We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle - 229. THE WORLD CUP WITH ABBY: Inside Her Most Stunning Moments & 2023 Predictions

Episode Date: July 20, 2023

Time to HUDDLE UP, Pod Squad!  Our most beloved The Soccer expert – Abby Wambach – prepares us for the World Cup, bringing us inside her personal rollercoaster journey through four World Cups: The real scoop behind her impossible, iconic goal against Brazil in 2011;  The moments she will never forget from the brutal loss against Germany; How she *really* reacted when learning she would not be starting for the 2015 US Team;  How we can ALL learn to lead from the bench; and What to expect in this year’s tournament. Plus, Abby delivers the pep talk we all need for this year’s World Cup. LFG, USA!  About Abby:  Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award. She was the United States’ leading scorer in the 2007 and 2011 Women’s World Cup tournaments and the 2004 and 2012 Olympics. She is a part owner of Angel City FC, the first majority-female-owned soccer team in history. Abby lives in California with her wife and their three children. TW: @AbbyWambach IG: @abbywambach To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to We Can Do Hard Things. This is what we are calling World Cup Week. Ooh, okay, because. My jam. We are going to get the pod squad completely ready for the most exciting, important, sporting situation event, event on the planet. Yep. Okay. The most important and exciting sporting event on the planet is coming up and And the pod squad needs to be ready. So what you need to know pod squad is that in preparation, I did sit down with Abby at

a table and said, I really think it's important that we highlight the shit out of the world cup. And so I want to brainstorm who we should have on to talk about the World Cup. And Abby Wombok did sit with me for 20 minutes. I said, I want somebody who knows the ins and outs. I want somebody who has been there, who has had the highs, who has had the lows, who will take us into the moments of the World Cup. Obviously we already had Rapinoe. We're going to bring on the precious warrior, Sophia Smith.

Yeah, after, yeah. It took 20 minutes, but Abby did say, I've been to the World Cup. Yeah. What about me? Yeah. And I've gotten coached. Oh my God, love bug.

We have the queen of the World Cup. Wow. The Queen of our hearts. Mm-hmm. Who is here today to give us every single bit of background information, all of the juicy details, the highs, the lows, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. How many more cliches can you throw in the Disconversation Order? A lot more. I'm putting my hand on.

We're gonna leave it on the field. We're gonna throw some Hail Mary. Oh, all right. I've been reading articles about Abby, which is so ridiculous. No, it's not. It's thrilling. And I feel like I owe you an apology. I feel like I should have been walking around like, hey Abby, remember when that woman punched you

in the face during that game, and the rest missed it. And then you had to go in for that goal with a swollen, shut eye, and then you made it, and then you pointed at your eye, you're such a badass. I should have been saying these things more to you. Instead of like, you said you're good sister, I love you. Oh yeah. She's such a bad ass. Abby today is going to tell us some beautiful stories and get us ready because nobody can get a squad ready like Abby Wombok. Actually,

do you want to give us a little pep talk? Pretend we're in a huddle. Do you have huddles and soccer? Yeah, that's what you do. You huddle up. You huddle up. You circle up, circle up, pod squad. Give us a pep talk. Like you're Captain Abby Wombok and we're about to go in the field. What do you say? All right, so here's the thing.

This is a huddle up for the listener. This sporting event is gonna be riddled with so much drama. There's gonna be ups, there's gonna be downs. You are gonna see some of the most amazing footballers play this game to their maximum. And what you're about to hear is an old player who played the game to her maximum. But I just am so excited because this is gonna be the most competitive world cup you've ever witnessed. Really? You're going to learn and know more about some of these younger national team players

for the US that are coming up. And you're going to see some magic. And I think that one of the reasons why people love watching our women's team play in big events like the World Cup is because we have a really good chance of going far and winning. Oh, so that's different than with the men. Very. And the no disrespect to the men.

No. But our women's team is a powerhouse when you go to watch the game, your central nervous system can calm just a little because we will likely have an advantage. And it's going to be fun to watch. The advantage of excellence. Yeah. Yeah, so, okay. That was a terrible huddle up by the way.

I thought it was great. I can do better. I can do better. That was great. We'll give you a chance to do another one at the end. Okay. I want to talk about the first time you made it on to the World Cup team.

Oh my gosh. Can you like, can we stop for a second and just for the novices among us? We have the Olympics and then we have the World Cup. So is the World Cup like the international Super Bowl of football slash soccer, but similar to the Olympics, it only happens every four years. Correct. The first World Cup took place in 1930, and it was created because at the time, soccer was not part of the summer games. Oh, interesting.

So it was like an alt to Olympics. Yeah, and just for reference, the Olympics allows the women's teams to play, but they only allow a younger version of the women's teams to play, but they only allow a younger version of the men's, so as to not cannibalize in a way the Olympics, because the soccer teams would get so much more publicity and excitement.

Oh, interesting. So you played in college. Yeah. You were playing on a professional team. After college. After college, you played on a professional team. After college. After college, you were playing on a professional team. And then you were in the national team. Poo.

