New York Noggin’

We knew Abby Wambach was tough, damn tough, but the legend grows. After getting her scalp cracked open in a collision with a North Korea defender about 10 minutes into the second half of the USA’s first Women’s World Cup match, Wambach’s head wound was gushing blood, covering her hair and her jersey. The team’s medical staff rushed her to the locker room and the team doctor put in two stitches to stop the bleeding…without any numbing medication. Wambach, who said she could hear the needle going through her skin, just wanted to get back on the field and didn’t have time for a shot. The medical staff did an excellent job of stemming the blood flow and she did a 150-yard sprint to get back to midfield before being waved back on by the referee. Wambach was forced to put back on the sweaty, wet jersey she had worn in the first half. On a rainy night, the blood in Wambach’s hair soaked down into her jersey, creating a crimson hue when the game was over. The National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., sent an email requesting the bloody garment, but alas, it had already been put in the wash. The U.S. equipment manager reports that all the blood came out as well.