ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Once the U.S. women’s soccer team’s victory tour suddenly turned into a farewell tour for coach Pia Sundhage, Abby Wambach — in her homecoming, no less — wanted to send her off on a fitting note Saturday.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Once the U.S. women’s soccer team’s victory tour suddenly turned into a farewell tour for coach Pia Sundhage, Abby Wambach — in her homecoming, no less — wanted to send her off on a fitting note Saturday.
Wambach scored twice and added an assist in an 8-0 exhibition win over Costa Rica, before heading to the bench and giving Sundhage — who will coach her native Sweden — a long, warm hug.
“I never do that,” Wambach said, referring to the hug. “That’s a sign of where it’s going to be hard not to leave a field and get into the locker room and not see her. I love Pia so much, because she has shown me what it’s like to love the game.”
Hours before kickoff, Sundhage informed the players of her decision to step down as coach and return to her native Sweden. She will depart following a successful five-year term in which she led the Americans to back-to-back gold medals and their first World Cup final in 12 years.
“It’s really a difficult decision to make as you can imagine being around those guys. They make me look good,” Sundhage said, pointing to her players following the game. Ultimately, she said, the decision came down to her heart in pursuing what she considers her dream job.
The Swedish Football Association announced on its website Saturday that it has reached a deal with Sundhage to take over as women’s coach Dec. 1, which is a day after her contract with the U.S. expires.
Sundhage is still the face of women’s soccer in Sweden, which she led to the title as a player at the first European Women’s Championship in 1984 and the bronze medal at the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991.