Poo. Yeah. Poo. So explain to us what that means. So essentially what happens is for the most part, it's a little bit different now than it was when I was going through. But the national team has youth national team programs. So when I was going, it was 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, and now it's a little different.

I'm not sure the exact age groups that they have now, but it gives younger players an opportunity to play with other players around the country. To then one day become a national team player. Now the senior national team is compiled of a group of national team pool players. So the coaching staff, General Manager of the national team, they have a list of players, which essentially is what the national team pool is. And then they pull from that pool to bring in players for certain camps for certain roster. How do you get put in the pool? You are scouted. So you're scouted from the time that you're a young kid all the way through college. And then when you get on a professional team, that is really where a lot of the players are getting now pulled from us. Now that we haven't really established a great professional league, it's an easier

way for the national team coaches to identify players on a week by week basis, you know, depending on what's coming up. I mean, there's one player on the team right now that she's actually never played for the national team, but she made the World Cup roster because of her performance on her professional team. Savannah D'Amello has yet to actually suit up and get a cap for a women's national team. Savannah D'Aamello, congratulations. So one day you're sitting around and you're playing on your professional team and do you get a call from someone that says you're swimming in the national pool now?

How does that work? Usually you get a call up to a certain camp. So throughout the year, the national team has international dates where they can train and then play games, usually at the end of those camps. Those are the friendlies. Correct.

Friendly games are games that are real games, but they don't matter. There's no like tournament. There's no prize at the end of it. So the national team coaching staff I bet are in constant communication with the coaches in the end of the cell. And also, players who are playing in foreign leagues, US national team players who are playing in foreign leagues, US national team players who are playing in foreign leagues. They'll call the coach, talk about the player, and then after they've seen enough quality

from that player, they will get in touch either by phone call or email letting that player know that they're going to get called into the next camp. So all the soccer people, if they're in like a pyramid of people, then they're trying to get higher and higher. They get higher if they're playing professional and then the highest, the best of that gets pulled up to the national team. Correct.

So then the national team pool is there, but you once you're on the national team pool that doesn't mean you're getting picked for the World Cup. Yes. Right. So only the tippy top of people determined by the coach that year or staff get chosen for the actual World Cup roster. That's right So tell me about when you

Finally get your your holding your breath when what year was this when you first made the World Cup roster? 2003 2003 take us back to that moment 2003 Abby Wambuck's first World Cup 20 years ago 2003 take us back to that moment 2003 Abby one bucks first world cup. Twenty years ago. Oh, twenty years. I was playing on the Washington freedom, which now is the Washington spirit in the former WSA league. And the head coach April Hendrix, she called me and asked me to come to her house. She lived like an hour or two outside of DC

because she wanted to discuss the World Cup roster. And I was very excited and also nervous. I had been playing with the national team for the prior two years. I was getting called into camps. I was getting left out of some camps. And so I was in and out. And who was on that team that we would know?

So Mia Hamm, Julie Fowdy, Brandy Chastain, Christine Lilley, some of the veteran iconic women that you've probably remember watching in the 99 Women's World Cup. So I drive my car to my head coaches. And I was very nervous, because I was either gonna make it or not. And so I walk into her house, and you know, I'm 22, 23 years old at the time, I'm very scared. Yes. I'm very nervous.

You're a baby. Can I emphasize how incredibly scared I am? Yeah, I was very nervous and I walk in, and she says, are you hungry? And I'm just like, yes, like nervous energy. So she makes me a ham sandwich. And Mia ham sandwich, she makes me a ham sandwich. I'm sorry, go ahead.

And she sits me down and proceeds to let me know that I have made the final roster for the 2003 women's rope up. And so I was so excited. And just so everybody is clear, when you're getting called into camp, it is of my mind at the time. I'm one of the younger players. I'm new. I'm just trying to break into the scene.

Every single camp, every single meeting, every single time we're in a group of people, I am doing a head count in terms of how I see everybody on the team and where they lie on the numbers system. And I think at the time, only 21 players made that roster. And so I kept getting to the 20th and 21st player and I'm like, I think I'm right there. I was like seeing myself just getting in, just getting in by the skin of my teeth.

So I'm on the team, she tells me I'm on the team. And then she proceeds to tell me that I'm gonna start. Oh my God. That I'm a starter. How many people start on an obstacle field? 11. You have 10 field players in a goalie, because, you know, the whole previous two years

I was getting called in. And sometimes I wasn't even getting sent to games and playing in camp. So what did I know? But I was playing so well in the league. And Mia happened to be on my team. I got so lucky to get drafted to play on the team that Mia Amazon. So she was on the freedom also. In the professional league. Yeah. So you had the chemistry

with her that you could play together. Yes. So it's like, yes. Where Mia goes, so does that be? It was like Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams or something such as that. Exactly. Like something like that. Yeah. Abby was Gracie. Yeah, I got that. Okay. Okay. So, she tells me that I've made it and I'm going to start. So I was excited. I made it and then I was terrified. Yeah. Because I was happy for 30 seconds before I knew. I was just happy to be there.

