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Former United States women's national team star Abby Wambach has questioned foreign-born players on the U.S. men's team for "how much they love their country." On the day of her farewell game last December, Wambach called for coach Jurgen Klinsmann to be fired and blasted him for bringing in "a bunch of these foreign guys." Her comments brought criticism from Mix Diskerud, who was born in Norway, as well as New Jersey native Alejandro Bedoya, who called them "xenophobic." But Wambach stood by her opinions in an interview with the New York Times and said she would like to discuss them with U.S. men's players. "Do I agree with everything Jurgen has done? No, I do not. It's just my opinion, and I'm entitled to that," said Wambach, who retired as the world's leading international goal scorer last year and now works as an analyst for ESPN. "It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some guys that have never lived in the United States that play for the United States because they were able to secure a passport. To me, that just feels like they weren't able to make it for their country and earn a living, so they're coming here. "But do they have that killer instinct? I don't know. I'd love to sit down with Mix Diskerud and some of these other guys and talk to them about it. "I'd love to understand how much they love their country. I believe they can have love for both countries, but I'd love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. "If this is an ignorant opinion, I'll raise my hand in the end and say, 'My bad.' But I'd want to have that conversation." Wambach also said she supported her former teammate Megan Rapinoe for kneeling during the national anthem during recent U.S. friendlies. "She is stepping into her own belief system and wanting to peacefully protest for this Black Lives Matter movement, which is near to her heart," Wambach said. "Whether you agree or disagree with her choice to do it, she has the right to do it. "If I was still on the team, I don't know if I would join her in her protest, though. I'm fiercely patriotic, and the flag and the anthem is something that I really, really respect. So I don't know if I could do that."
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