MANCHESTER, England — Abby Wambach didn’t just score the critical, game-tying goal on a penalty kick in the 80th minute of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 4-3 overtime thriller win over Canada Monday night.
It was keen gamesmanship on the part of the veteran U.S. striker that set the events in motion that sent the game into overtime.
A day after the victory that pushed the U.S. into tomorrow’s gold medal match against Japan, American players revealed it was Wambach who, in a passive-aggressive way, pushed the referee to call the controversial delay-of-game foul on Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod that gave the U.S. a rare indirect kick inside the penalty box.
Despite McLeod saying after the game she felt the referee “robbed’’ Canada of the win, U.S. players said McLeod had been warned at the start of the second half not to hold on to the ball longer than the allowed six seconds before punting it away.
Wambach said in the second half she began counting out loud within ear shot of the referee every time McLeod held on to the ball.
“I wasn’t yelling; I was just counting,’’ Wambach said. “It was probably the fifth to seventh time that I did it out loud so the referee could hear. On the [foul call] I had gotten to 10 seconds counting out loud next to the referee and at 10 seconds she blew the whistle. I think it was a good call.
“They were up a goal and they were taking as much time as they could. The last game we played them in the States there was a planned 20-minute cramp that their goalkeeper took and it was clearly a way for them to stall the game. That was the tactic they were using.
“We needed to get a goal at the time. They’re trying to waste time and I’m trying to speed it up and get us into a rhythm and get us more chances to score goals. You can say it’s gamesmanship and smart, but I’m a competitor and I want to get the ball back on our feet.”
Alex Morgan said that call has “never been made in a game that I’ve played in.’’
“But it was blatant, it was obvious,’’ she said. “The keeper had a warning and then she got called on it. It was right decision.’’
* FIFA is considering disciplinary action over blistering comments by Canada’s coach John Herdman and players about the referee after their semifinals loss.
FIFA says its disciplinary panel is “analyzing incidents that occurred after” Monday’s game.