You know, your first time going to one of these big events. Of course, in your best, highest self, you want to play. But also, I don't want to fuck it up. Like I don't want to get out there and ruin it. And you're playing with all of your heroes. Oh, yeah. God, it was intense. So she tells you that she believes in you so much that she's going to start you.

Yeah. Okay. Then you go back to your Washington freedom team and what happens after she tells you that she believes in you. I score ton of goals. We end up winning the WSA championship. Yeah, and one thing that I scored the game winning goal, I was the MVP. She's like, damn, I should have told Abby that earlier. But that's a good point.

Words of affirmation work very well for me. Yes, yes. I always say, I love how you cook tonight. I love how you do the dishes. I believe in you. But Abby said to me when she was first telling me in this story, you should always tell people ahead of time. If you believe in them, tell them ahead of time. Because it puts this extra pet the near step. Yeah. Yeah.

Hi, it's Elise Loonan, the New York Times bestselling author of Honor Best Behavior, and the host of the podcast, Pulling the Thread. I'm pulling the thread. I'm joined in conversation by those who can help us bring meaning and understanding to a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming. My hope is that these conversations spark moments of resonance and plant tiny seas of awareness so that we might all collectively learn and grow. Listen and follow Pulling the Thread an Odyssey Podcast on the Odyssey app

or wherever you get your podcasts. So tell me what happens when you're preparing to go to the World Cup. What does that look like for a person? Well, it's very different now, but you've got a pack for like a whole month being on the road. And you're going from different place to different place, different city to different city. You get a whole ton of gear from the sponsor of the national team. I was just decked out in all the World Cup gear. And it's very cool, especially when you're young,

you're wearing all the crests and stuff very proudly. Because this is like a dream come true. I watched the 99 World Cup women's team play and win at the Rose Bowl when Brandy ripped off her jersey after she scored the penalty to win that World Cup for the US. And I was 19 watching that. I remember being like, that looks cool. I think I penalty to win that World Cup for the US. And I was 19 watching that. I remember being like, that looks cool. I think I want to do that.

I want to do that for a job. And so, you know, my whole life had been about soccer. So this is the pinnacle. This is like the big tournament. So I was thrilled, excited, and also terrified. I like, I had a role. I had a big job to do also. Okay.

So take us to the Germany game. It's the semi-final game. So to win it, you go to the final, to lose it, you go to the third place game. Okay. And just so everybody's understanding, the World Cup for me at the time, it was like I wanted the veteran players

who had just won the previous World Cup. I wanted them to re-experience that. And for me as a person, I can't just do something for myself. I will superhuman myself for us, for the group, for the whole. And so we get ourselves into the semi-final game against Germany. And have you been playing that whole time? You've been starting? Yeah, I've been playing, I think I'm actually the leading scorer on the team. Wow. I'm doing well.

I'm having a pretty good world cup for especially a young player. And Germany is one of the best teams in the world. They had this player, Gareth Freckis, who just was very tall. So on all of our set pieces, defensive set pieces, so we're defending corner kicks and we're defending free kicks. Hold please. A set piece is like where they know what they're gonna do.

It's like a set piece is like a scene where everyone knows their lines and then the rest of soccer is like improv. There's a foul, there is a foul and the ball is set. Right. And so then there is a play that happens to try to score a goal. And so Germany ended up getting a corner kick at the very beginning of the game. And the entire scouting of Germany was that Gareth Reckis, this tall player who was my

mark, the person that I am trying to prevent from scoring. Everything goes to the back post. Everything goes to the back post. What does that mean? Meaning if there's a corner kick, they serve the ball to the very farthest post. So there's two posting in soccer. There's a front post of the goal.

There's a front post and the back post. And all of their service was going to the back post. That was the scouting report that we got. And so they told me, Gareth Freckas will stand on the back post, you marker there. First corner happens, Gareth Freckas is standing on the front post.

Oh, the near post. Gareth. And so I'm of two minds, meaning I don't know what to do. Because your coach has told you to be in one place and you can see that you should be in another place. This is part of the set piece, but she's fucking up the set. This is an ad live on Germany.

They called an audible. They did. So I look at Julie Fowdy, who's the captain of our team, and I was like, Jules, what the fuck do I do? She's sitting on the near post. She goes, okay, stand in the middle and do both. If it goes near post, get there. If it goes far post, get there. I'm like, all right. So I'm not touch type, meaning I'm not as close to Garafrecus as I need to be. Long in the

short of it, they kick the corner kick and they, this kick is like on a rope, meaning it is driven very quickly. And I couldn't get to Garfrecus. She heads the ball, scores a goal. Danward down, one to zero. She won by Mark. She won by Mark. Yeah, exactly. It was my mark. Okay.

She scored. I fucked up. Okay. So you fucked up. It was your mark. Yeah. That scored the goal. Yes. You're the baby of the team.

