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Abby Wambach’s Decision A Huge Blow to the NWSL

By Scott Sinclair

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Wow. That was the initial reaction amongst many among the corridors of women’s soccer. Abby Wambach, the face of USA women’s soccer has decided she will not play professionally for the Western New York Flash this year. Wambach is women’s soccer’s all-time leading international scorer with 178 goals and won the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award.

Losing Wambach is crushing not only to the Flash but to the NWSL as a whole. Her mere presence alone draws in huge numbers of fans to all Western New York games. Any play she makes on the field draws cheers from not only Flash supporters but those from opposing teams as well. Not having her for even part of the league season is a major blow, and it’s also a loss for the community as well.“While it’s difficult to lose a player like Abby, we are grateful for her contributions over the past two years, not only to the Flash but to the entire Rochester and Western New York soccer community,” Flash President Alex Sahlen said. “We want to wish Abby and the rest of the U.S. Women’s National Team the best of luck in the upcoming World Cup.

It’s the upcoming World Cup as well as next year’s Olympic games that Wambach cites as the reason for her decision.“I am so proud of our league and truly appreciate the support of the Sahlens and the fans of Western New York,” Wambach said. “At this stage of my career, I know what I need to prepare mentally and physically for this summer. My sole focus is to help bring a World Cup back to the U.S.“  While Wambach’s fans will be disappointed but yet supportive, one has to wonder what this will do to the NWSL and the Flash in particular.

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For a team in complete flux like Western New York, not being able to count on having Wambach for any portion of the season is devastating. True, she would have only played in four games before departing for the World Cup, but her leadership guiding a rebuilt Flash team would have been vital to team development. The Flash front office spent the off season re-making the roster, only bringing a handful of players from 2014 back, Wambach included. Now they must try and rebuild without their star and stalwart. I wonder what must be going through Alex Sahlen’s mind right now.

Years ago, former baseball slugger Reggie Jackson described himself as “the straw that stirs the drink”, in regards to his role on the New York Yankees. Abby Wambach was the straw that stirred the Western New York Flash. She appeared in 29 matches and registered 17 goals and seven assists in two seasons with the club. However, her impact is felt in more than just goals and assists.She is an unquestioned leader and tone setter. She helped the Flash capture the inaugural NWSL Shield as the team with the best overall regular season record and led them to the 2013 NWSL championship game against the Portland Thorns FC before falling 2-0 at Sahlen’s Stadium. One now has to ask whether the Flash have any shot without her.

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    • What bothers many, including myself is the timing of her decision. If Wambach had made her announcement in January, the Flash could have acted accordingly in terms of the draft and other off season moves. It would have been fair to not only her team but to the league as well. She must have had some notion she was leaning towards not playing professionally this season. Is her NWSL career over all together? One has to have that feeling. She’s thirty-four and near the end of her brilliant career, so she has little left to prove professionally. But losing one of the building blocks of their league for good so close to the beginning of the season hurts the NWSL. Perhaps just as damaging is that Wambach has hinted she may continue her career professionally in Europe.  For a league still in its development as the NWSL is in, will her decision have a snowball effect. Will other national team stars also decide to put the World Cup and the Olympics ahead of their club affiliation? Will Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Kelley O’Hara, Christine Rampone not risk injury and save their bodies for the World Cup? The Americans are the favorites to win it all, but an injury to any of those I just listed as well as others will severely damage their chances.

    Until other young players like Morgan Brian, Stephanie McCaffrey and Sarah Killion establish their selves on the league stage, the NWSL will continue to rely on the USWNT allocated players to build on and draw in crowds. Losing Wambach, perhaps the best national player of all time, raises doubts on whether or not other national stars will follow suit or not.

    What do you think fans? How badly does Wambach’s decision hurt the NWSL?

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