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Abby Wambach says she hasn’t made up her mind yet about trying to play at the 2016 Rio Olympics. On Wednesday morning, she said she is “planning” on playing for the United States women’s national team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Wambach didn’t sound set on her decision to continue playing, but she seems to be leaning toward a return following the United States’ 2015 World Cup triumph earlier this month.
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do, but I’m planning on playing in Rio next summer,” she told Fox Rochester. “I gotta let my body recover, because that’s the thing about artificial surface. Seven games is a lot of games…my body took some hits and I’m trying to recover.”
Wambach said in a separate interview on Wednesday that she hasn’t decided on her future.
“If I’m asked to play on the team, at that point I’m going to have to make a decision the next couple of months depending on my fitness level and whatnot,” Wambach told Yahoo Sports. “I’m getting older, definitely not getting younger, but the reality is, if I’m asked to play for my country it might be difficult to say no. But I haven’t made any definitive decisions yet.”
Thanks everyone for all the support and well wishes, but I still need time to decide and make the roster. #grateful https://t.co/AuSqbLnMxL
— Abby Wambach (@AbbyWambach) July 29, 2015
Wambach, 35, had been noncommittal on her future since winning the World Cup on July 5. She is the world’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 183 goals, but she started only three of seven matches at the World Cup.
Seattle Reign FC hold Wambach’s NWSL rights after a blockbuster offseason trade. Wambach told the Washington Post’s Steve Goff that she will not play in the NWSL this season: “I am not going to play this season, that’s accurate.”
Teammate Christie Rampone, 40, says she’ll play at the Rio Olympics “if my body holds up.”
Shannon Boxx, 38, will retire at the end of the year and 27-year-old Lauren Holiday will do the same. Boxx announced earlier this week that she is done playing in the NWSL.
The World Cup roster consisted of 23 players, but the Olympics are limited to only 18 players per team for soccer.