Yeah. Your whole dream is to give this to the 99ers again. Yeah. And you feel as if you have lost the game for the team. Yeah. The whole world cup. Yes. This is the quarter finals of the semi finals. semi-mys.

So now they were supposed to go to the finals if they won this. And so take us to you when that game ends and you have lost. So we lose, we actually lose the game by more than one because we were trying to push forward for a goal and they countered and scored a couple goals on us. Yeah, I'll never forget that night as long as I live. I remember feeling like I was in a bad dream, like I was gonna wake up from it because it was like the worst possible outcome that I could imagine. I was so upset after the game, I was inconsolable. I was so upset that I wouldn't get out of the shower.

I was just sitting on the ground in the shower, crying. The coach actually ended up telling somebody else to stay behind, because the team was already on the bus. I was in a really bad place. You were throwing stuff? Yeah, yeah, I was livid. I felt completely responsible. And I was the most devastating thing

that I think had happened to me up until that point in my life. Did anybody say anything like comforting to you or helpful that you remember? It was just quiet. Or not comforting or not helpful to you? I've learned this more now. We don't bullshit each other. You know, it's like, it's not like you're fine.

No, it wasn't that. It was just like, that's the sucks. That's a kick in the teeth. Yeah. That's honorable. It really is. It's not patronizing.

Every time anyone strikes out of obvious team and I always scream, it's okay. And then the whole team looks at me like, there's nothing worse you can say than it's okay. Well, I mean, and not for nothing, I'm like not many people know this, but my livelihood depends on how well I do in the World Cup. Even in perception, I'm leading the team

and scoring for the World Cup, but now I'm thinking, I've fucked up my whole career. This one play is going to now define me. It was horrible. It was a horrible feeling. I knew that the older veterans were considering their retirements at this point. They were getting older, and I didn't know

if this was gonna be the thing, right? But they ended up continuing on and playing in the 2004 Olympics. Okay, so the next World Cup is 2007. I asked you about 2007, and your response was as follows. I don't wanna talk about it next So I guess we're skipping 2007, right? Yeah, I was a shit show. Okay, not a good time 2011 I want you my love to

Preface that amazing moment in 2011 that so many pod squatters will actually know The game against Brazil, But get us there. So it's the tournament in Germany and Europe is known to have a lot of football, soccer, knowledge. FIFA was at the time putting more money than they ever had into the tournament. So the German fans came out in droves. It was really incredible. It felt more

professional than any other World Cup I had been to. Felt, it was like, oh, this is kind of how it's supposed to be. We had done pretty well throughout the tournament and we find ourselves in the quarter final game against Brazil. We're in Dresden and who's on the team? Megan Rapino. I think that that might have been Megan's first first World Cup. Yeah. Megan, Chris Rampeon, Shannon Box, Carly Lloyd, Ali Krieger, Rachel Bueller was on the team, Heather O'Reilly, Lori Lindsay, Kelly O'Hara, she's on the team now. Lori Lindsay, Kelly O'Hara, she's on the team now. A lot of old school folks. I feel like for sure this game changed my life. And had I known it was gonna change my life,

I would have probably decided to be way more nervous for it. But I felt pretty confident. The previous World Cup, Brazil beat us in the game knocking us out of the World Cup. And it was a butt kick-ing too. Like I was a humiliating one. Yeah, they killed us. And just food for thought.

They're very fun before and after the games, Brazil. Like they're beating drums. They're like being like really rowdy and excited. And so after we lost in 07, they, we were, we, the national teams, because in the later rounds, they play in certain stadiums. And FIFA would house us in the same hotels. I don't know if that happens anymore, but I'm clear it doesn't happen on the men's side. And so when we lost Brazil in 07, we were in the lobby with our friends and family getting consoled, sad, upset.

We just got super humiliated by Brazil. They just kicked our ass. That's why you didn't want to talk about 2007? A little bit. Sorry. No, it's totally fine. Brazil's team bus drives up and they're beating their drums and it was one of those circular doors where there's like three sections and it you know if you touch the door the door stops like that little thing. They got their entire team inside the circular door

They got their entire team inside the circular door, and they went round and round. While we were in the lobby crying. That is hell. And I'll never forget that feeling, because we all just had to sit there and watch them celebrate in front of us. And so here we are, playing against Brazil, fast forward, 2011, and Dresden.

Does that make you extra as a team just freaking ready to play this game? Like have you been waiting for this moment for four years? So like finally kick Brazil's ass. Yes. And so here we are. We find ourselves, we go up early in the game, kind of an own goal gets scored. So we're up to one to zero. And then it's freaking crazy, but we end up getting a red card in the 60th minute.

What? Yeah, Rachel Bueller gets a red card and we go down a player. What did she do? She got a penalty, but the referee deemed Rachel Bueller last player, meaning if you foul somebody and you're the last defender, that prevents somebody from an opportunity from scoring a goal, then that's an automatic red card. Okay, Pod Squad, a red card is when you get a really serious time out and you have to go to the sideline

and think about what you've done. For the rest of the game, it's an ejection. So it was like an hour you were playing a woman down. That means one less player in the field for an hour? Yes, well, because at the time, you don't know if you're going to go to extra time. This game, we ended up going over time because they score a goal. They tied up. We end up going into extra time against Brazil.

