Photo by Thomas Eisenhuth/ISIphotos.com
Abby Wambach's penchant for coming up big in the FIFA Women's World Cup this past summer has earned her more individual acclaim six months later.
Wambach was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year Tuesday, becoming the first soccer player — male or female — to win an individual year-end award from the AP.
Wambach scored four goals at the Women's World Cup, including a last-gasp dramatic equalizer in the quarterfinals against Brazil that forced the match to penalty kicks, where the United States won to keep its run alive. She also came up with a go-ahead goal in the semifinal against France and a go-ahead goal in extra time of the final against Japan, although the Japanese equalized late through Homare Sawa and went on to win the cup in penalties.
U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo finished second in the voting, while Sawa finished tied for sixth.
Here are a few more stories from around the soccer world:
FOUR MORE CLINCH CCL BERTHS
The field for the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League continues to come more into focus after four more teams cemented their places in the tournament.
No strangers to the CCL, Metapan and Olimpia will both be part of the tournament for the fifth straight year after capturing the El Salvador and Honduras Apertura crowns, respectively.
They'll be joined by 2011-2012 tournament participants Municipal, which won the Guatemalan Apertura championship, and Alajuelense, which won the Costa Rican Invierno.
MLS already has four representatives in the 24-team field (Los Angeles, Seattle, Real Salt Lake, Houston) and could have a fifth as long as either Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal prevent NASL's FC Edmonton from winning the Canadian championship.
LIVERPOOL SIGNS TEEN STARLET
Liverpool has won the race to sign Wycombe Wanderers' 16-year-old forward Jordan Ibe.
Ibe is an up-and-coming English attacker, who came through the Charlton Atheltic and Wycombe youth systems. He became Wycombe's youngest-ever goal scorer by finding the net in October, when he was still 15, and he was reportedly on the radar of a number of top-level Premier League clubs as a transfer target.
FIRE TO PLAY REAL ESPANA
The Chicago Fire will play Honduran side Real Espana in a preseason friendly in New Orleans on Feb. 4, the club announced on Tuesday.
Real Espana, which boasts former Los Angeles striker and Honduran veteran Carlos Pavon, was a participant in the 2011-2012 CCL, where it finished last in Group B but beat and tied the Colorado Rapids in their two meetings.
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What are you thoughts about Wambach winning the AP award? Do you think 2012-2013 is MLS' best shot yet at putting forth a CCL winner? Think Ibe is a star in the making? Planning on getting Mardi Gras started early by checking out the Fire friendly?
Share your thoughts below.
No one is whining that she wasn’t rewarded, fool. I don’t really care about the award, tbh. The argument is that it SHOULD bother you that the best player on the winning team (who scored more goals than AW, earthquake, storybook etc), isn’t the female athlete of the year. AW wasn’t even the best player in her sport, and wasn’t nearly as inspirational.
And that was one pretty incredible cross that put the ball on Abby’s head. Dont forget that. And people stop your whining. Sawa got plenty of accolades and reward. It was an incredible world cup all around that moved womens soccer forward by leaps and bounds. The US team was an inspiration and behaved with complete class so I’m not bothered that Wambach got an award for what was probably the best sports moment of the year. If the US had finished their multiple chances against Japan, they would have beaten them handily and no one would be complaining. That didnt happen and I think the US team, most American fans, and sports writers were genuinely happy for Japan, Sawa and their storybook run in the World Cup, not to mention their incredible fortitude.
Dude its the biggest Honduras community in thje nation. Plus the Chicago fire has one of their largest academy’s In new Orleans so yeH there gonna draw a crowd.
I would of thought Houston would be better for them to play in, or even Dallas but Tom above is right with the Fire’s youth program being present in Louisiana it makes sense
Clearly some american bias in the AP in giving the award to Solo, but its all got to be based on that incredible finish vs Brazil and her great reaction/comments right after the final whistle.
i agree that Sawa for her whole tournament probably deserved it more- but methinks she doesnt feel too slighted having gone home w/ the MVP, golden ball, and championship.
Hells yes! I’ll be there. We don’t get games down here too often.
If nothing else, this post made me go watch Wambach’s goals against France and Brazil again. Good stuff.
Chicago Fire has a youth program based in New Orleans (Chicago Fire Juniors – Louisiana). Additionally they have another set-up in Jackson, Mississippi which is about 2½ hours away.
You should have stopped at “AP’s writers aren’t likely to be too knowledgeable.”
I expect AP writers to know what they are talking about. Or at least look up who won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the WWC, not to mention, you know, the actual WWC.
Is there a large Honduran community in New Orleans? If there isn’t, I can’t imagine the Fire friendly drawing much of a crowd…
Of course, AP’s writers aren’t likely to be too knowledgeable about Japanese female soccer players.
That’s just pathetic. Sawa finished 6th? What the hell.
Sawa was twice as deserving as anyone for her work captaining a Japanese squad holding a ravaged country’s hope and national pride in their hands.