Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

After passing Mia Hamm on the all-time international goals scored list, Abby Wambach has a chance to equal another mark set by Hamm.

FIFA announced on Monday morning that Wambach is among three finalists for the 2013 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award, an award that Wambach won last year. Joining the U.S. Women’s National Team star as a finalist is Brazil’s Marta and Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

Wambach, who was recently named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year for a record sixth time, lead the USWNT in scoring and assists this year with 11 goals and six helpers. On June 20, Wambach scored four goals against South Korea to pass Hamm on the all-time goals scored list at the international level. Wambach currently has 160 goals scored for the USWNT in her career. Wambach also scored 11 goals and had eight assists for the Western New York Flash of NWSL, leading them to the NWSL Championship game against the Portland Thorns.

The Brazilian female legend Marta won the award five straight times between 2006 and 2010 and finished second the last two years to Homare Sawa of Japan (2011) and Wambach (2012). Marta spent the 2013 season in Sweden with Tyresö, scoring 14 goals in 20 matches in all competitions.

Angerer has taken advantage of a strong UEFA Women’s European Championship campaign this past summer to become a first-time finalist. The 35-year-old goalkeeper started all 12 games as Germany won the championship for the third straight time. Angerer kept eight shutouts in nine matches for Germany in 2013.

Meanwhile, for the second consecutive year, former USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage has been named a finalist for FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year. She won the award in 2012.

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What do you think of this news? Like Wambach’s chances of repeating? Think Christen Press should have been a finalist too?

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