We're still playing down a man. Shannon Box was by far in my mind the MVP of this game because she was playing a holding center mid and a center back. So when we were in a attack, she'd push up high and when we were defending, she'd get back on her back. I know that's her. She was a miracle that day. And so we get ourselves into over time. Brazil scores on a corner kick. Marcha does what Marcha does, she scores this ridiculous goal. And we're losing two to one. And at this point, the game essentially,

if you scored over time in the world of soccer, that's like, okay, you've done it, right? So you all were like, the whole world was like, Brazil's got this. Yes, it's over. Especially because we're also still playing down a player. Right, you're down a player. So it's 11 to 10. And how far into the overtime is this that they scored their goal? They scored in the first overtime. And then the game is counting down.

We're like, there's like two minutes left. And one of the Brazilian players goes down with an injury. And I'm going up to the referee. I'm like, she's wasting time. She clearly walks over and then falls to the ground. Right, because she's like, if I can eat one of these two minutes, we're good. Yeah, and so they bring out the stretcher. She gets on the stretcher.

And as the stretcher leaves the field, she jumps off the stretcher and runs to the middle of the field to get called back on the game. What a rascal! Yeah, here's what ends up happening. Because the player goes down with the injury, now the referee puts on two minutes of injury time in extra time, which is pretty rare. At the time, now they do tons of extra time in the World Cups and whatnot. So it's like 120th minute, 121st minute. It's supposed to be over a win, 120. So the referee is playing on for a few minutes

because of this perceived injury and the time that it took for her to get off the field. And you're screaming what at your team? I'm screaming one chance. I was not willing to let myself believe that we were about to lose. Like it was not happening. Just one chance.

So on our own goal line, which is like where our goalkeeper is, our goal line, Christian and Poon fouls the Brazilian player. I'll say it, she fouls a Brazilian player and gets the ball, but the referee doesn't call it. She gets the ball back for us. And there's 10 or 20 seconds left of this game. That's how we're feeling in the moment. And we have the entire length of the field to go.

It's a very big field. So Christy Rampone gets the ball, passes it out to Ali Krieger, wide right. Ali gets the ball and plays it to Carly Lloyd in the center of the field a little bit towards the midfield. Now Brazil is like dropping all of their players back. So there's tons of them getting more towards their own goal to protect their goal. Yeah, they're getting their drums ready.

They're like, we got this. Yeah, exactly. Carly gets the ball. She dribbles it a few times across the center of the field and then plays it out wide to Megan Rapinoe who's now on the left side of the field and probably 60 yards away from the goal line. Megan takes a few touches, looks up, looks down, and then proceeds to play, I think, one of, if not the best balls and assists

in a World Cup period. She just bombs. She just hits the fucking shit out of this ball. And I'm watching her because I'm on the front line. It is my job now. Okay, the balls in the air. I get a read on it. I get an instant knowing where that ball is gonna go. And for whatever reason the Brazilian goalkeeper thinks that she can get to it. So she comes out. And by the way, this entire game, the defender who was marking me was doing a fantastic job, marked me out of the entire game. I couldn't get my head to anything on every set play and every corner kick that we had,

she had my number that day. And all I kept thinking was, don't look this up. And then I see the keeper come out, I see the keeper's hands come across my face and she misses the ball. And I'm like, this is coming to me. This ball is coming to my head. And the keeper is out. It is a wide open goal.

Oh my gosh. And for whatever reason, I can't remember. You can't remember. I don't remember. I don't know if it's because I closed my eyes or if God was on my side. But like, as the ball strikes my head, all I know is I just need to, I need to head it.

I can't just let it hit me. I need to actually head it. So I jump, I rise up, it is a perfect ball. It is perfectly on my head. Everything is right. I head it and I open my, and you hear the crowd go, because they see this whole moment, and they see that the goal is wide open. I heard the crowd fucking explode,

and instantly I thought, oh my God, I hit the wrong side of the net, it went wide. Because you don't know what they're exploding for? Yes, because it's so loud that I was like, oh my gosh, and then I realized I saw the ball go into the middle of the goal, it went in. And we just tied this game in the last few seconds. And I remember I peeled out, and the next thing I know,

I was sliding, I was doing one of those knee slides, but the field wasn't wet anymore. It's so painful. Well, here's what happened. I'm knee sliding and in the stadium, like six inches off the sideline, there's a concrete path that I see. So I have to like pop up my knees.

