Wambach out of Olympics with broken leg

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Abby Wambach, the leading scorer for the U.S. women’s soccer team this year, is out of the Olympics after suffering a broken left leg Wednesday night during an exhibition game against Brazil. She is scheduled to undergo surgery today.

Losing Wambach is a serious blow to the team’s gold medal hopes at the Beijing Olympics.

She has a mid-shaft oblique fracture of the tibia and fibula, the two bones that make up the lower leg. The injury occurred after she collided with Brazilian defender Andreia Rosa in the 31st minute, according to U.S. soccer officials.

The U.S. won the game, 1-0, but lost a veteran player on what is essentially a very young team.

Wambach, who was carted off the field and taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, is scheduled to have surgery today to have a titanium rod inserted. Injuries of this sort usually require a 12-week recovery, according to the U.S. soccer website.

“I want to thank all the fans, the doctors, the players on the team and Tasha Kai for scoring the winning goal,” said Wambach from the emergency room. ”Obviously, it’s devastating, but above everything else, I’m only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player. I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold.”

The match was the final tuneup for the team before it begins defense of its Olympic title on Aug. 6 against Norway.

Wambach has 13 goals and 10 assists this year and is one of the top scorers in U.S. history with 99 goals in 127 games.

-- Debbie Goffa