Because this is a Women’s World Cup year, I have decided to countdown to the tournament by providing a short soccer/fitness related preview of each of the 24 participating nations. In this instalment, I will look at the United States of America, two-time Women’s World Cup Champions (in 1991 and 1999) and one of the favourites to take the title this year. The U.S.A. have been drawn in Group D, along with Sweden, Nigeria, and Australia.  They will play their first match against Australia on Monday, June 8th, 2015.

The United States have a star-studded team, with talented and experienced players in almost every position on the pitch.  Among the top players in the team is striker Abby Wambach, who excels both because of her technical as well as her physical prowess.  At 5 ft. 11 inches tall, Wambach is a handful for any female centre back to mark (and she would probably be a challenge for many male centre backs as well)!  As impressive as her physical size and strength are, Wambach also has excellent speed, agility, and jumping power.  She has scored 182 goals for the United States in her international career, dating back to 2001.

Below is a very entertaining highlight video of Abby Wambach, which includes some great footage of her best aerial goals, as well as her training regimen:

Can Wambach’s technical and athletic abilities finally lift the United States to their first World Cup title in over 15 years, and provide her with the one achievement which has eluded her thus far in her career?  We will have to wait and see what happens in 1 month’s time.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic.  Drop me a line here to get the conversation started.