Otherwise, I'm gonna scrape up my knees. And as I stand up, I slip on the concrete. And this is when kind of the dog pile happens. Oh, yes. And the crowd is going crazy. And like, there are moments, if you Google it, there are video internet compilations of bars all over the world, losing their minds

after Abby scores the goal. And the announcer's going, Wombok has saved the USA's life. Well, right before that, the dude who was doing the famous commentary was like, this will go down in history as the US is most disappointing loss of that. And three seconds later, he goes,

can you believe it? I want more cuz save the United States. So you stand up and then Rapino. Well, okay, so there's a dog pile. There's a dog pile, the our whole bench clears, and they're like freaking out on the sideline with me. But Pino was so far away. And probably did her own celebration, you know, just like, you know, fuck yes.

It takes her a little bit to get to it to me. So our little dog pile kind of separates and we're starting to run back to the center line to start the game again. And Pino runs up to me and jumps into my body. She jumps onto me so hard that it hurt me. I was like, oh, it's my knees, no, my chest. It was Mayhem. And by the way, we're still playing down a man.

We have to start the game again to get the game to go into penalties. We have done nothing. We just tied the game. We ended up getting to penalties. We have done nothing. We just tied the game. We ended up getting to penalties. We win in penalties moving on to the semis. Tell me what you said about you knew your life had changed. Why did you know that your life had changed from that goal?

So my agent after that game was like, okay, so we're getting quite a bit of inbound calls. And the way that like professional sports work, especially for women, endorsements happen the most around these world cups. And so I realized my life had changed after that game, and the post game, friends and family party that Dan pulled me aside and was like, look, like people are calling like big names. National sponsorships are getting called in. And I just was like, holy shit. He was like bagging me to get on Twitter. Like, please start a profile. But that wasn't the finals. No, I mean, we hadn't won anything yet. We just won that quarter

final game, sending us to the semis against France. We ended up winning against France. You also scored an impenetrable ticket of that game. Because I did. And that goal was the latest scoring goal in World Cup history. 122. Yes. 122 minute goal. When I was reading Abby, I had no idea about this. I knew that it was like, you know,

I'm like a painting of it in my house. I know it's a huge deal in the world. But I didn't know what huge deal in the world. But I didn't know what it did for US soccer. That goal, I was reading soccer historians and they said that that goal in Brazil helped significantly. They pointed that 120 second moment to reignite the sport of women soccer soccer in the US and that right after that goal the day after the US sent dozens of media to like a And Terya doesons dozens of media and potential sponsors to that we're just sitting out the welcome. They weren't even attending.

And because of the number of people who watched that and started demanding and talking about it, in response to that, they sent their media to cover it and that that led to the resurgence. So it's a wild to think about like this moment from your individual perspectives, your individual players, then the people that it impacted, then the way that the world responded and then the demand initiated by your goal, meaning that all of these little girls have opportunities they didn't have before because your head was in the right place. Yeah, it was a wild moment of my life. Everything changed from that point on. And I was also like completely aware that we hadn't won anything yet. Yeah, that was just

oh game. And then we had to go play France. We won against France and then we found ourselves against Japan and the finals Which at the time was an upset Japan upset Germany to get into the finals And I remember watching the Germany Japan game going oh my gosh This could be a fairy tale. I felt very confident playing against Japan and the finals and winning Oh, you did so then tell us a little just a little bit about that game and how it ended We fucking lost Okay, that was a little less than I was hoping for. So So we end up going up a goal. Alex scores scores a goal. I think that I told her that I was in love with her. I remember I remember that moment.

It's a headlight people will cover this podcast. People magazine. Yeah. I think that I told her that I was in love with her. I remember that moment very quickly. It's a head like people will cover this podcast, People magazine. Yeah. Hobby Wombok admits she was in love with Alex. Yeah. Yeah. Alex is probably used to that.

I did that twice in her career. One game when she scored against Italy to actually send us to the World Cup. She came on and scored a very late goal, baby horse. And then this one against Japan in the finals. And it's a weird thing because our coach at the time, Pia, she'd never wanted to like, you know, like at the end of a game,

when teams like park the buses, what they call it, which means you just defend and just put numbers behind the ball and make it really hard for them to score. Pia never wanted to do that. She's like, just keep playing. So all right, here we are. We're just going to keep playing. This is how we do it.

Well, Japan gets a corner tick at the end of the game and Sawa scores a goal, sending it to extra time. So here we are again, having to go into overtime in a finals of the World Cup. We had just done an overtime with Brazil two games before that went into penalties. And it's weird because I scored a goal in overtime. So I was about to score the go ahead goal I scored a goal in overtime.

So I was about to score the go ahead goal and then Sawa comes back and scores again. Or I actually don't know if she scored the first goal, but either way, in a matter of like a few minutes, I went from probably winning the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball, and probably the FIFA player of the year in 2011, Sawa scores, ties it, sends it to penalty kicks. We end up losing in penalty kicks. I think because we had done penalty kicks two games prior, and they were ready to share. They knew what was

happening. And what happened after that game? So just as a little context, the tsunami in Japan happened earlier that year, and they had a massive devastation. So this team was really trying to win in honor of those that were lost during the last few months. And they were probably as simple as all the devastation. And it was just this beautiful moment. So here they are they win and I Immediately run over because a lot of us are playing we have Friends on the Japanese team because they're playing in our professional league here So we know a few of them. So I was on my team

So I ran over to Sawa and I congratulated her and you know all the cameras. I don't know this at the time But all the cameras were on me As I went over and I congratulated each and every one of the Japanese players. And so I think that the folks in Japan thought that I was super honorable for being able to do that ironically. I ended up getting called to go over to Japan to do a lot of game shows over there. I was like a superstar in Japan. She was. Yeah.

