Mending U.S. soccer star sees prediction come true for team

She undergoes daily massage therapy in an attempt to improve circulation and strengthen her leg muscles…

August 22, 2008

BEIJING — Abby Wambach watched Thursday’s Olympic women’s soccer game on a big-screen television at a restaurant in Alexandria Bay, in northern New York, where she is vacationing with her family.

And although she was 7,000 miles away, the Rochester native felt as if she were on that field in China.

“I was screaming and cheering so loud they probably could hear me on the other side of the world,” said Wambach by phone, just an hour after the United States had shocked Brazil, 1-0, at Beijing Workers Stadium. “I was crying tears of joy for them. What an inspirational story the way they’ve all pulled together. I am so proud of them.”

Wambach was supposed to be a part of the story, too.

A big part.

But two weeks before the Olympics, the former Our Lady of Mercy High School All-American broke her left leg in two places in an exhibition match vs. Brazil. And suddenly the woman who had been the soccer heroine of the 2004 Athens Games was thinking about a titanium rod rather than another gold medal.

Without Wambach, one of the most feared strikers and prolific scorers in the world, the U.S. women’s soccer team was supposed to struggle just to make it to the medal round of these Games. But instead of falling apart, her teammates rallied around one another, just as Wambach predicted they would, after she came out of surgery to repair her leg.

“I knew they could still win the gold medal,” she said. “I knew they had the talent. It was just a matter of everyone pulling together.”

About 10 minutes after the match ended Thursday, Wambach received a phone call from equipment manager and friend, Andrew Dessert.

“It was an emotional moment,” she said. “I wasn’t able to talk to the girls. I know they had the medal ceremonies and all the interviews with the media to do. But I’ve been in touch with them leading up to this game, and I’ll talk to them later. I’ll be sure to tell them what great champions they are.”

Though she’s still using crutches, Wambach has begun her rehabilitation. She undergoes daily massage therapy in an attempt to improve circulation and strengthen her leg muscles while she waits for her fractured shin bone to calcify. Because her leg can’t bear more than 25 pounds, she focuses on exercises like swimming.

“I’m not exactly the greatest swimmer in the world,” she joked. “Michael Phelps can only inspire mere mortals so much.”

Wambach, 28, hopes to be back on the field within six months, even though her doctors have told her it could take her nine months to a year.

She also hopes to be ready for the 2011 Women’s World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics.

In the meantime, she’ll catch up with family and friends, and attempt to answer all the e-mails, letters and cards she’s received from well-wishers.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Wambach said. “I’ve heard from tons of people from back home in Rochester as well as from total strangers from all over the world. People have been incredible. I’ve definitely felt the love.”

People remember her heroics at the last Olympics, when she scored the winning goal in the gold-medal game.

But they also remember the remarkable grace and class she’s shown dealing with the disappointment of the injury that kept her from helping the U.S. defend its championship.

“I wish I could have been with the girls in Beijing,” Wambach said. “But they know I was with them in spirit.”

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