Written by Phillip Bupp at The Comeback
Abby Wambach will play her 255th and final USWNT game tonight against China. Wambach and her 184 goals will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest United States soccer players of all time (regardless of gender).
When I thought about who would take over as “replacing” Abby Wambach as the face of the USWNT roster, “replacing” just seems wrong. Nobody can replace what Abby Wambach has done for the USWNT the same way as Abby Wambach didn’t replace what Mia Hamm did for the USWNT and the same way as Mia Hamm didn’t replace what Michelle Akers did for the USWNT. This is more about who will carry on that legacy of being an icon for the USWNT.
Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan would be a logical successor after Wambach’s career is over. They both play a similar position, are arguably the most marketable stars of the team and both are not afraid of utilizing their platform for voicing causes that they believe, like artificial turf and equality within soccer. It’s crazy to think but at only 26, Morgan is 9th in USMNT history (56 goals) in goals scored and will be 2nd among active players.
Carli Lloyd
And speaking of scoring goals, Carli Lloyd will be 1st among active players in goals scored and 6th in USWNT history (79 goals). And how could we forget this past summer when Lloyd did the unthinkable and provide maybe the greatest individual performance of any soccer player wearing a USA kit.
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