So babe, this is now three world cups. This is what I think is fascinating when Abby tells me these stories. It's when people probably think of superheroes. They think, oh, they must have always been winning. But this is three world cups that Abby's been in, and each one have led to the agony of defeat Okay, I just think it's interesting like we think people who are great are always winning and that's not the way careers our lives go Yeah, usually a lot of not that yeah, yeah, I mean a lot of people are like oh my god you won so much and

Well, that's true. There are also Three world cup tournaments that I played in and lost right so now love bug like, oh my god, you won so much. And while that's true, there are also three World Cup tournaments that I played in and lost. Right. So now, love bug. Take us to 2015. We're going to circle back. You go to that meeting with April. April's tells you you are on the team and you are starting. Now we're in 2015. Yeah. You get the call. They say you are on the team. But yeah, I make the team in 2015 and I'm 35. I'm old getting slower. Coaching staff calls me in and informs me that my role of starting for a women's national team is now going to change and that I would be coming off the bench. Was that a surprise to you?

I mean, yes. So I had the wits about me at the very least. I feel grateful for this that I excused myself. I said, I'm going to need to come back. Good for you. I'll be I'll be back in a few minutes. God, that's so wise. And so I went into my room and I threw a bunch of shit around because though

deep down I knew this was the right move. I was hoping that nobody was seeing what I was feeling. Yeah, do do do do do do do do do do do. I was hoping that nobody knew that I was slowing down and that maybe I wasn't going to be able to play 90 minutes. And you know, the way that the World Cup works is your group stage games if they end in a tie, then they end in a tie. But as you get into the knockout round stage games, you have to go into extra time and potentially penalty kicks to determine the winner. And there's no way at my age I was going to be able to play 120 minutes. And so our coaching

staff really wanted me on the field at the end of the games to ensure we could continue winning or to push for a goal. And so that was a devastation, like no other, because, you know, like I said, my income earning power is based on not only minutes played, but goal scored, being on the field and getting recognized. Like all of that really matters. And so I felt like, oh shit, like this is gonna be bad for me. And it's also like a signal of like, oh, you're now on the backswing. You're no longer at the prime.

You're like coming down from whatever height was your height. Yeah, in the climb of life, right? I'm now on the downside. And that's sad for a lot of reasons, but I didn't know how to be on the bench. I knew that you could be a good bench player and I knew that you could be a bad bench player. I have examples of both.

What's an example of both? Not people, I mean behavior. Well, I mean, being a good bench player is like cheering for your teammates while they're out there. It's like getting water for them. It's like communicating during half time, like what you're seeing on the bench so that you can help those players be more successful. A bad bench player is somebody who just sits on the bench and pouts and crosses their arm and says no words. Got it. And kind of slightly delights in bad things because they think that's right. They were on somebody who just sits on the bench and pouts and crosses their arm and says no words. Got it. And kind of slightly delights in bad things because they think they were on the field.

It would be different. And that's evidence that they should be on the field. That's exactly right. And I realized, you know, when I excused myself from the coaches, when they informed me that I was going to be a bench player, I realized I had a choice. I could be a good teammate or a bad teammate. And I wish that I could sit here and say that I'm such a good person that I chose to be a good teammate. But I actually played out both of those paths to the end. And I saw what was going to be the thing that allowed us to be champions. And it was being a good

teammate. I knew that as a veteran player, I knew that I had a lot of respect of the players who'd be on the field and I knew that if I actually believed in them and I was positive and affirming of what they were doing, that they would play better. I just like knew that in my bones. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. It is not easy sitting on the bench and truly believing and truly cheering on the players who you want to be on the field. You want to be out there making a difference and scoring the goals. And I think that when I look back now, the thing that I'm most fascinated by

is that everything that I had yet to learn about leadership was in fact sitting right there on that bench next to me. As we grow in our jobs, in our lives, with our children and our families, our roles change. And the way that we see ourselves has to be more honest, I think. And because I was able to be truly honest with myself and also competitive, I wanted to win. I had it one world cup.

I mean, how ironic. That's the ultimate competition. Yes. No, this is, I want to win. So I'll do anything, even eat my own ego. Yeah. I had to like, actually live and breathe all the things that I was saying throughout my whole career, like everybody matters and we need all energy pointing in the right direction. I'm going to test these hypotheses that I've been preaching for 20 years.

