy and focus the team is putting into the qualifying games here, it must be able to elevate its game even higher should it reach London.
"That's the evolving story of sport, right?" Wambach said. "That's what we're doing here. As a pro athlete, you have to set small goals, and this is one of our goals. Qualifying for the Olympics is part of the path toward seeking our third consecutive gold medal. In order to do that, you have to set small goals that are simple and measurable and that you can feel good about. Otherwise, it's just monotony and boring and no fun. That's [important] to managing teams and people and emotions."
Wambach moved into third place on the all-time list of most international goals with 129 earlier this tournament. Rampone said practicing against Wambach has sharpened her own skills as a defender. She also takes much of the media burden off the quieter Rampone.
"She is full of energy, she's awesome. The energy you see on the field is the same you see off the field," Rampone said. "She's constantly talking -- on the bus, in the locker room, at meals. When she's not around, we're like, 'What's going on?' because it's so quiet. She brings good energy."
In addition to the injury concerns over Solo, Wambach has been dealing with a sore Achilles. To save wear and tear on her body, she played only the first half of the first two games, followed by 60 minutes against Mexico.
"There are two more games, hopefully," Sundhage said. "The next game is the most important of all the games we play and we need a fresh Abby Wambach."
"The coaching staff has really been smart about the playing time I've gotten and how much pounding I've done on my body and my feet," Wambach said. "I'm ready to play 90 minutes. Hopefully, I won't need to play 90 minutes because hopefully we can get the job done in the early minutes of this next game."
Whether they do or they don't, it's certain Wambach will have something to say about it.
"I don't have to tell her 'shut up' today because we have the relationship," Sundhage said. "She knows me and we know each other and we respect each other."
Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached here. His website is at jimcaple.net.
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