'Mission' comes before ceremony for soccer team

By Scott Pitoniak

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece -- Abby Wambach and her U.S. women's soccer teammates did not march in Friday night's Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Instead, they remained in the coastal city of Thessaloniki, roughly 300 miles northeast of here, prepping for Saturday's match against Brazil.

``Taking part in something like that is something you dream about,'' she said. ``But our focus is totally on winning a gold medal, and if that means missing the Opening Ceremonies to achieve that goal, then it will be worth it. We're on a mission.''

That mission began Tuesday with a 3-0 victory vs. Greece on the island of Crete. Wambach, a former All-American at Our Lady of Mercy High School in Rochester, N.Y., picked up a goal and a yellow card in that contest. Another yellow card could result in her missing a game, so she needs to be careful.

``I'm going to continue to be physical, because that's my game, but I can't be stupid,'' she acknowledged. ``You have to know your limits and get a feel early on for how the officials are calling things. Some call it tight, and others let you use your body and strength more.''

Women's soccer teams won't play in Athens until the semifinals in 10 days, so the players occasionally feel somewhat isolated from the rest of the Olympic athletes.

``We did get a chance to stay in the athletes' village and practice in Athens before our first game, so we did get a small taste of it,'' Wambach said. ``But the whole Olympic experience and the spirit of the Games probably won't hit me until I return to the States anyway.''

Wambach said she hasn't experienced any anti-American sentiment so far. Just the opposite.

``When we played Greece, the crowd obviously was pulling for the home team, and that's to be expected,'' she said. ``But we didn't hear anything really bad. And away from the field we've been treated extremely well. The Greek people have been very welcoming to us.''