But the irony is like I spent three other world cups on the field playing in almost every minute of every game for our team and I couldn't win. And then here we are with this opportunity for me to sit my ass on the bench and then we go on and win the fucking thing. So like wow, that is a slap to the ego. There, it has ever heard one. Or maybe you were exactly what was needed. Tell me some of the strategies that you used to lead from the bench because you have actually passed these down to our kids. They do them now. Yeah. I made myself do a bunch of stuff proactively to make myself feel like I had more power than just sitting on the bench.

So I texted three players every single day, a veteran player, a middle range, range player and a bench player. What we called ourselves game changers is a psychological tactic of our coaching staff to like, I don't know, I get it. We're bench players, you know. So I texted three players every single day when we're on the training field, something that I saw that like really awed me and made me like so fired up. In fact, one of the players that I had texted a couple of days before playing Germany in the semis was Kelly O'Hara, who was also a game changer, a bench player with me. And she ended up going on the field and scoring a goal as a game changer, scoring a goal,

putting us up to zero and literally giving us that go ahead goal, sending us to the finals. Wow. And after the game, she came up to me and she was like, dude, that was all you. And I was like, no, it was not. She did this awesome karate chop kick. It was like, she just lunged her body in this very awkward, amazing way and scored the goal.

And I know deep down that a lot of players stepped up in that world cup. Carly Lloyd had an incredible World Cup. Alex Morgan had an amazing World Cup, Megan. But I also think that there was this team collective unity that we were just gonna win. And in fact, we got into the finals of that World Cup. And Carly just went off.

She scored three goals in the first like five seconds Like in the first 20 minutes of the game. We were up three to zero I think we ended up winning five to two or something, but it was I was on the field at the end and When that final whistle blew I just I fell to my knees just like stunned and What was the overriding feeling in that moment? Well, relief. Every single championship I've ever won, it was just relief.

Isn't that so interesting? Tell me what the relief was that I won't have to spend the rest of my life fucking pissed off. Honestly, that's real. So we got relief that she doesn't have to spend the rest of my life fucking pissed off. Yeah. Honestly. That's real. So we're gonna... Relief that she doesn't have to spend the rest of her life miserable and pissed off. That's amazing because that is truly how she felt that if they didn't win a World Cup,

the sad thing would be that her the rest of her life would be terrible. Yeah, I mean, cause here's the thing, like, logically, I know that my life would not have been terrible. But that is the kind of mentality that you have to have. Absolutely. The way that these tournaments go, there's so many factors that are out of your control. Another team plays incredible, the referee, whatever, the temperature, the field, the rain.

I don't know. There's so much that's out of your control. And so you have to create a controllable world psychologically. And so it's like, I'm gonna be fucking miserable. That's pretty motivating. Yes. Yeah.

You know what I mean? At the end of a game and you are exhausted, you think this is just temporary. I want to prevent a forever misery by this temporary pain that I'm feeling right now. So you win. And I mean, you're not on the bench anymore, but you learned how to lead from the bench and you won.

And now you lead from home. Like if you had what, if you knew how many texts and messages this woman sends to whether it's Kristen breast or Becky's sourboard or Alex every she's constantly and I want to tell you that last weekend our youngest was in a big soccer tournament and they lost his heartbreaking game they'd made it really far and they'd lost and we were on our way home and Emma was on her phone and I said something to get her off her phone like we do. And she had been texting every single all the girls on the team just saying how proud she was of each of them and what they had done. And it was just only because she sees

Abby doing that. It's just the most beautiful form of leadership. I just think that you are so wonderful. Well, there's a little audacity in it. I know that none of these players need my input. I know that. I actually believe that they are capable and strong, the current team that's going in 2023. But I also know how important it is for them to know that we are here for them. In any instance, if they feel like they need us, and by the way, they would never text me be like, I need to talk. That's not something that would happen.

It's just like, hey, it's not a game. Keep going. I love that run. I love that goal, whatever it is. And as a forward, the way practices are kind of organized, you spend a lot of time with the other forwards because you're training that. And so when other forwards are doing really well or I can see maybe a little need for a confidence boost, I'll just send like a text or a real quick like, hey, keep going. You know, because I know what Alex was doing when she was 21, 22 on the team scared out of her mind about playing in the World Cup or the Olympics. And I know how daunting it can feel to be in the biggest tournament and also how overwhelming

it can be and just to give like one or two pieces of like focus on your touch. That can drown out all of the overwhelm. If you just focus your attention on like one or two small things that you can do every game. And also it makes me feel like I'm still a part of it. Like that's also it's like not just for them. It's also for myself.

Yeah. Well, Pad Squad, we are watching the World Cup. We are going to be leading from the couch. The US women's national team kicks off their pursuit for another women's world cup championship tomorrow. Friday, July 21st at 9 p.m. Eastern 6 p.m. Pacific against Vietnam. In the US, the live broadcast will be on Fox and Fox Sports 1. Y'all tune in. Did you say it starts at 9 o'clock? 6 p.m. Oh, oh god, thank god. I love living in California. But there is one game that's going to be a midnight start. I can do one. I can do one. Pod Squad, we will see you on the pitch.

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