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Define “Wambach”

Jill

Photo of Abby Wombach playing soccer

Heartbreaking USA loss to Japan today in the Women’s World Cup (although if we had to lose to anyone, I suppose I’m ok with it being Japan). But our ladies played wonderfully, and I think we should honor them with some new vocabulary. My sister suggests that the phrase “use your head” be replaced by “Wambach it.” I think a so-close-comeback should be called a “Hope Solo.” And I predict the Rapinoe cut is the next Hammil / Rachel / Bieber.

19 thoughts on Define “Wambach”

  1. More heartbreaking are the anti-Japanese comments on Facebook and Twitter referencing Pearl Harbor, WWII, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the March tsunami/earthquake.

  2. Yes, “Wambach”: wherein you are allowed to bowl over players to attempt to head a ball and even if you miss the ball and knock the lights out of a defender no foul will be called.

  3. Such a heartbreaking loss. And as an aside, what do you think the odds are that Abby Wambach will go out with me, just once?

  5. Epic. The most thrilling soccer game I’ve ever seen. The physically smaller Japanese team pulled off a truly shocking upset. It had never defeated a European team in five previous World Cups, and its futile record against the United States was 0-22-3. Hopefully the attention this gets in Japan will be a boost for the image of women in a country not known for feminism.

    The US team has nothing to be ashamed of– they played their best game of the tournament, really either team could have won it.

  6. Man that was one of the most epic football (soccer) matches I can remember seeing. That was a bullet of a header from wambach and the first goal was even better. Japan were like jake lamotta (I’m not gonna say Ali cus’ its obvious that wasn’t planned) no matter what the USA threw at them they just wouldn’t go down. Those US penalties looked like they were taken by women who knew the gods of football were not with them.
    if its not too painful I’d like to try to introduce to ‘sawa’ i.e.
    1. to drag your team/etc through kicking and screaming
    (despite the fact that they are being monstered and massively outplayed) with just the sheer unyielding force of your will,
    some silky skills and ovaries of cold steel.
    2. to be really freaking awesome at everything while having a delightful swishy pony tail

  8. Maybe I’m trying to hard to be clever on this, but honestly, based on her toughness, I’d suggest a definition along these lines-

    Abby Wambach-Who you get when the DMX of “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot” switches genders and becomes a Caucasian soccer player.

  9. Aaaagh – I missed the game from the 55th minute on because everyone else here wanted to swim! Both skdes were playing solid games, though I thought the US was playing a somewhat more aggressive game. I’m sorry I missed that wild ending – congratulations to Japan’s side!

    And are you serious about people making derogatory and cruel comments??? What is wrong with some people that leads them to be so hateful?

  10. Hope Solo has to be turned into a vocabulary word.

    I also am putting in a vote for Sawa though. I’d combine the 2 definitions above.

    Sawa (adj): To be a force of sheer unyielding will while having a delightfully swishy pony tail. (Or any otherwise incongruous visual flair.)

  12. Sawa (adj): To be a force of sheer unyielding will while having a delightfully swishy pony tail. (Or any otherwise incongruous visual flair.)</i.

    Now I'm seeing it like a mix of "stride" and "sashay" — like "I put on my sluttiest heels and sawa'd right past those fucking catcallers without batting an eye." 😀

    Also, regarding the game as a whole, I thought the US played better but I was actually glad Japan got the win just because I think they really deserved something cool and inspirational this year. They won on guts and determination (and a little luck), all of which the country needs in spades right now. So more power to those plucky hard-core red-carding devil-may-care ladies (even if the entire US wants to give poor Solo a hug and some candy right now)!

  15. It’s frustrating to see the US play a fantastic match and lead twice only to create opportunities on silly defensive mistakes, but I am full of admiration for a Japanese team that remained willing and able to capitalize on small opportunities. A lesser team would have lost hope during the relentless US attack. They just found a way to win, much like the US did against Brazil.

  16. Now I’m seeing it like a mix of “stride” and “sashay” — like “I put on my sluttiest heels and sawa’d right past those fucking catcallers without batting an eye.” 😀

    I do not care about you goofing the italics, Bagelsan, that is exactly the vibe I was going for and goddamn I am finding a way to incorporate it into a conversation today. 🙂

  17. Wow. For someone like me who doesn’t know much about soccer, that game and the whole tournament was eye-opening.

    You could still sink a battleship with everything I don’t know about soccer, but at least now I’m starting to understand why so many people like it so much.

    Also, along with half the straight male population of the U.S., I’ve developed a serious crush on Hope Solo.

  18. I wish my day yesterday had let me sit and watch it, especially if my kids could have seen it. Soccer is big for kids in my area, and my daughter decided she wanted to be signed up for it this past spring. Then she hated it because she wasn’t instantly good at it. I explained that most of her team had played several seasons already, and that she was on the young side for her age group, so having other kids do better was to be expected.

    My son was more fortunate, for all he had to be strongly encouraged to sign up for soccer. Being younger meant that the other kids had only a little experience at most, and on the old side of his age group meant he was one of the bigger kids. He’s continuing in the fall.

    The World Cup games would have been good for my daughter, to see how well women play competitively, and for my son just because he likes soccer. I don’t know that seeing women play would make a conscious difference to him yet, he’s only 6 and the local teams are all coed. But for later on, who knows?

  19. I also suspect that any FanFic I ever write in the Star Wars Expanded Universe from now on will have Hope Solo as a character somehow related to Han.

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