Former Gators Abby Wambach and Heather Mitts Still Riding World Cup Wave
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 | Soccer, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – She has been quizzed by David Letterman, honored with a parade in her hometown, played before sold-out crowds in Women's Professional Soccer, and over the weekend, Abby Wambach joined her former Florida teammate, Heather Mitts, for a trip down memory lane.
Wambach and Mitts appeared at the UF women's soccer team's season opener on Friday night – signing hundreds of autographs after the match – and on Saturday the two U.S. World Cup teammates were serenaded with chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A'' as they were introduced at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the football season opener.
That has been a typical weekend for Wambach since her fame skyrocketed over the summer due to her play in the World Cup.
“It's been a wild ride,'' Wambach said. “The whole thing has been wild. Life has been good.''
The days of Wambach walking through the mall in anonymity are over. As for paying for meals, she doesn't have to pull out her wallet very much nowadays, certainly not when she went out for a sushi dinner with Mitts and Gators coach Becky Burleigh during her trip to Gainesville.
Since leading the U.S. National Team to a second-place finish against Japan, Wambach's memory bank has filled up quickly. She has one moment in particular that put in perspective the past few months.
“I've got 15-year-old boys telling me they want to be Women's Professional Soccer players when they get older,'' Wambach said. “It's awesome. No joke. It was something that made me really feel proud.
“I don't know if I'll ever hear that one again.''
Playing on the biggest stage in women's soccer, Wambach became a household name in a matter of weeks with her play in the World Cup. In the championship match, Wambach's goal put the U.S. ahead 2-1 in the first overtime before Japan tied the score in the second OT, sending the match to penalty kicks. Japan won on penalty kicks to spoil the ending for U.S. fans.
But once the Americans returned home, the impact of their performance in the World Cup started to hit home. Women's soccer hasn't been in the spotlight like this since 1999 when the U.S. women won their only World Cup.
“It was just an amazing ride,” Mitts said. “For us to be able to go over and compete and get everybody on the bandwagon here back home, I never thought I'd see this day for women's soccer.”
In the weeks since the tournament ended, many of the U.S. players returned to their WPS teams and played before packed stadiums. For Wambach, that meant notoriety unknown to her prior to leaving for Germany.
Eating dinner without getting interrupted is rare. She has taken more photographs with complete strangers than she knew possible. Several endorsement deals are in the works.
The free-spirited Wambach is trying to soak up every minute.
“It's been a transition to be honest,'' she said. “It becomes a part of your life. You have to be patient with parents who don't know how to work cell-phone cameras. It's been awesome.''
Long before their journey this summer, Wambach and Mitts helped the Gators win the 1998 national title. Wambach recalled watching Mia Hamm and the 1999 U.S. squad defeat China to win the World Cup as a student at UF.
As Wambach and Mitts helped the U.S. nearly win the 2011 World Cup, Burleigh watched back in Gainesville, proud of her former players and for the game she loves.
“The level of visibility they brought to the sport was incredible,'' Burleigh said. “What was cool about this World Cup was people were talking about that team for what they displayed on the field, not for, 'Oh man, she would be great for Madison Avenue.' It was more about the heart they played with and the determination.
“You don't often hear mainstream Americans talking about women's sports in those tones. I thought that was pretty cool.''
The level of Wambach's play – and the potential impact of her instant fame on UF's program – didn't go unnoticed by Burleigh. How could it when Robin Roberts is doing the Gator Chomp on “Good Morning America.”
“I think any time any of our players do something significant that is known to a large segment of the public that it's going to be good publicity for us,'' Burleigh said. “Abby handled herself with such poise in that World Cup. You could tell she was kind of the heart and soul of that team. She left it all on the field. There was nothing else she could have done to ensure the success of that team.''
Both Wambach and Mitts said their time at UF helped prepare them for moments like the Olympics and World Cup. They specifically recalled the intense training and how that helped develop the mental toughness needed to be a professional athlete.
While in town, Wambach and Mitts spoke to the Gators before Friday's match and again on Saturday, stressing to the players the important of enjoying the moment and making the most of their time in college. Years after Wambach and Mitts departed UF, the former Gators are trying to do the same in the wake of the World Cup.
“The reception we have had is something I'll never forget,'' Mitts said. “It's been an unbelievable experience.''
“Obviously not coming back with the Cup as we planned is heart-wrenching,'' Wambach added. “But we came back to a winner's welcome. I think what we did over there was bigger than championships. We moved people and we got people excited about a game.
“Quite honestly, it's probably the most proud feeling I've ever felt about being an American without having won anything. It was almost like we did win.”
